See “Story of the California Legislature of 1909,” Chapters VIII, IX, X, XI.
This reform was accomplished at the Legislative session of 1911. The undesirable provisions were also stricken by amendment from the Direct Primary law. See “Story of the California Legislature of 1911.”
“Before voting on this matter,” (the Direct Primary provisions) said Senator Stetson, an anti-machine leader in explaining his vote, “lest any one in the future may think that I have been passed something and didn’t know it, I wish to explain my vote, and wish to say that this permission accorded a candidate to go on record to support that candidate for United States Senate, who shall have the endorsement of the greatest number of districts, comes from nobody and goes to nobody. It means nothing—mere words—idle words. The only way in which a candidate could have been pledged would have been to provide a pledge or instructions to the Legislature. The words ‘shall be permitted’ mean nothing and get nowhere. I shall vote for this report, not because I want to, but because I have to if we are at this session to have any Direct Primary law at all.”
Senator Stetson was referring particularly to the section which denied the people by state-wide vote the right to indicate their preference for United States Senator, but his words would have applied as directly and as truly to other sections of the measure.
Other good government Senators did, as a matter of fact, denounce the very partisan clause which later contributed so largely to Heney’s defeat. Senators Campbell, Holohan and Miller, for example, while voting for the bill, sent to the clerk’s desk the following explanation of their vote:
“We voted for the Direct Primary bill because it seems to be the best law that can be obtained under existing political conditions. We are opposed to many of the features of this bill, and believe that the people at the first opportunity will instruct their representatives in the Legislature to radically amend the same in many particulars, notably in regard to the election of United States Senators, and the provisions that prevent the endorsement of a candidate by a political party or organization other than the one that first nominated such candidate.”
See files of Sacramento Bee for February and March, 1909, and Senate Journal for March 22, 1909, page 1976.