These charters must be ratified by the Legislature, but up to the
session just closed their ratification - "wicked innovations and all"
- has met with no particular opposition.

Thus we find most of the modern charters of California municipalities
containing provisions for really effective primary nominations by the
people[83], for the initiation of laws, for the referendum, even for the
recall from office of corrupt officials, which have placed in the hands
of the people of the cities a club over the machine which has proved
most effective.

But the machine is now fully alive to what such provisions as the
initiative and the recall mean. When, for example, the machine in
control of the City Council attempted to deny the Western Pacific right
of way through the City of Sacramento, the people resorted to the
charter provision granting them the Initiative, and by their direct vote
awarded the right of way.

Even while the Legislature was in session, one of the machine's most
effective workers, Walter Parker, could not be present at his post at
Sacramento, because he was required at Los Angeles, where, because of
the "recall," the machine was in a peck of trouble.

The people of that city were employing the recall provision of their
charter against the machine Mayor trapped in corruption. Although the
then Mayor is a "Democrat" and Parker a "Republican," Parker's presence
was required at Los Angeles to back the machine's efforts to hold the
Mayor in his job.

So Parker could not be at Sacramento, where the machine really needed