The San Francisco call., 1907-02-27
LEGISLATORS ATTEMPT
To BLOCK DEPOT BILL
Jere Burke Declares Road
VIII Fight Measure
at Issue
McMULLIN ASSAILED
San Francisco Delegation
Seeks Revenge for
Recent Snubs
McMULLIN ASSAILED
By George Van Smith
CALL HEADQUARTERS,
1907 EIGHTH STREET

10, req. Zb--lhe san
Francisco delegation declared war to-
who had turned a deaf ear whenever
Abe Ruefs henchpen asked reconsid-
GRAFTON Of the bills passed against their
protest McMullin Of Bakersfield was
marked as the first victim. and so Bit
ter were the San Franciscans that they
tried to prevent the Kern County mem
Der from amending one of his bills to
suit himself
Incidentally the bill which McMullin
sought TO amend on third reading was
an antirailroad measure marked by
Jere Burke as a target for tbe shafts
Of the faithful. but this, OF course. only
served TO increase the arderA OF the as
sailsnts. It was Assembly bill 209. de-
signed for the particular benefit OF
Bakersfield, but providing that railroad
companies must maintain freight and
passenger depots IN all incorporated
cities and towns on their lines. and also
stop all but interstate trains at such
places. that was before the House.
McMuIlin offered several amendments
with 8 view OF changing the bill SO
that the railway company would b. re
lieved or the necessity Of erecting
freight warehouses in incer,rrated
cities and towns that were no. eoGpty
seats. To his great surprise the first
amendment aroused & ctamor OF noes
A noise came from the San Francisco
delegation. The Speaker declared the
amendment carried.
AS q rule few members vote on the
third reading amendments McMullins
second amendment was greeted with
lie usual namber OF perfunctory ayes.
followed by q great chorus of savage
noes. The Speaker hesitated
McMullin faced the San. Francisco
delegation: do the members who are
shouting know what they are voting
on?" ne asked.
You bet We do" cried one of Abe's
fellows.
we are opposed TO this BILL" inter
Jeted Nate Coghlan.
M'MULLIN TRIA PHs
Grove johnson took the floor and
made q personal appeal in behalI of
McMullin- Ever since the session
opened" he said. "it has cen the Gus
tom to let a member amend his bill a.
he saw At. If after Mr.. McMullin gets
through We do not like his bill. we do
not have 10 vote for il and therefore
] appeal TO you to treat him with the
same fairness you have accorded to
others"
Nate Coghlan replied that the mem
bers who opposed the amendments
were voting no because that was the
right thing to do. He objected to being
rebuked for his action.
Johnson sat down in disgust and
speaker Beardslee called for rising
vote. About thirty members rose to
the call for ayes The call for noes
brought fourteen members to their feet
end every man of them was from San
Francisco.
McMullin had triumphed and he sue
ceeded in getting his other amend
ments through without much trouble
The opposition Of the San Francis
cans has stirred the fighting spirit of
the Bakersfield legislator, and when
the bill comes up again he will ask
that the county seat limitation on
freight warehouses. which was a con-
cession to the railroads. be stricken
out This will cause some delay, but
the fight on final passage should take
place before the week ends
Jere Burke has told McMullin that
the railroad will not permit his bill or
any other designed TO regulate the.
running Of Southern Pacific trains TO
be passed McMullin must contend
against the call of the whistle, but
several members who have depotIess
towns in their districts have promised
him aid and he hopes TO give the Her
rinites g battle worth remembering
VENGEANCE VOWED
After the row today members Of the
San Francisco delegation denied that
attempt 10 prevent the amendments.
They said that McMullin and a half
dozen other Assemblymen from coun-
try districts had been voting against
every reconsideration asked by San
Francisco and that San Francisco was
tired Of such treatment and was de-
termined to get even
Two OF the pleas for reconsideration
were turned down today. CoghIan
sxed for another chance to defeat the
bill providing for party registration.
bur thirty members said no. and he
couldn't get nearer than within three
votes Of the required forty-one
few hours later he asked for a
favorable vote on Stetson's conelorn-
Grafton of convention and direct prin-
~. and this time the vote stood: AYES
81: noes. 81.
Coghlan stopped talking and reached
for his ak Now he is prepared TO
hack and hew. but would prefer TO con
nne his vandalism to anticorporation
bills,