voted against the resolution under misapprehension of just what it stood
for[13].

Although the reform majority in the Assembly could prevent the adoption
of the "gag rules," it could not, after it had failed to elect the
Speaker, govern the appointment of the committees. By and large, the
Assembly committees were controlled as were the Senate committees by
machine standbys. The Election Laws Committee, which was to pass upon
the Direct Primary bill, was safely in machine hands. Grove L. Johnson,
as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, herded the young lawyers thereon
like so many sheep. Johnson was in effect the committee.

The Committee on Corporations and the Committee on Common Carriers,
before which railroad regulation bills might come, were safely in
majority for the machine.

One apparent exception to the rule was the Committee on Public Morals,
which gave the Anti-Gambling bill its start toward passage. But this
committee, which did so much to secure the passage of the Anti-Gambling
bill, held up the Local Option bill at Speaker Stanton's request, until
the last week of the session, thus making its passage in the Assembly
impossible.

A curious mistake was made by the machine, when Telfer of San Jose was
made Chairman of the Committee on Contingent Expenses. Telfer is not
only anti-machine, but possessed of a non-political honesty which proved
very distressing to the machine before the session was over.

Telfer as Chairman of the committee refused to "O. K." extravagant
charges for the materials furnished the Assembly. As a result, bills for