The San Francisco call., 1907-02-13
House Must Swallow Sen
ate Joint Rules to Save
Face and Primary Measure
SIMPLE TASK FOR
CONFERENCE BODY
Some Slight Change to Ap-
proach Plan of Cutten
Would Tide Over Trouble
By George A. Van Smith
CALL HEADQUARTERS,
1907 EIGHTH STREET.

SACRAMENTO. Feb. L.
Floundering in the pit dug by its own
experts. the Assembly must swallow
the Senate joint rules proposition to
extricate itself and save the direct pri-
mary constitutional amendment. Most
of the men who assisted in their own
grave-digging. recognizing their tac-
teal error. are game and will rectify it.
1t is really not very bitter dose the
Assembly must swallow, and. fortu-
nately. the lesson learned by a number
of young legislators will be ample to
serve as a guide for a number of ses-
sions should their services be retained
by appreciative constituencies.
AS matter of fact, the bugaboo in
the joint rules is a straw creature,
erected by the versatile Grove L. John
son. johnson is not only versatile. but
he is prolifc. His bills sxe numbered
/ by the score. There may be some he
wishes to pass. In anyaevent he makes
a hne. strong play to that effect. and
when the Senate offered the joint rules
employed by the last Legislature john
son had a little Improvement to sug-
gest. The Sacramento sage wanted a
rule compelling the Senate committee
to report out all Assembly bills within
ate has its collective eye on some Of
Johnson's measures and declines to en-
ter into any such agreement.
APPRECIATE SITUATION
Until the real reformers in the AS
sembly fell over their own feet yester-
day Johnson was enabled to prevent
the adoption of joint rules. Now these
same men realize that if they do not
ment will fall, and on their shoulders
will fall the responsibility. major
ity of them are really In favor of di-
rect primary legislation. They thought
they saw fine opportunity to bring
the Senate to it's knees and at the same
ent craftsmanship. So far as the Sem
ate is concerned 1t could not have ac-
complished more had it by its leaders
planned the coup the Assemblymen
sprung on themselves.
The Assemblymen who participated
in the blunder appreciate the situation,
and while many of them think there is
lurking demon concealed somewhere
in the horrid depths of those Joint
rules they do not intend to imperil the
ultimate adoption of a direct primary
amendment They cannot afford to go
passing such an mendment, and an
agreement of joint rules will result.
BELsHAw'S MEASURE
The conference committee appointed
under the joint rules will have, If it
chooses a simple task Some slight
change to fit approximately to the
plan suggested by Assemblyman Cut
ten would undoubtedly be satisfactory
to the Senate. An attempt. however.
to go the whole distance proposed by
the Humboldt man would be simply a
repetition of what Senator Caminetti
failed to do when the amendment was
before the Senate.
Should the conference committee fail
to agree the Senate will be asked to
pass the amendment introduced by Sem
ator Belshaw. The Held Wright amend
ment was given preference over this
measure in the Senate COMMITTEES on
| elections, but yesterday, fearing the
Held Wright amendment would die a
weight of expert legislative endeavor
| in the Assembly, Belshaw asked the
Senate committee to resurrect his prop
| osition This morning the COMMITTEES
reported it out without recommends
! tion.