Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-08
Leftover Work
of Legislature
oc 1910 By Franklin
Ol 1IUI. HichbOrn
Reform of
the Election Laws

TO amend what Is left Of the Austria
liam ballot law into something like its
old-time effectiveness two bills were In
troduced at the last session of the leg
islature. They We're:
First-The party circle bill, which re-
moved the party circle from the elee-
ton ballot.
Secand-The judicial column bill,
which provided that the names of can
didates for the bench should be printed
in a column on the ballot by themselves
and without party designation. This
would have effectively taken the judi
ciary out of politics.
Both measures passed the senate;
both were held up in the assembly un-
til the closing days of the session, and
then defeated in that house by narrow
margins.
The party circle" bill passed the
senate by vote of % to 10, as fol-
lows.
To remove the party circle from the
election ballot-Anthony, Bell, Birdsall,
Black, Boynton, Caminetti, Campbell,
Cartwright, Estudillo, Hare Holohan,
Kennedy, Leavitt, Miller, Roseberry,
Rush, Sanford, Stetson, Thompson.
Walker, Willis Wolfe and Wright-25.
The fifteen who voted against the
removal of the party circle from the
election BALLOT Were-Bates, Bills,
Lewis, Martinelli, Price, Savage, Stro-
bridge, Weed and Welch-Io
In the assembly, the party circle bill
was denied second reading and IN TINS
way killed by vote of So to 80. The
change of a single vote would have
put the measure upon its passage
The vote was as follows:
TO deny the party circle bill Sec
ond reading and thus prevent its pas
sage-Barndollar, Beardslee. Behan,
Butler, Collier Cronin, Cullen, Dean,.
Feeley. Flavele, Fleisher, Flint, Greer,
Grifiiths, Harmon, Hanlon, Hans,
Hawk, Hayes, Hinkel, Johnson of San
Diego. Leeds, Macauley, Mcclellan,
McManus, Merose, Moore Mott, Otis,
Perine, Pulcifer, Rech, Silver, Stan
ton, Transue and Wagner-36
To give the party circle bill second
reading, thus favoring the passage
Baxter, Beatty, Black, Bohnett, Cal
Ian, Cattell, Coghlan, Cogswell, Collum,
Costar Gerdes, Gibbons, Gillis, Hewitt,
Holmquist, Irwin, Johnson of Sacra-
mento, Johnson of Jlacer, Julliard, Ke
hoe, Lightner. Maher, Mendenhall. Nell
son, Odom, O'Neill, Polsley, Preston,
Rutherford. Stuckenbruck, Teller,
| Whitney, Wilson; Wyllie, Young-35.
The judicial column bill has been
called a Democratic measure. Nothing
could be further from the truth. 1t
was introduced by a Republican sena-
tor Boynton. 1t had the Endorsement
of Chief Justice Beatty of the state
supreme bench, who is Republican,
and of the superior judges generally
throughout the state without regard to
tleir party affiliations.
The measure passed the Republican
senate by vote of 26 to 9. two Demo-
Gratis, by the way, Curtin and Hare.
voting against it. The vote was as
follows:
For the bill-Anthony, Bell, Bills,
Birdsall, Black. Boynton, Burnett,
Clminetti, Campbell, Cartwright, Cut
ten, Estud-llo, aolohan, Kennedy,
Lewis, Miller, Price, Sanford, Stet-
son. Strobridge, Thompson, Walker,
Wech, Willis, Wolfe, Wrlght-26
Against the bill-Curtin, Finn, Hare,
Hartman, Burd, Leavitt, Martinelli,
Savage and Weed-9.
Having passed the senate, the ju
dicial column bill went to the assembly,
where, on it's final passage 1t re-
ceived a majority of those voting, but
not the majority of the assembly, forty
one votes, which was required for Its
passage The bill was defeated by a
vote of 80 for to % against. Six more
votes-there were sixteen members alb
sent when the vote was taken-would
have passed the bill. The vote was
as follows.
For the judicial column bill--Baxter,
Beatty, Bohnett, Callan, Cattell, Cogs-
well, Collum, Costar Drew Flint, Ger
des, Gibbons, Gillis. Hewitt, Hinkle,
Irwin, Johnson of Placer, Julliard, Ke-
hoe, Lightner, Maher, Mendenhall,
Moore, Odom, Otis. Polsley Preston,
Pulcifer, Sackett, Stuckenbruck, Teller,
Whitney Wilson, Wyllie, Young-35.
Against the judicial column bill
Barndollar Beardslee, Rehan. Black,
Coghlan, Cronin, Cullen, Feeley, Fla
velle, Greer Hanlon, Hans Hawk.
Holmquist, johnson of Sacramento,
johnson of San Diego, Leeds, Ma
cauley, Mcclellan, Melrose, Mott,
Nelson, Rech. Rutherford. Schmitt,
Silver, Stanton, Transue, Wagner-29.
At the legislative session of 1911,
second attempt will be made to take
the judiciary out of politics. and to re-
store the Australian ballot system to
something like its original effective
ness. The proponents of the two mea-
sures will endeavor to force to sue
cessful conclusion the reforms which,
at the session of 1909, failed by mar
row margin.