The Assembly committees acted quite as expeditiously on measures which
had passed the Senate in a form satisfactory to machine interests. Thus,
the Wright Railroad Regulation bill, which reached the Assembly on March
12, was reported back to the Assembly by the Assembly Committee on
Common Carriers the day following, March 13.

It will be seen that the reform majority unquestionably weakened its
position by permitting the machine minority to organize the Legislature.
This phase of the problem which confronts the State will be dealt with
in the concluding chapter.

[1] One of the best witnesses to the viciousness of this measure is
Governor Gillett, surely an unprejudiced observer. In giving his reasons
for vetoing the bill, Governor Gillett said:

"I have several reasons for saying that I will veto the bill. One reason
is that I have always been opposed to it. When I was in the Senate in
1897 I was against it and again in 1899 I fought it in the Judiciary
Committee. Two years ago I ignored another such measure that had passed
through the Legislature, so that I would not be living up to my policy
of the past if I should sign this bill."

"But even if I had never had the opportunity to record my opposition on
these different occasions, I should have vetoed the bill anyway, because
it is a vicious bill. The bill is not a change of venue bill in the
strict sense of the word. It simply gives the man on trial the right to
disqualify the Judge on the ground of bias on the slightest pretext."

"The worst feature about the bill is that it grants this right to the