The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 5, 1896, Page 1

OIS T e to be taken from VOLUME LXXIX.—NO. 157. CALIFORNIN'S BIG CONVENTION PRICE FIVE CE ay for the party in this State if that voice is stifled in the morrow’s convention. The McKinley hoomers will perpetrate a silly piece of political folly if they seek to strangle the cause of silver in this convention, uuder the mistaken ides that McKinley will be the only political god in the coming campagn. The people of California—of the entire Paeific REPUBLICANS IN - LINE OF BATTLE Sentiment Against Pledging Grows as the Struggle Draws Near. STAND OF LOS ANGELES CONTINGENT. Delegates Table a Resolution in Favor of McKinley Instructions. PROCEEDINGS OF THE CENTRAL | COMMITTEE. None But Merabers or Delegates to the | -Convention Allowed to Hold | ;i Proxies. SACRAMENTO, CaL.; May 4.—Indoors | and out of doors, morning, noon and | night; in whispers and in loud tones of | defiance, the buzz political buzzed and | buzzed and buzzed, all about one question: “Who is to be chairman of the conven- i+ tion In"the morning there were six : eandidates, each with a band of flushed and fervent partisans, but after the lunch hour there were but two—Frank Coombs of Napaand W. Arthur of Pasadena, | the former claiming several northern delegations and the latter claiming the loyal support of the citrus-belted south. In the moruing every man apparently was for McKinley, with no second choice, and in favor of an instructed delegation. In the mornipg the Los Angeles delega- tion proudly wore the badge of “McKin- ley, protection and progress.” In the evening the same delegation wore a silk badge of a Malta blood hue, with | mether one of Grant. | Five gave instructions for McKinley, but | the Seventy-fourth, which will be repre- | favoring instructions to the St. Louis deie- | tion, though McKinley was indorsed. | entire Los Angeles delegation to vote for the words in large biack letters, “Los An- geles delezation,’” but the white silk badge | of the champion of protection was nowhere visible. : “Where is the McKinley badge yon wore this morning?'’ was asked of Edward J. Niles, one of the mos:i astute of the dele- gation. *“It’s under my coat, next to my heart,"” be replied, with a significant wink. ° That was all the explanation he would give as'to the disappearance of the badge. - In the morning the Los Angeles delega- - tion were in favor of a delegation pledged for McKinley. In the evening that same “delegation tabled & resolution declaring ; the candidacy of U. 8. Grant of San Diego the delegates to be in favor of goingin- structed. The'star of McKinley, that beamed so brightly in the morning, began to pale to- ward evening. The Los Angeles men were among his. most enthusiastic sup- | porters, but a change must have come over { cidal as it will be unpopular—to rush McKin- “the spirit of ‘their dreams, for they swung around after dark and declined to extend to him the benefit of an instructed delega- tion. Kelly and the ghost of Rainey were in high glee in the morning. In the evening Mr. Kelly’s usually good-natured counte- nance was sicklied o’er with the pale cast of disappointment, and the Rainey ghost looked as if jt had been soaked with a stream from-a fire hose, for the conspira- tors had received a severe set-back by the | be just to the lone delegation or the other action of the Los Angeles delegates, who are sixty-three in number and a power in the land, and another set-back in the State Central Committee meeting in the evening. On the whole, it was a yery bad day for Mr. Kelly, and he was feeling rather poorly at last accounts. Rumors were afloat late to-night to the effect tnat a dark horse was to gallop up over the southern horizon as delegate-at- large to represent those who were dis- satisfied with General Sheldon. Inquiry developed the fact that this movement was being forwarded by norttern county. friends of ex-Governor Markham and that the man of the magnetic hand was to be named to-morrow by a northern man asa candidate for delegate-at-large. It is not believed, however, that the ex-Governor will allow bis name to be nsed between the upper millstone of Sheldon apd the The result of the day’s work has been that the McKinley tide, which came in on the flood at dawn, started to ebb at dusk. While some of his friends of the dawn did not turn his picture to the wall, they took his badees off their coat lapels and placed them on their veats, being careful at the same time to button their coats. The convention will meet to-morrow at P. M. The morning will be occupied with caucusing in preparation of the event. Grove L. Johnson’s Congressional com- mittee will meet in the forenoon, and will renominate him. Los Angeles held another caucus to- night and it was the most important meet- ing by far of the past twenty-four hours for several reasons. Itinvolved the salient and nearly all-absorbing question of in- structions to the St. Louis delegation. the chairmanship of the convention and the matter of delegates at large. Resolutions favoring instructions failed to pass. Gen- eral L. A. Sheldon and U. S. Grant of San Diego were indorsed as delegates at large and W. E. Arthur of Pasadena as chair- man of the convention. In Los Angeles County are six Assembly districts, each of which selected the dele- gates to the State Convention separately. 