The San Francisco call., 1908-12-22
SHORTRIDCF PASSES
Up UP$1,OOOP|CKlNGS
Declares Presidential Electors
Have No Moral, Ethical or
Legal Right to Money
Says He Is Not Entitled to the
Amount Received by Legisla= ]
tors for Full Term
BY George Van Smith


81 have no moral, ethical or legal
right to the $1,000 which it is gener-
ally believed the people inadvertently
voted into the pockets Of presidential
electors, by adopting the constitutional
amendment increasing the compensa-
ton of legislators, and 1 will not accept
that money!
In these sweeping terms Samuel NJ
Shortridge, presidential elector, dis
posed of his share in the bugbear which
has troubled the minds of politicians
and many others since it was d1scov-
cred that electors might claim Sl,o0o as
compensation for one days services
Private Secretary Cooper of Cover
nor Gilletts office, who is considered
one of the cleverest young lawyers IN
the state, discovered a forgotten code
provision a few days after the election
at which the constitutional amendments
increasing the compensation or leglsla-
tors to $1,000 for the term were ratlned
That forgotten code provision pro-
vides that the compensation of presl-
Dental electors shall be the same as
that of legislators. The constitutional
amendments provided simply that the
compensation of legislator should be
lawyers who are recognized as author
tiles nothing stood in the way OF the
collection of $1,000 by each of Califor-
MAS 10 electors after they had gone
through the form of casting Califor-
MAS vote for Taft and Sherman That
view of an awkward and wholly un-
premeditated situation was generally
accepted.
No one who was familiar with Sam
I, orfx 4 oh 1rf
accepting compensation for political
services rendered to his party believed
that he would accept the money. Nor
indeed was the public prepared to be-
lieve that any of the electors would
gobble the easy money which the public
had apparently through a mistake put
in their way
Now comes Shortridge, not alone
with an emphatic and to be expected
refusal to take the money, but with a
denial of his legal right to it, and in
cidental1y an ingenious scheme, where
by the Legislature may give each of the
electors $16.66 and their mileage and
declare the job compensated for in full
Il do not care to pose and / have
hesitated to discuss this matter" said
Shortridge yesterday. "Of course /
would not accept the money, to which /
have no moral or ethical right and to
which am sure I have no legal right
To accept that 81 900 would be the same
kind of crime that the cashing of a
check, which a friend had thought he
was making for SO and inadvertently
wrote for $1,000. would be.
1.-The people did not intend to give
electors $1,000 and l am convinced that,
many legal opinions to the contrary,
Notwithstanding. they have not so pro-
vided. The constitutional amendment
which fixes the compensation of legis-
lators at $1,000 for a term of two years
does not fix that compensation for
service of one day. Nor does ii provide
any method of payment. 1t may be
paid by the day, the month or at the
end of the term Legislation will be
needed. The Legislature will meet be-
fore the electors convene. Tt may pass
a law providing method of payment of
their own compensation on a per diem
basis Then when we go to Sacramento
and perform the duties laid upon us
by law, we can receive warrants for
one days services at the legislative
rate and our mileage. The account
will be closed, and closed as it should
be.
mo, am not impressed with the con-
tention that we have any vested rights.
The people did not intend to give us
$1,000 or any other sum other than
a legislative per diem for one day and
the mileage provided by law