Story of the Session of the California Legislature of 1909Hichborn, Franklin
History
Story of the Session of the California Legislature of 1909
Hichborn, Franklin
California -- Politics and government
Caminetti's record is admirable. To be sure, he opposed Local Option,
but he fought as few others fought for an effective Direct Primary law,
for effective railroad regulation, in fact for practically all the
reform policies which the anti-machine forces advocated and the machine
opposed. Senator Sanford also voted for and worked for reform policies.
Like Caminetti, however, he opposed the Local Option bill and voted
against it. Senator Miller, on the other hand, supported the Local
Option bill, but slipped more seriously than did either Caminetti or
Sanford, by voting with the machine Senators against the Initiative
amendment. Miller's work for effective railroad regulation and for an
effective Direct Primary law, won him the deserved admiration and
confidence of the better element of the Legislature. Senator Cartwright
voted but twelve times on the sixteen roll calls, but the twelve
included the votes on the Direct Primary issues, on railroad regulation,
and on all the moral issues considered. And each time, Senator
Cartwright's vote was cast on the side of good government.
On the other side, the machine side, Senator Bates distinguished himself
but once during the session. It was Senator Bates who, to oblige a
friend, had the notorious Change of Venue bill placed on the Special
Urgency File, thus making the passage of the bill possible. Senator
Bates' vote and influence - such as it was - were thrown in the balance
against giving the people of California a State-wide vote - the only
practical vote - for United States Senators. He voted against the
effective Stetson bill; he voted for the ineffective Railroad Regulation
bill. In fact, aside from the Walker-Otis bill, Bates was on the machine
side of practically every issue[104].
Senator Hartman was during the session a mere machine vote. He was
always on hand, always voted, and voted with the machine. It was Senator
Hartman who named an employee of the notorious Sausalito gambling rooms
for an important committee clerkship. So far as the writer can recall,
Hartman made but two speeches during the session; one against the
Walker-Otis Anti-Gambling bill, one against the Islais Creek Harbor
bill, the passage of which meant so much for San Francisco, the city, by
the way, responsible for Hartman's presence at Sacramento.
On the sixteen roll calls under consideration, Hartman voted sixteen
times for machine policies. As a vote, Hartman is a valuable machine
asset; otherwise a nonentity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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