The San Francisco call., 1907-02-18
To Submit the eld-Wright
Amendment or Postpone
Proposed Law
SENATE'S WHIP HAND
Strong Differences Among
Assemblyrnen on the
Needed Reform
MUST ACT THIS WEEK
By George A. Van Smith
CALL HEADQUARTERS,
1907 EIGHTH STREET.


SACRAMENTO. Feb. II.
This week will disclose the fate of di-
rect primary legislation. Either the
people of California will be gwen an
opportunity to vote on the Held
Wright amendment, or the enactment
of direct primary law will be post
poned four years instead of two. The
decision of the question and response
bility for redemption or reputation
of the party platform pledges lie with
the Assembly.
The Senate is in a position to play a
righteous role and the purpose of its
leaders is to settle back comfortably
and enjoy the novel experience. The
Assembly is not to be hurried; in fact,
the lower house is to be permitted a
reasonable length of time in which to
garrote the amendment. repudiate party
pledges and stand forth self-accused
before the people. if it chooses.
TO POSTPONE CONSIDERATION
When the Assembly message an
nouncing the refusal Of the lower house
TO concur in the Senate proviso is called
up tomorrow morning in the Senate,
consideration of the message viii be
promptly postponed until Wednesday.
Assembly leaders have said their COM
mittee on joint rules can get ready to
The ability of this committee to pre-
pare for the meeting is in no wise dis
puted 1t is its intention to prove that
is not so clearly apparent
At a time when many Of the Assem-
blymen. who are responsible for the
situation the Assembly finds itself in.
are ready for joint rules TO save them
selves and the direct primary meas
ure there develops strong factional and
personal differences. One member of
the Assembly committee, Grove L.
n hnson. wants a rule to insure
against the smothering of any of his
bills in the Senate committee. He
has every reason to believe he viii
not get such rule and is accordingly
not anxious for a meeting Then, there
is The Cutten following, which fears
the Senate proviso VIII cut off their
chances OF making the present primary
law mandatory in the few .communi-
ties now seeking such an extension of
the act It is, however, only fair to
these few men to say that they are
willing to concur in the Senate pro-
viso now that they appreciate the dan
gerous character Of the situation
rather than Jose the IIeld-wright
amendment
Ana finally there is the faction that
does not want a constitutional amend
rnent and has taken shelter with an
other small but honest element behind
the Assembly committees substitute for
the stetson bin, which, even should it
be passed, would not furnish an excuse
for failure TO submit a constitutional
amendment held to be necessary by an
almost unanimous verdict Of the bench
and bar of the State and advocated by
the Governor
OTHER MATTERS SUSPENDED
Fortunately for the direct primary
forces the Held-wright measure is not
the only proposition suspended in thin
air to be brought back to legislative
earth only through the medium of joint
rules and conference committees. There
.,are others. The Senate, refusing to ap-
point special conference committee
on the Held-wright proposition, cannot
with any grace appoint committees to
thresh out the differences on other mat
ters. With only seventeen Legislative
davs left before the termination of the
constitutional legislative period, delays
after the end Of this week mean legis-
lative fatalities. The Senate has the
whip hand and the Assembly will be
compelled to bow.
Senator E. o. Miller of visalia re-
turned to sacramento today to hear for
the first time the report that he had
asserted the Kings County and the
coalingaf district people in their fight
for slice of Fresno County, which has
been in circulation since he went to
a san Francisco hospital for treatment
two weeks ago. That he will not rise
10 a question Of privilege tomorrow
morning TO deny the allegation and
defy the alligator is due to the pa
ciAsgtory efforts Of the Senator'S in
tosH this evening, who have either de-
MED hearing the story or assured the
lrate solon from Visalia that no one
believed il anyhow Miller announced
,sonight that be was ready. to take up
1