Story of the Session of the California Legislature of 1909 | Page 9

gleam of the
machine's teeth. Senator Boynton moved that Senator Bell, of Pasadena,
be admitted to the caucus. Somewhat to the discomfiture of the
reformers, Bell was not admitted.
Senator Bell's case is a suggestive one. He is a Republican, having been
elected from one of the strongest Republican districts of the State, the
Thirty-sixth Senatorial District, which takes in Pasadena. But Senator
Bell was not named by the machine; in fact, he was elected as protest
against machine methods. The Pasadena Republicans tolerated machine
domination as long as they could. Then, in 1906, they induced Bell to

run against the "regular" machine nominee for the State Senate. Bell
ran as an independent Republican. He overwhelmingly defeated his
machine opponent. Arrived at Sacramento at the session of 1907, he
applied for admittance to the Republican caucus.
There was ample precedent for his admittance, but curiously enough no
anti-machine Republican who had defeated a machine Republican had
ever been admitted to caucus privileges. In 1902, however, Charles M.
Shortridge, having failed to receive the nomination for the state Senate
from Santa Clara County, ran as an independent candidate against the
regular Republican nominee. The machine supported Shortridge's
candidacy, and by most questionable methods succeeded in defeating
the regular Republican. But Shortridge was admitted to the Senate
caucus of 1903 without question. Senator Bell, however, was denied
admittance to the Republican Senate caucus of 1907, on the grounds
that he had defeated a regularly nominated Republican. Shortridge had
defeated a regularly nominated Republican. But Shortridge stood for
machine policies; Bell stands opposed to machine policies. The
machine's policy is to keep the caucuses of the dominant party in the
Legislature as much a close corporation as possible. So in 1907, Bell's
application was rejected. Bell, throughout the session, opposed
machine policies. Both for the session of 1907 and of 1909, Senator
Bell's record is absolutely clean. The machine does not approve such
men, nor want them to participate in party caucuses.
Senator Bell, who had, although refused admittance to his party caucus,
done very well in 1907, did not propose to apply for admission to the
caucus of 1909. But the reform element in the Senate insisted upon
presenting his name. From machine sources it was intimated to Senator
Bell that if he would make his peace with Walter Parker, the Southern
Pacific lobbyist who acts as machine leader south of the Tehachepi, no
opposition would be offered his admission to the caucus. Bell rejected
the offer with characteristic promptness. So the anti-machine Senators,
since they had "organized the caucus," proceeded to admit Bell in the
face of machine opposition.
But the inexperienced political mouse discovered that it was not out of
the reach of the claws of the experienced political cat. Boynton's
motion to admit Bell to the caucus was lost by a vote of 16 to 14.
Had the reform element been organized, however, Bell would have

been admitted to the caucus. Three Senators, Reily, Savage and Welch,
who ordinarily voted with the machine, because of personal friendship
voted to admit Bell to the caucus. But their votes were offset by those
of Burnett, Estudillo and Hurd.[8] The vote was as follows:
To admit Bell to the caucus - Anthony, Birdsall, Black, Boynton,
Cutten, Reily, Roseberry, Rush, Savage, Stetson, Strobridge,
Thompson, Walker, Welch - 14.
Against admitting Bell to the caucus - Bates, Bills, Burnett, Estudillo,
Finn, Hartman, Hurd, Leavitt, Lewis, Martinelli, McCartney, Price,
Weed, Willis, Wolfe, Wright - 16.
The Bell matter out of the way, the real work of organizing the Senate
was taken up. Curiously enough, the only contest came over the
election of the Chaplain of the Senate; the naming of the President pro
tem., of the Secretary of the Senate and of the Sergeant-at-Arms was
not opposed. Senator Price moved that Lewis A. Hilborn be the caucus
nominee for Secretary of the Senate, and J. Louis Martin for
Sergeant-at-Arms. His motion carried unanimously. Price also
nominated Senator Wolfe for President pro tem. Not an anti-machine
Senator protested. Wolfe was accordingly declared the caucus nominee,
with the thirty Senators present, machine and anti-machine, obligated
to vote for him on the floor of the Senate.
The election of a Chaplain was then taken up and several candidates
nominated for the office. Rev. Father H. H. Wyman being finally
selected, which, of course, was equivalent to election.
The caucus was held at 9 o'clock of the morning of January 4. At noon
of the same day a second caucus was held at which it was decided that
the division of patronage[8a] should be on the following basis: That
$18 a day should be set aside for the Secretary, Sergeant-at-Arms and
Chaplain; that the Lieutenant-Governor should be allowed $22 a day,
and each of the thirty caucus Senators $15 a day.