Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-02-20
The SENATOR
AT RECESS SAW
A GREAT LIGHT
HE ALSO SAW FOUR DIFFERENT
WAYS IN HALF An HOUR-AND
SCATTERED HIS VOTE LIKE A
SHOTGIrN.

The legislature died hard and it's
expiring hours had a mingling of the
humorous and pathetic-the former
in the quips and jokes passed free
handed, and the little friendly tilt
between Senators Joseph and Dim
lex in the senate when they drew a
vivid verbal picture of each other
and the latter in a fine tribute paid
to the venerable Senator Parrish.
There was something humorous
too in the bill coming up almost at
the last moment providing for the
first and second choice voting sys-
tenn, Senator Abrahams, contrary to
his general custom, broke into speech
and with a goodly portion of the die
tionary expressed his doubts about
the measure and also the idea that
1t was poorly drawn and ambiguous.
to ease the gentlemans mind and
apply a poultice OF silence to the
wounds made by his noise, Senator
Sinnott had the bill referred to the
doubling senator for amendment.
The senator amended it, reported it
back and when it was put upon its
passage, voted for it, but before the
vote was announced changed his vote
to, no, big lusty vociferous, no,
that went as it laid" and was deci-
slve, for with this change the bill
only had 10 ayes, and so it failed.
A recess of 10 minutes was taken
and then when the senate was called
to order Abrahams got busy. 1t was
about midnight and the big moon,
about half full, had just bobbed up
from behind the Cascades, after hav-
ing visited Eastern Oregon. Per-
haps Senator Abraham had looked
out Of the east window and got
glimpse Of it, At any rate he had in
the brief space of Is minutes, seen
a great light. AS soon as the senate
was called to order again he was at
his desk, the great light aforesaid
reflected from and Illuminating his
classic countenance until it shone
with a soft rosy glow like the sum-
NIT of Mt, Hood at a summer dawn,
or the ripples of a mill pond under a
harvest moon
The senator moved the reconsider
alton of the vote by which the Sec
ond choice" bill had been defeated,
and this being done he stated that
upon mature deliberation 90 min
utes) he had changed his mind. The
bill was a good one. There was no
Joker in it, 1t would put more votes
solidly behind the candidate. 1t
would solidify the party. 1t would
do anything in fact from kindling the
morning fire of love in the kitchen
stove to washing the supper dishes
and doing up the family laundry.
The more he thought of it, like the
dream of puppy love, the better it
seemed, and he paid all kinds of
glowing tributes to it, for at least
half an hour.
The other senator's had also either
seen great light, or were charmed
and hypnotized by the senator's
warm euloginm, for the bill passed.
and by a vote, of 10 to Z. This, too,
in spite of the opposition of Senator
Bowerman, than whom no one in the
state is better informed on the nee
esslty of having an abundance of
vote behind him, but who neverthe-
less objected to the bill. Senator
Abrahams' stunt was good. He OBJ
jected to the bill as bad, amended it
to suit himself, voted for it, changed
his vote and killed the bill, saw a
------------s-------