its issue of March 6th, the Call stated that Hinkle was alone of the
Assembly Committee battling for the bill as it passed the Senate. In
another sentence the Call said: "Leeds, Rech, Hinkle and Pugh voted for
the advisory vote amendments."

That sentence was shown about the Capitol, and on it was based the story
that Hinkle had "fallen down," and would vote with the machine. All this
added to the confusion of the situation.

But Hinkle had not "fallen down." He was in the fight just as hard as
ever, and with Assemblyman Bohnett organized the reform element in the
Assembly to fight the machine amendments.

Those who were endeavoring to force the advisory district plan for
nomination of Senators into the bill took the most astonishing methods
to force it upon the anti-machine Senators. For example, the San
Francisco Call of March 4th said of it:

"The amendments proposed by Leeds and supported by Stanton are not even
remotely related to the McCartney proposition, which was voted down in
the Senate."

The Call's statement was easily disproved, but it unquestionably
confused the anti-machine legislators, who were insisting upon retaining
the provision for State-wide vote for Senators in the bill[45].

And then came the cry that those who were opposing the Leeds-McCartney
amendment were enemies of the Direct Primary, for the Assembly, it was
alleged, was overwhelmingly in favor of the amendment, and would not
pass the bill without it. Jere Burke, John C. Lynch, and other patriots