The importance of this on legislation can scarcely be over-estimated.
Under the system in vogue in California, the real work of a legislative
session is done in committee. When a bill is introduced in either House,
it is at once referred to a committee. Until the committee reports on
the measure no further action can be taken. Thus a committee can prevent
the passage of a bill by deliberately neglecting to report it back to
the main body.

When a measure passes either Senate or Assembly, it goes to the other
House, and is once again referred to a committee. Again does the fate of
the bill hang on committee action. Thus, every measure before it can
pass the Legislature must, in the ordinary course of legislation, pass
the scrutiny of two legislative committees, either one of which may
delay its passage or even deny Senate or Assembly, or both, opportunity
to act upon it.

To be sure, one of the rules of the Assembly of 1909 required that all
bills referred to committees should be reported back within ten days,
while the Senate rules provided that committees must act on bills
referred to them as soon as "practicable," with the further provision
that a majority vote of the Senate could compel a report on a bill at
any time. But these rules were employed to little advantage. In the
Assembly, for example, the Commonwealth Club bills, referred to the
Judiciary Committee on January 15, were not acted upon by the committee
at all. These bills, in spite of the ten days' rule, remained in the
committee sixty-seven days. The Direct primary bill was held up in the
Senate Committee on Election Laws from January 8 until February 16, and
at that late day came out of the committee with practically unfavorable
recommendation. It was noticeable that few, if any, important reform