over the alleged ambiguities of the Constitution when the Stetson bill
was under consideration were found opposed to the submission of the
amendment to the people. Every Senator who voted against the amendment
had voted against the Stetson bill and had voted for the Wright bill.
Burnett, who had been led to believe when he voted for the Wright bill
that the amendment would be submitted to the people, voted for the
amendment. Walker also switched back from the machine. Wright and
McCartney, who had voted against the Stetson bill, also went on record
for the amendment. The remaining fourteen Senators who voted for it, to
a man, had voted for the Stetson bill and against the passage of the
Wright bill. But a two-thirds vote of the Senate was required for the
amendment's adoption. This meant twenty-seven votes. The amendment was
defeated, the vote being nineteen for submission of the measure to the
people, and sixteen against[66].

This ended all hope of a model railroad regulation law for California
until 1913, for the Constitution must be amended before such a law can
be realized. If a satisfactory amendment be adopted in 1911, it must
before going into effect be ratified by the people. This ratification
would come in 1912. The Legislature of 1913 would then be able to
proceed with the passage of the model statute.

An attempt to investigate the causes and the necessity of the arbitrary
increase in transcontinental freight rates failed as completely as did
the attempted amendment of the Constitution.

Early in the session, on January 18, to be exact, Senator Caminetti
introduced a resolution which directed the Senate Committee on Federal
Relations to inquire into the cause of the increase in freight rates,
and to report its findings to the Senate. Two days later Caminetti