hire of typewriters had to be reduced, pencils counted and other
astonishing reductions made.

Telfer saved the State several hundred dollars, but caused many a
heartache. Telfer's appointment to a committee which he made important,
shows that the machine element as well as the anti-machine sometimes
makes mistakes. But in spite of its minor mistakes, in spite of the
anti-machine majority, so admirably did the machine organize the
Assembly for its purposes, that in the closing days of the session not
only were vicious measures passed without much difficulty, but the
Assembly was made the graveyard of good bills[14].



[11] If ever the People of California secure control of the State
Legislature through machine-free representatives with the courage to
dare and the ability to do, one of the most important pieces of work
will be to sweep aside the mass of precedent which the machine has for
years been gradually embodying into the rules of Senate and Assembly.
What is needed is a set of rules that shall promote the expression of
the wishes of the majority. The curse of technicality does not hamper
the Judiciary alone; it hampers the legislative branch of government as
well. Note Wolfe's ability to deadlock the Senate after the Assembly
Amendments to the Direct Primary bill had been rejected. Chapter XI.

[12] The vote by which this was done was as follows:

For the Drew resolution and against the committee rules: Assemblymen
Black, Bohnett, Callan, Cattell, Cogswell, Collum, Costar, Cronin, Drew,
Flint, Gibbons, Hammon, Hanlon, Hayes, Hewitt, Hinkle, Hopkins, Irwin,