Short Stories by Robert A. Heinlein Vol 2 Part 169

Well, what of that?'

That means that even if they do pa.s.s their respective houses they will have to go to conference committee to have their differences ironed out, then back for final pa.s.sage in each house. The chances of that this late in a short session are negligible. Those bills are dead.'

Jedson's predictions were justified. The bills came out of committee with a do pa.s.s' recommendation late Sat.u.r.day evening. That was the actual time; the statehouse clock had been stopped forty-eight hours before to permit first and second readings of an administration must' bill. Therefore it was officially

Thursday. I know that sounds c.o.c.keyed, and it is, but I am told that every legislature in the country does it towards the end of a crowded session.

The important point is that, Thursday or Sat.u.r.day, the session would adjourn sometime that night. I watched Ditworth's bill come up in the a.s.sembly. It was pa.s.sed, without debate, in the amended form. I sighed with relief. About midnight Jedson joined me and reported that the same thing had happened in the

Senate. Sally was on watch in the conference committee room, just to make sure that the bills stayed dead.

Joe and I remained on watch in our respective houses. There was probably no need for it, but it made us feel easier. Shortly before two in the morning Bodie came in and said we were to meet Jedson and Sally outside the conference committee room.

What's that?' I said, immediately all nerves. Has something slipped?'

No, it's all right and it's all over. Come on.'

Joe answered my question, as I hurried up with Bodie trailing, before I could ask it. It's OK, Archie. Sally was present when the committee adjourned sine die, without acting on those bills. It's all over; we've won!'

We went over to the bar across the street to have a drink in celebration.

In spite of the late hour the bar was moderately crowded. Lobbyists, local politicians, legislative attaches, all the swarm of camp followers who throng the capitol whenever the legislature is sitting - all such were still up and around, and many of them had picked this bar as a convenient place to wait for news of adjournment.

We were lucky to find a stool at the bar for Sally. We three men made a tight little cl.u.s.ter around her and tried to get the attention of the overworked bartender. We had just managed to place our orders when a young man tapped on the shoulder of the customer on the stool to the right of Sally. He immediately got down and left. I nudged Bodie to tell him to take the seat.

Sally turned to Joe. Well, it won't be long now. There go the sergeants at arms.' She nodded towards the young man, who was repeating the process farther down the line.

What does that mean?' I asked Joe.

It means they are getting along towards the final vote on the bill they were waiting on. They've gone to "call of the house now, and the Speaker has ordered the sergeant at arms to send his deputies out to arrest absent members.'

Arrest them?' I was a little bit shocked.

Only technically. You see, the a.s.sembly has had to stall until the Senate was through with this bill, and most of the members have wandered out for a bite to eat, or a drink. Now they are ready to vote, so they round them up.'

A fat man took a stool near us which had just been vacated by a member. Sally said, h.e.l.lo, Don.'

He took a cigar from his mouth and said, How are yuh, Sally? What's new? Say, I thought you were interested in that bill on magic?'

We were all four alert at once. I am,' Sally admitted. What about it?'

Well, then, you had better get over there. They're voting on it right away.

Didn't you notice the "call of the house ?'

I think we set a new record getting across the street, with Sally leading the field in spite of her plumpness. I was asking Jedson how it could be possible, and he shut me up with, I don't know, man! We'll have to see.'

We managed to find seats on the main floor back of the rail. Sally beckoned to one of the pages she knew and sent him up to the clerk's desk for a copy of the bill that was pending. In front of the rail the a.s.sembly men gathered in groups.

There was a crowd around the desk of the administration floor leader and a smaller cl.u.s.ter around the floor leader of the opposition. The whips had individual members b.u.t.tonholed here and there, arguing with them in tense whispers.

The page came back with the copy of the bill. It was an appropriation bill for the Middle Counties Improvement Project - the last of the must' bills for which the session had been called - but pasted to it, as a rider, was Ditworth's bill in its original, most d.a.m.nable form!

It had been added as an amendment in the Senate, probably as a concession to

Ditworth's stooges in order to obtain their votes to make up the two-thirds majority necessary to pa.s.s the appropriation bill to which it had been grafted.

The vote came almost at once. It was evident, early in the roll call, that the floor leader had his majority in hand and that the bill would pa.s.s. When the clerk announced its pa.s.sage, a motion to adjourn sine die was offered by the opposition floor leader and it was carried unanimously. The Speaker called the two floor leaders to his desk and instructed them to wait on the governor and the presiding officer of the Senate with notice of adjournment.

The crack of his gavel released us from stunned immobility. We shambled out.

We got in to see the governor late the next morning. The appointment, squeezed into an overcrowded calendar, was simply a concession to Sally and another evidence of the high regard in which she was held around the capitol. For it was evident that he did not want to see us and did not have time to see us. But he greeted Sally affectionately and listened, patiently while Jedson explained in a few words why we thought the combined Ditworth-Middle Counties bill should be vetoed.

The circ.u.mstances were not favourable to reasoned expostulation. The governor was interrupted by two calls that he had to take, one from his director of finance and one from Washington. His personal secretary came in once and shoved a memorandum under his eyes, at which the old man looked worried, then scrawled something on it and handed it back. I could tell that his attention was elsewhere for some minutes after that.

When Jedson stopped talking, the governor sat for a moment, looking down at his blotter pad, an expression of deep- rooted weariness on his face. Then he answered in slow words, No, Mr Jedson, I can't see it. I regret as much as you do that this business of the regulation of magic has been tied in with an entirely different matter. But I cannot veto part of a bill and sign the rest - even though the bill includes two widely separated subjects.

I appreciate the work you did to help elect my administration' - I could see

Sally's hand in that remark - and wish that we could agree on this. But the

Middle Counties Project is something that I have worked towards since my inauguration. I hope and believe that it will be the means whereby the most depressed area in our state can work out its economic problems without further grants of public money. If I thought that the amendment concerning magic would actually do a grave harm to the state-'

He paused for a moment. But I don't. When Mrs Logan called me this morning I had my legislative counsel a.n.a.lyse the bill. I agree that the bill is unnecessary, but it seems to do nothing more than add a little more bureaucratic red tape.

That's not good, but we manage to do business under a lot of it; a little more can't wreck things.'

I b.u.t.ted in - rudely, I suppose - but I was all worked up. But, Your Excellency, if you would just take time to examine this matter yourself, in detail, you would see how much damage it will do!'

I would not have been surprised if he had flared back at me. Instead, he indicated a file basket that was stacked high and spilling over. Mr Fraser, there you see fifty-seven bills pa.s.sed by this session of the legislature. Every one of them has some defect. Every one of them is of vital importance to some, or all of the people of this state. Some of them are as long to read as an ordinary novel. In the next nine days I must decide what ones shall become law and' what ones must wait for revision at the next regular session. During that nine days at least a thousand people will want me to see them about some one of those bills-'

His aide stuck his head in the door. Twelve-twenty, chief! You're on the air in forty minutes.'

The governor nodded absently and stood up. You will excuse me? I'm expected at a luncheon.' He turned to his aide, who was getting out his hat and gloves from a closet. You have the speech, Jim?'

Of course, sir.

Just a minute!' Sally had cut in. Have you taken your tonic?'

Not yet.'

You're not going off to one of those luncheons without it!' She ducked into his private washroom and came out with a medicine bottle. Joe and I bowed out as quickly as possible.

Outside I started fuming to Jedson about the way we had been given the run-around, as I saw it. I made some remark about dunderheaded, compromising politicians when Joe cut me short.

Shut up, Archie! Try running a state sometime instead of a small business and see how easy you find it!'

I shut up.