The San Francisco call., 1907-01-28
Will Go Back to Assembly
With Unanimous Indorse-
ment Of House Committee
SPEAKER BEARDSLEE
SAYS IT WILL PASS
Believes Members VIII Re
deem the Pledges Made
During Last Campaign
By Geo. A. Van Smith
CALL HEADQUARTERS,
1907 EIGHTH STREET.

lOO1 ElUhIh SIREEls
SACRAMENTO, Jan. H.
The Assembly may have an op-
portunity to 60 on record in the
matter Of direct primary election
reform tomorrow morning. If
It embraces that opportunity by
redeeming, so far as it can, the
platform pledges made by both
the Republican and Democratic
parties by passing the Held reso-
luton for a constitutional
amendment, the whole question
viii be up to the Senate, whose
committee has arranged for a
public hearing on the pending
amendments for Tuesday.
The Held amendment will be
sent to the Senate tomorrow
morning without amendment, and
backed BY tne nnaaArnously favorable
report Of the committee on constitu-
tional amendments. So far as the
members Of the committee are con
cerned, everything possible has been
done 10 enable the Assembly TO dispose
OF the question. and Speaker Beardslee.
who has personally renewed the plat
form pledge to support the direct pri-
mary movement. said tonight the
amendment could be taken up on the
report tomorrow morning and the dis
position OF the members made mat
r. of record at once.
BEARDsBEE CONFIDENT
Assen1blyman Held Of Ukis.h. who in
troduoed in the Assembly the amend
trent proposed by The Call. is out Of
town. but is expected to return tomor-
row before the Assembly conyenes, and,
on his motion, the Speaker will pre-
sent the proposition TO the Assembly.
Then II is just matter Of votes
fPfv-four votes-two- thirds Of eighty
Assemblymen. Only forty-two Assem-
blyrnen have personally and formally
acknowledged responsibility in the mat
ter Of their party pledges 10y un-
souivocslly promising TO vote for the
submission OF an amendment but the
men in charge Of the movement and
the Speaker claim TO be entirely con-
hdent that there viii be no material
opposition TO the amendment which is
backed with the unanimous report Of
the committee.
Beardslee tonight said "On the re-
ouest Of Assemblyman Held his amend
ment can be taken up Immediately to-
morrow, and. Of course, il viii pass.
and. 7 think. without any opposition
For the life Of me / cannot see how
any member can consistently vote
against it. Every Republican and every
Democrat is bound. and must feel that
he is bound, by the pledges OF his party
platform 10 give the people OF Cslifor-
nis. a direct primary election law. IN
fortunately, our constitution makes q,
complete redemption OF those pledges
by this Legislature an impossibility. We
can redeem those pledges in part by
submitting a constitutional amend
lnent for ratification or rejection by the
people and quite regardless Of the per
sonal attitude Of any member on the
main question of direct primary cleo
tions. 7 cannot see how any member
can vote against The submission OF a
proposed amendment"
INDORsED By COMMITTEE
There is more logic than appears on
the surface Of Beardslee's optimistic
for the Held amend
ment The amendment has the in
dorsement Of 2 unanimous committee
report. The committeeman are all
lawyers, and the amendment has been
before them individually for six weeks
and collectively for two weeks. They
have had ample opportunity TO exam
the its provisions in detail one OF the
members Of the committee, Assembly
nsn Wyatt, who is also chairman o. the
committee on the revision Of laws, does
not believe in direct primary elections
on principle. He does, however, be-
lieve that as party man he is bound
by the Republican platform pledge. and