Nevertheless, the backers of the measure - although pleaded with by
weak-kneed Senators to withdraw the bill - insisted upon a vote being
taken, when the measure came up on March 15th. This decision compelled
Wolfe to make his famous "Fate of the Republican Party" speech, in which
he predicted that if the Local Option bill became a law, utter wreck
would come upon the Republican party in California. Birdsall, Caminetti,
Holohan, Rush, Sanford and Strobridge, whose votes were ordinarily
recorded against the machine Senators, voted against the bill, as did
Anthony and Curtin. Wright voted for the measure, but otherwise those
who had voted against the Walker-Otis Anti-Gambling bill, against a
State-wide vote for United States Senators, against the Stetson Railroad
Regulation bill, in a word, those whom for the want of a better term we
call machine Senators, voted solidly against the Local Option bill[82].

The final showing for the Local Option bill was not a good one, but in
spite of it, many in touch with conditions in the Senate held that had
the vote been taken in the middle of February instead of the middle of
March, the bill would have had a good chance for passage. After the
delay of ten weeks from the time of its introduction until the final
vote upon it, there was no chance at all for it to become a law.



[81] Up to the legislative session of 1907, the County Government Act
provided that the Supervisors of a county could submit any question -
including the matter of regulating the liquor traffic - to the voters
for the purpose of ascertaining their opinion upon the issue. There was,
however, no way to compel the Supervisors to take the action that might
be thus decided upon by popular vote. The Supervisors could act upon the
vote or ignore it, as they saw fit.