of their ilk were most insistent in expression of this fear. But such
men as Bohnett, Hinkle, Drew and other recognized anti-machine leaders
in the Assembly were not to be bluffed in this way. They stood firmly
for the passage of the bill as it had passed the Senate.

The fight on the floor of the Assembly came over Leeds' motion to amend
the bill by making the vote for United States Senator advisory only and
by districts. The vote on Leeds' motion was 37 to 37. The "overwhelming
majority" favoring the amendment, in spite of the use of every pull at
the command of the machine, had not materialized. As a majority vote was
necessary to read the amendment into the bill, a moment more and Speaker
Stanton would have been forced to declare the amendment lost. This would
have meant final defeat for the machine, and the Direct Primary bill as
it had passed the Senate would have gone to final passage.

At this critical moment in the bill's history, however, Assemblyman
Pulcifer[46], the Lincoln-Roosevelt League member from Alameda county,
got into action. He had voted against the amendment. But with his vote
really meaning defeat for the machine element, he promptly changed his
vote from no to aye. This made the vote 38 for the amendment and 36
against it. The amendment which the anti-machine Senators had fought so
valiantly and so effectively was finally read into the bill[47].

The amendments necessary to correct the typographical and clerical
errors which had been permitted to remain in the bill as it passed the
Senate, together with a number of ridiculous amendments - which were
finally rejected by both Houses - were then adopted, and the bill sent
to the Senate[48].

The fact developed almost immediately that if the Senate refused to