2 sented by thirteen delegates in the con- vention, declined to' pass a resolution gation to be chosen by the State Conven- When the motion came up to pledge the instractions there was considerable de- bate, and finally, by force of the prevailing sentiment, Chairman Osborne felt itin- cumbent on him to declare the motion out of order on the ground that it would not five to force it into a position contrary to what it had been asked to take by the dis- trict convention which had elected it. This means that the Los Angeles delega- tion will not vote as a unit for a pledged or instructed delegation to St. Louis,and gives the lie to the boastful words of those who are clamoring for instructions in season and out with reason and without, but mostly without. Then, in order to secure the close co- operation of the San Diego delegation and the other counties of the Beventh Congres- sional District, it was decided to indorse for delegate at large, in addition to that of General Sheldon. The Sacramento Bee contains a double- leaded editorial this evening, part of which is as follows: There appears to be & disposition—as sui. ley to the front at the sacrifice of everything else; tocrowd to the background the people’s demand for a free silver platform, and to say to the voters of California: “We will declare 10 St. Louis that you are for William McKin- ley, and not particular about anything else, | That is all that is necessary.” That is not all that is necessary. and it is not | true. The Bee has thoroughly demonstrated | that the Republicans of the State of California are not for McKinley so much as they are for free silver; that they are for principle first und for the man as a secondary consideration. The voice of the Republicans of California is for free silver, and it may prove to be a sorry 'SEC.STATE centrAL - COMMITTE S ATHIS GASE Coast—are wedded to the doctrine of the iree coinage of silver. To give free silver “the glassy eye and the marble hand” may not prove so laughable when the votes are counted at the next elec- tion @s some of these arrogant would-be Ceesars affect to believe that itwould be. Let the convention show a little political judgment, &s well as some consideration for the wishes of the masses of the party. The Los Angeles delegation has agreed upon Field and Porter as delegates from the Sixth Congressional District. The San Joequin County delegation cau- cused at midnight and decided to support Louttit for delegate at large. Colonel George Stone, president of the Union League Club, has withdrawn from the contest for delegate from the Fifth District. Colonel Stone said: “I found that many persons were saying that the club was being used to promote my fight. and therefore to prove that I have no desire to use the organization in that manner I aecided to withdraw.” It is given out generally now -that Colonel Stone, who is going to St. Louis anyway, will get a unanimous vote_ for one of the alternates at large. THE STATE OOMMITTEE. A Ruling That Proxies Can Be Held by Members or Convention Dele- gates Only. SACRAMENTO, CAL., May 4.—The Su- preme Courtroom in the State Capitol was filled with tobacco smoke to-night when Chairman P. B. Cornwall called the meet- ing of the State Central Committee to order. The calling of the roll by Secretary Step- pacher revealed the fact that a great many proxies were present, and after a whis- pered consultation with the secretary Chairman Cornwall announced that of the 110 members of the committee there were fifty present, the remainder being repre- sented by proxies for the most part in the hands of outsiders. “The invariable custom and the law of the committee,” proceeded Mr. Cornwall, “has been that proxies could nbt be re- ceived except by members of the commit- tee. Iam not passing upon any rule to- night, but it seems to me to be a very improper thing for less than a majority of the committee to sit here and receive proxies that might outvote the members of the committee present.”’ Samuel M. Shortridge moved that a committee of three be appointed to exam- amine and report upcn proxies, The chair ruled Mr. Shortridge out of order, on the ground that he was not 8 member of the committee. “Then,” continued Mr. Shortridge, “as a Republican and having the welfare of the Republican party of this State at heart, I desire to say that I acted at the meeting of February 20— A. Ruef of San Francisco excitedly in« terrupted with a call to order, H. P. Bonntag moved as an amendment that the committee consist of seven, and that only proxies in the hands of mem- bers of the committee should be consid- ered. Mr. Cornwall hastily put the mo- tion and declated it carried, notwithstand- ing that there were noes enough to war- rant a division. The chair began naming the members of the committee in accord- ance with the motion, and some one cried as a suggestion: “Frank Rhodes of Sacramento.” “I don't know Mr. Rhodes,” said Mr. Cornwall, in a tone cold enough to skate upon; *“if the gentleman will excuse me I will appoint the committee myself.” This being sarcasm, as Bill Nye would say, was greeted with a laugh. Then the committee went into recess with a basket of proxies. The members of the committee were: H. P. Sonntag of San Francisco, G. C. Ross of San Mateo, J. W. Snyder of Mariposa, A. B. Lemmon of Sonoma, Asa R. Wells of San Faancisco, Arthur W. Kinney of Los Angeles and A. Ruef of 8an Francisco. Judge Walling of Nevada was not pleased with the chairman’s decision and expressed his mind freely to Mr. Cornwall to that effect. “We are as good Republicans,” said the Judge, “‘as the members of the committee. You allow outsiders to hold proxies to the State Convention, and the convention is higher than the committee, for the com- mittee is the creature of the convention.” Mr. Shortridge also expressed his disap- proval of the chairman’s rulings, as being inconsistent and illogical. Thus was the recess whiled away during the time con- sumed by the committee in examining the sixty proxies. After the committee had been out about a quarter of an hour it reported that the following proxies be accepted: Haskell of Los Angeles to Kinney,Gassen of San Diego toJ. C. Long, R. J. Northan to J. C. Daly, W. C. Johnson to A. Ruef, C. F. Weberto J. D. Spreckels, W. W. Montague to J. D, Spreckels, J. H. Dawson to J. D. Spreckels, < IEw/S - I. Upham to J. D. Spreckels, C. A. Hug to J. D. Spreckels, H. L. Dodge to J. D. Spreckels, William Cluff to J. D. Spreckels, Bundschu to Manwaring, W. E. Sanborn to D. E. Knight, G. H. Umbsen to Man- waring, J. P. Merrill to Ruef, Reeves to Kinney, John Whicher to E. K. Taylor, G. C. Earl to J. M. Mannon. The following were recommended for rejection: Brown to Walling, Reed to Beckman, Dinwiddie to Meacham, Ayerto Bowman, Chickering to Dimmick, P, J. Barber to Taggart, Somers to Martin, Hughes to Dare, Reese to Wood, Hocking to Dennett, Reynolds to Gleaves, Craig to Scipio Craig, Martin to Borland, Fairchild to McClure. On motion the report was divided, and that part recommending the seating of certain delegates. was unanimously adopted. Then came up the question of the adop- tion of the latter portion of the commit- tee’s report. Judge Walling was given a hearing, and after explaining that he wes a delegate to the State Convention he was admited, upon motion, to & seat as a State Commit- teeman. Ross thereapon moved that wherever a member of the State Convention held the proxy of a State Central Committee mem- ber, the proxy should be accepted, This was adopted, and, after it was amended to cover also those holding proxies to the State Convention, Beckman, Meacham, Bowman, Dimmick, Taggart, Wood and Dennett were admitied to seats and Mar- tin, Dare, Gleaves, Craig, Borland and Mc- Clure were rejected. ‘When Martin asked to be seated as hold- ing a proxy for a member of the State Scene in the Lobby of the Golden Eagle Hotel at Sacramento—Republican State Convention Delegatcs and Politicians Discussing the Issues of the Hour—Most of Them Believe in Sending an Unpledged Delegation Central Committee, A. Ruef announced that Martin held the proxy of a member whose seat in the State Conventipn as a delegate from the Fourth Congressional delegation was !0 be contested. This at once opened the whole questions of the recognition of the Svreckels or regular delegates, or those who were fraudulently and illegally selected by the Kelly-Rainey combination. Chairman Cornwall was equal to the situation, and cleverly avoided the difficulties that threatered the body by the following brief address: “This gentleman represents one of the protesting delegates from the Fourth Con- gressional District. The executive body of your committee has had a great deal of trouble and labor over those two aele- gations. Both appear to be in the right on some