The San Francisco call., 1908-12-06
ELECTORS PROFIT
BY POPULAR ERROR
Amendment Permits Ten Repub-
Iicans to Collect $4,000 for
One Days Work
Only Remedy Lies in Their Re-
fusal to Accept Unexpected
Easy Money
BY George Van Smith

By George Van Smith
BY their ratification of senate con-
stitutional amendment No. 16 the
people of California gave 10 eminent
republicans an opportunity to indulge
themselves in $4,000 worth of genuine
patriotism, without cash outlay of a
single cent Also by that same ratifica-
ton the people gave those 10 republic
ans an opportunity to collect $4,000
from the state treasury if the eminent
republicans prefer cash to patriotism.
The amendment ratified by the people
was that putting their legislators on a
salary basis and fixing that salary at
$1,000 for the biennial term. The emil
nent republicans who will have the op-
portunity to exercise $4,000 worth of
patriotism without additional expense
to themselves are: Sam NJ. Shortridge,
Z. S. Grant Jr., G.. w. Dwinell, Alden
Anderson, Francis Nj. Smith H. G. w.
Dinkelspiel, Delos o. Druffel, Thomas
j. Field, Byron Erkenbrecker, and L.
NJ. King. presidential electors chosen
by the people of California TO cast the
vote of the Golden state for Taft and
Sherman.
KEY TO THE SITUATION
The key to the situation is wee bit
of a section in the political code num-
bered 1921, which provides that the
compensation of presidential electors
shall be the same as that of legisla-
tors.
II of which resolved into a single
proposition means that when the people
voted to put their legislators on a
sane basis of compensation they pro-
yided, quite unwittingly, to compensate
each of 10 presidential electors in the
sum of 81 900 and mileage for the sim
pie and highly honorary duty of jour
neying to Sacramento and going
through the form of recording the will
of the people.
Private Secretary Cooper of Governor
Gilletts office unearthed the accidental
| woodchuck. The veriest novice in the
| legislature can with the consent of a
legislative majority provide the means
of strangling the pesky brute so far
as it may relate to electors chosen in
1912 and thereafter, but he will live
! until after the electors chosen last
month have collected $1,000 each. un-
| less those electors are too big TO take
! advantage of a situation which none
| contemplated.
AN HONOR ABOVE PRICE
Probably no candidate for presiden-
! tial elector ever sought the nomination
with an eye to the pecuniary rewards
attaching thereto. 1t is an honor con
! sidered above price by many men who
| hope or desire of financial emolument
Under the terms of section 1921 of the
political code Calffornia's electors have
received 10 cents mile for the jour
ney from their homes to Sacramento
and $S. or the per diem of legislator
/ for the single day OF their pro forms
/ session.
The mileage of the elector chosen a:
| messenger to carry the vote to Wash
ington is paid out of the national treas
ury. The unthought of combination o.
the amended constitution and section
/ 1921 of the political code does not af
| feet the mileage rate, but it does make
| 1t possible for the electors to collec
| $1,000 for few minutes work instead
of the IS as of old.
| AMENDMENT IN ORDER
The situation as regards subsequent
! electors can of course, be remedied By
/ amending section 1921. And 1t is un-
derstood by high state officials thai
| such amendment will be taken up i'm
mediately upon the convening of tbs
| Legislature next month. The amend
ment could be adopted before the cleo
tors go through the form OF casting
! the states vote, but in the opinion OF
eminent legal authority that amend
ment could not affect the right OF the
| 10 elecors to demand and receive $1,000
! each
This contention is based on the the
| ory that the rights of the electors are
vested and that the legislature has nc
constitutional authority to interfere
with those rights. The obvious and ap.
| parently the only remedy is for the
! electors to refuse to accept the money
/ which none intended to give them an6
/ which they did not expect to receive
MAY REFUSE MONEY
None of the electors has announced
/ his intentions in the matter, but that
| they will refuse TO take the money to
! which they undoubtedly have q clear
! title seems almost beyond question IL
! is quite beyond belief that Sam Short
i ridge, who has ever been too proud
! and too good a partisan to accept even
campaign expenses, would accept 81. .00t
| to which his title was secured under
such circumstances
That u. S. Grant Jr. and f. M. Smith
millionaires, and Alden Anderson ane
/ Byron Erkenbrecker, bankers, woult
soil their hands with easy money, pu
! within their grasp through mistake
| on the part of the people who were
endeavoring to do something like sim
pie justice In the matter of compensa-
| tion for legislators seems almost un-
thfnkable Nor is 1t to be believed
that in the matter of simple ethics
those men Will not find their associates
/ on the same common decency plane
OPPORTUNITY FOR PATRIOTISM
Ratification of that same senate
amendment No. 1s has developed an
other opportunity for patriotism, which
will probably be practiced without the
consent of the patriots. When the peo-
/ oGio a4fUa attacha
| TO $500 day for either house, they
cooked up mess of trouble for the
democratic minoritfes
When the last legislature grabbed of
! a little more than $4,000 day fol
/ attache expenses, they permitted the