midnight
His long fight for reform , the dramatic features of the shanghaing and his return , the collapse of the charges against his character , all contributed to lift him to dizzy popularity . He was the very much embarrassed man of the hour . All the power of the Transcontinental , of the old city hall gang , of the money that had been spent to corrupt the legislature , was unable to roll back the tide of public determination . White-faced assemblymen sneaked into offices at midnight to return the bribe money for which they dared not deliver the goods . Two days after the report of the investigating committee Jeff 's bill passed the Senate . Within three hours it was signed by Governor Hawley . That it would be ratified by a vote of the people and so become a part of the state constitution was a foregone conclusion .