points, and both also appear to be in the wrong on some others. The commit- tee finally decided to leave that whole question to be decided by the convention after it selects its temporary chairman and he appoints the committee on cre- dentials. *“This credentials committee will take testimony, and I understand there will be a great deal of testimony presented, and unless the State Central Committee sishes to take up the matter it will go over for the action of the State Convention. “My judgment 1s that to take it up here would iead to strife and discord, and with- out there being any real necessity for such a course, Therefore I think it would be unwise to'admit this proxy.” On motion the proxy was rejected. Mr. Dare, who held the proxy for Super- visor E. C. Hughes of San Francisco, then made his application for admission. Attention was called to the fact that Hughes' seat was also in question and Chairman Cornwall, while Dare was presenting his case to the committee, called him to order, saying: *I regret very much, Mr. Dare, to have to call you to order, but according to the ruling of the committee you are nota member of it.” To this Mr. Dare, entirely unrufiled in temper and undisturbed in his pose, promptly replied in sarcastic tones: “1 know you regret it.”’ Then, after a brief pause, and speaking deliberately and clearly, he continued: *1 don’t believe it. I know you enjoyed calling me to order, because what I would have said would have scorched your heart.” There followed a sibilant chorus of hisses. Some one made & motion to ad- to St. Louis. journ: it was carried, and the committee adjourned without time or place. The action of the committee as a whole is considered as being a decided setback to the whole Kelly-Rainey outfit. It was expected that the committee would lay out a programme for the State Convention; in fact, it wasannounced that it would do so, but the utter collapse of the séssion leaves the work of the convention still a matter of conjecture, and it will S M.SHORTRIEE Comes up SMmiine. probably so continue until the committee on order of business of the convention makes its report. St S gInllk DON QUIXOTE'S SOLDIERS, They Are Limping on the Field and Asking to Be Taken Into the Van. SACRAMENTO, Can, May 4. — The Kelly-Rainey delegates from the Fourth Congressional District are here look- ing bluer than the Sacramento skies. They’can’t see their way clear to get into the van, and are hovering around the out- skirts of politics for ail the world like the three old crows which sat on a tree. One of these old crows said unto his mate, “Kelly, what will we have for hash to ate?” and he was mournfully informed that there was no old dead horse in the convention fit for edible purposes, and that he was afraid that their meal would have to be of plain, unstimulating political soup. All the spare time of Don Quixote and his man Sancho Panza is taken up with explaining how they came to be knocked out at the end of their tilt with the Fourth Congressional windmill. Just like the master and man of that charming romance, when Don Quixote Rainey weeps in San Francisco Martin Kelly thumps his breast and groans in Sacra- mento, while Senator Mahoney prays for deliverance from the power of the evening. And between the Kelly thumps and groans there issué the words: ‘“We are pure poli- ticians; we are the purest of the pure.” J. D. 8preckels made the following state- ment to-day with reference to the district contest: “When the State Central Com- mittee adjourned its meeting in San Fran- cisco and started to leave the hall Jerry Mahoney and "A. Ruef remained on the platform. As soon as they were alone, Manoney suggested that he and Ruef organize, and as Ruef was willing they preoceeded to do so. Mahoney nominated Ruef for chairman and Ruef nominated Mahoney for secretary. As these two were the only ones present, of course they elected each other by acclamation. “By virtue of this periormance they called a meeting for 10 o’clock that night at the Baldwin Hotel, but, as they only notified a select few, they did not get a quorum until nearly midnight. The call was for the members of the committee to meet in the hotel parlors, but when they got together they adjourned to Jerry Mahoney’s room, where the meeting was held. At this meeting six members were actually present, four of whom were for me. Those against me were Ruef and Mahoney. By means of these votes and three proxies, two of which were forged, they adopted a resolution and elected a Congressional committee, the vote being 5to4. “Subsequently a meeting was regularly held by the members of the State Central | Committee from the Fourth District, at which meeting eight of the eleven commit- teemen were