The San Francisco call., 1907-02-20
WAY IS CLEARED FOR
PRIMARY AMENDMENT
Assembly Committee Re
cedes From Untenable
Position
By George A. Van Smith
CALL HEADQUARTERS,
1007 EIGHTH STREET.

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 1o-By
agreeing to the, adoption of the joint
rules proposed by the Senate the As
semb1y committee cleared the way to-
day for the submission of the Held
Wright direct primary constitutional
amendment, and incidentally smoothed
a path for the Assembly out of the pit
II dug for itself by refusing to concur
in the Senate proviso tackled to the
amendment in the upper house.
In the Joint meeting of the rule COM
mittees at 1880 o'clock this afternoon
Assemblyman Leeds voted with the
Senate contingent for the acceptance of
the Senate proposition, and Grove l..
Johnson, who had been the keystone
on which the Assembly based its
resistance and also because of whom
It was unwilling to accept the joint
rules of two years ago, gracefully ac-
cepted defeat. It remains but for the
Assembly to ratify the work OF it's
committee and conference committees
can go to work at once on the direct
primary amendment and other disputed
measures.
When the Assembly asked for q spe-
cial conference on the Held-W right
amendment 1t named Held, Johnson and
Stetson as members Of it's committee.
It is altogether probable that this COM
mittee will be renamed under the rules.
The Senate declined to consider the
matter of a committee until rules were
adopted, but it may be assumed that
Senator Wright, sponsor in the upper
house for the direct primary measure,
and Senator Leavitt, chairman of the
caucus which made the Held-Wr1ght
amendment party measure, Will De
two of the three members from the
upper house. A possible third is Sen
ator Walker, chairman Of the Senate
committee on. elections and election
laws, before which the merits of the
measure were so thoroughly thresned
out.
1t should not be difficult for con-
ference committee constituted as thus
suggested TO reach an agreement. In
fact it may be assumed that four OF
the five men named are virtually of the
same mind about the form of the
amendment that should be submitted
This being true it should be easy foI
the amendment to pass both houses
and be ready for the signature Of the
Governor on Saturday evening, or Mon
day at the latest. Governor Gillett
while inclined to view the Senate pro-
viso as a bit of unnecessary and hu-
morous safeguarding, favors the sub
mission Of a constitutional amendment
and Will be ready to sign it when Il
gets to him.
By the barest kind of margin,
margin that could be overcome by the
change or acquisition of two votes, the
Sanford bill providing for popular
advisory nominating vote on candidates
for United States Senators was de-
feated in the Senate today. The fina
vote was Is in the Affirmative and Ii
in the negative.
The friends of the measure believe
that had several Senators realized how
close the measure was to passage they
would have voted in the affirmative
and they hope to slip over a majority
vote on a reconsideration, notice fol
which has been given.
The Sanford bill is simply an adapta
/ tion of the Oregon idea. which contem
plates placing the names of candidates
for the United States Senate on thu
general election ballot. canvass of thu
general vote and a return of that yot,