They were equally unprepared on other reform issues. They recognized the
necessity of passing an effective railroad regulation law, for example,
but had little or no conception of what the provisions of the measure
should be. They recognized that the criminal laws cannot be impartially
enforced against rich and poor alike until the methods of criminal
procedure be simplified, put on a common sense basis. But even here they
had no definite policy and when told by machine claquers that the
proposed reforms were revolutionary, even the most insistent of the
reform element were content to let the simplifying amendments to the
codes die in committees or on the files.

On the other hand, the machine element, even before a member had reached
Sacramento, had their work for the session carefully outlined. This
session the bulk of the machine's work was negative; that is to say,
with a majority in both houses opposed to machine policies, the machine
recognized the difficulties of passing bad laws except by trick - and
spent the session in amending good measures into ineffectiveness, or,
where they could, in preventing their passage. Down to a comma the
machine leaders knew what they wanted for a direct primary law, for an
anti-racetrack gambling law, for a railroad regulation law. From the
hour the Legislature opened until the gavels fell at the moment of
adjournment the machine element labored intelligently and constantly,
and as an organized working unit, to carry its ends. There were no false
plays; no waste of time or energy; every move was calculated. By
persistent hammering the organized machine minority was able to wear its
unorganized opponents out.[2]

(3) The third reason for the failure of the reform majority is found in
the fact that the minority was permitted to organize both Senate and
Assembly. In the Assembly the machine element named the Speaker without