present. Of course, Ruef and Mahoney were absent. At this meeting the action taken in Mahoney’s room in the Baldwin Hotel was declared null and void and absolutely repudiated, as it was shown that several of the members had not been notified ; and, further than this, Gustave Melsing, one of the commilteemen, ap- peared in person and stated that his proxy had been used ai that Mahoney meeting without any authority from him. An affidavit to the same effect was read from Committeeman Martin. “Mahoney claims that Martin was paid for his affidavit, but thisis absolutely false, because I myself got that affidavit and know that no inducements were held out to Mr. Martin. “The committee upon this, its regular meeting, the Mahoney vproceedings having been declared irregular, organized by elect- ing a chairman and secretary, and then voted to leave the matter of selecting dele- gates entirely with the county committees. In accordance with this the county com- mittee decided to hold primaries, and at these primaries delegates to the State Convention were chosen, which Mahoney vleases to call the Spreckels delegation. “I feel that our delegation will be seated, because I do not believe that the conven- tion will stand politics done in back Ivasa RepuUBLCaN Arcavse + AMA FREE Thinkin G man- ANDT v 7 — rooms at midnight by means of forged proxies.” At the conclusion of Mr. Spreckels’ ex- planation as to why he thought his dele- gation shculd be seated he was asked if neand his delegation were for McKinley. **As for myseif,” he replied, “'I will say that Tam not opposed to McKinley, nor am I in favor of any candidate agdinst bim. Tam simply for California. What I would like to see is such action taken by the convention as will insure recognition for California. 1am opposed to a pledged delegation, for the reason that by such means we do not stand in a position to ask any favors for ourselves. They are simply a set of men sent to the National Conven- tion, with nothing to do but carry out our instructions ana vote as they are told. Were this otherwise we might be able to accomplish something. *“I am not after office myself and desire | nothing except that which is in common with the people of California.” A LOW TRICK, The Opposition to Spreckels Starts an Absurd Story That Is Without Foundation. SACRAMENTO, CaL., May 4.—One of the meanest and most unprincipled meas- ures adopted by the opposition to the can- didacy of John D. Spreckels as a delegate- at-large was the circulation of a story that the gentleman named had stated thatif he was defeated in his aspiration he would withdraw his influence from the campaign entirely. This was evidently done to create the idea that if not elected Mr. Spreckels, in other words, would bolt the party. During the forenoon the story was being repeated in about the Golden Eagle Hotel at frequent mtervals. ‘When Mr. Spreckels’ attention was called to it he exhibited deep indignation and in most emphatic language denied that he had ever made such a statement and denounced its author as a deliberate falsifier. He furthermore expressed his fealty to the party in heartiest terms and added that whatever the outcome of the convention, its conclusion would find him as good and as enthusiastic a Republican as he ever was, or as any other man is or could be. ‘While this story undenied might have had some influence with the un- thinking and the ‘‘push,” it could have had no weight with the better class of delegates, who are overwhelmingly in the majority, for these recognize that Mr. Spreckels’ efforts in behalf of pure politics in the Republican party have but com- menced and that a defeat of this kind at this stage of his political career would have ansolutely no effect on his attitude toward the party whose interests he haszo closely au heart. In fact, among the better posted dele- gates from the interior surprise is ex- pressed that any one with the past record and present reputation of a man like Martin Kelly should bave the presump- tion to come before the State Convention virtnally as a contestant against a man like Spreckels, and if the individual ex- pressions heard regarding the contests from San Franqisco are any criterion the Kelly Mahoney crowd might just as well have saved themselves the expense of the trip to the capital and all the work pre- liminary thereto. Mr. Spreckels’ popu- larity and influence are hourly on the in- crease. ALAMEDA PRIMARIES. The Delegates Elected at Them Make a Strong and Persistent Fight. SACRAMENTO, Car., May 4.—Out of the forty-seven primary delegates of Ala- meda County forty-five were on the scene this morning and doing missionary work in the endeavor to secure recognition from the State Convention. There'wasacauous