him. The machine leaders did not think it possible that a real Mayor -
especially a machine Mayor - could be dismissed from office through such
a "fool innovation" as the recall. But that's what, in spite of machine
efforts, happened at Los Angeles.

These experiences and others like them, forced it upon the understanding
of machine leaders that the initiative, recall and similar
"innovations," have a business end; that they put altogether too much
power into the hands of the people for the machine's safety.

Up to the session of 1909 there had been practically no opposition to
the ratification of charters adopted by the several municipalities. But
this year the machine leader in the Senate, Wolfe, let it be known that
he would henceforth oppose "freak charters," "freak charters" to Senator
Wolfe being those of the initiative-referendum-recall order.

Several municipalities - Berkeley, San Diego, Palo Alto, Santa Barbara,
San Bernardino, Richmond, Los Angeles, Pasadena and Oakland - had either
sent new charters or important amendments to existing charters to the
Legislature for ratification. Many of the charters and amendments came
decidedly under Wolfe's ideas of "freak." But there are some extremes to
which the machine dare not go, and it did not dare to go on record as
against popular municipal government. Wolfe and his associates could and
did grumble, but they did not dare refuse the several charters and
charter amendments ratification.

So they let the charters and charter amendments go by them and braced
themselves against granting Statewide initiative.

That issue came up in the form of a proposed amendment to the State