The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 25, 1896, Page 15

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1896. Some Queer A The present harrowing struggle of our reemen of this City to govern our- selves and our neighbors is by no means fully described in the news columns of the papers, wherein are recorded from 0 day some things that some men 1 the output of some political meet- some political clubs and some | 1 cabals. If owned a few shares of Union Tron Works stock the facts of the daily s in making ships and machiner’y another kind of interest in the Union n Works if you just strolied into them i reflectively watched the great roaring naces, the noisy shops, the thundering mmers, the grimy toilers, the growing ps and all the ploturesque things and vould not be described in an al campaign is about the most e thing that human life gets up instruction and delight of people and it is crammed full of mysteries. But you are not apt be pictures or note the mysteries are a politician yourself and are mnust go up a tree and feel safe, ilosophical and good-natured to really tee the vast Donnybrook fair and know what is really going on. o other evening I called on some nds whose rooms are delightfully situ- ated just abovea b downtown corner. . This busy corner, with the aid of an easily ¢ ies the domestic sts at any dull moment ractions of street life. e of the said call the goings- h & ed tothe cpen bay-windows vy concerned the present misunder- about what is going to happen worth the foggy price, though only . now and then one came out of the human sireams that passed below and heefled] hing in the scene. orts ‘to persuade people who were 8 ad that night, and the air was jammed with sounds. Two fakers were responsi- ble for two bunches of men and a share of the bedlam, and the Salvation Army noisily and nobly invited to still waters, but the campaign gave especial prosperity to the racket, for it had brought to the night-life of the old corner some noisy that the campaign always brings to old corner and to some other old cor- rers justonce in two years. lar male suffrage. They were trouble a few autumn nights and van- em were political meetings reported 1n the papers next were small in size, bu all there is to a political meeting. Torch flames by the speakers threshed the 8ir in an excited way, jerking weird lights and shadows across human faces, while the night wind spun tarry smoke into people’s faces from their eager tips. The kers were trying to be torches, too, 1 they threshed about in an excited jerking weird lights and shadows some human things, while smoky ed the spinning from their eager street harangues flew up to the ow in little chunks as voices rose and fell, compet with each other, with cheers and jeers and with the general racket. Little chunks political speeches any way, unless youn are very earnestly seeking the all-truth. “When I'm have to put on a boiled shirt to speak to your servant. You'll just walk right into ws in the plug hat waits.” ow had opened just in time to treasure. It came from the nt mouth of a gray-headed man, ood above a crowd of filty people, a platiorm, under a plug hat and be- n two torches. The gray-nheaded man d his voice and arm in awful earn- and gave a fair chance to another nat came with' sonorous power other orator, with harsh. modulation, ed truth and duty to a knot of , my fellow-citizens, will become the people on Nob Hill and the the slums? Don’t you see that be wiped off the face of the n ly important if true, my ention took guidance from my ears and noticed more closely that two torches seemed to reveal that the speaker on the honest by his by his manner, and by - versed in social and politica? science and here helping kick up all that dust. ; are all you want of | d interest you much, but you might | ovember 3. The entertainment was | There were little eaaies about the sides of the human current caused by sundry | They were | Jue side features of the operation | fantastic things that bienni- | ize | elected Mayor you won’t | office and talk to vour slave | wo rods further up the street, where | et Y S yw—{l‘[ \ spects of the Political Campaign as Viewed From an Up possessed of the solution to the problem | of human misery. The torches lightea | the sign, *‘Socialist Labor Party,” and the drawn face of the humble man who loyally held up the big card on astick. There | were more plain workingmen going about the edge of the ¢rowd giving and selling | Socialist literature, and that little particu- lar knot seemed very interesting, not alone because of the torches, the workingman on the box, the odd sentences, the human faces and the glare on the crowding few that listened, but also because there was there an earnest human effort, right or wrong, and because there was in operation a political force that is slowly swelling its power and with which the future will seriously reckon. The gray-headed man roared and ges- ticulated on as he talkea for himself, the | workingman's voice rose and fell s be talked on for his cause, a patrol-wagon rattled up to a corner and ended one bit | of brief excitement, and a lassie’s clear, sweet voice suddenly sent “Oh, Receive Him” out tocompete with the shoutings of fakers and orators amid the eternal din. From my safe perch above I could see | and hear all that was going on in the complex scene, but people down below E | who wanted to see and hear one speaker box was a plain workingman wsho was | had to jostle their way into a bunch of exceedingly in earnest | people and reach inwerd with their heads. | words deeply | Tbis readily suggests the advantage of an elevated view of politics. WHAT CAHILL SAW ABOUT THE POLITICAL BONFIRE. ““Whizz!"’ went upward a hissing rocket from two blocks down the street, some red fire flashed rosy glory on the big buildings and a band’s clashing and toot ing suddenly charged on the near-by mob of sounds. People ran into the street and the orators were forsaken for the minute for the chief glory of the political cam- paign, the street procession, had come. By the rockets, the red fire and the tri- umphal music, there was showy grandeur in the coming scene which was expressing the ardor with which patriots of some set were saving their country. Weall love the political procession and the rockets and the red fire, and the boy in the red- fire wagon doesn’t realize what a power he is in settling the tariff question. It 1s highly important to scare the other side, to make your own friends fierce and keen and to lure the weaklings with shouts and pomp of victery. But you can’t measure a vpolitical pro- cession and some other things by the rockets. This one came into view in a minute and there were thirty people in it A famous Democratic club was escorting to the hall the honorable champion of free silver, who voted for sound money in the Chicago convention. That proces-’ sion was typical, however, of the proces- sion of Democracy in this campaign. ‘When the procession passed the dema- gogue who was talking for an offiee and the workingman who was unselfishly CANDIDATE BAILEY MAKING HIS FIGHT. Ingenuity and Election Cards. talking for a theory went on with their meetings side by side. The demagogue and the honest man are side by side else- where among the horde of candidates. Both are strong elements of the picture vou get when up the tree, and there are queer kinds of both. Those little strect meetings were pictur- esque for what they presented to the eye, and then they were picturesque for their meaning as human efforts, You’ll find such little street corner gatherings all over the City these nights, and they are mightily entertaining and worth heeding at times. There is a picture for a Rembrandt at the Mint steps almost any night. This famous old rostrum is the free forum of the people as were the steps of Athenian temples once, and they have heard a vast amount of assorted indignation, wisdom and foolishness from citizens since the old granite pile began to weather many years ago. If you go there one of these evenings you will find a knot of peo- ple in the glare of about two smoking torches, and just behind the speaker a great sheltering buttress thattowers above the little meeting and looms strongly out of the darkness. If you look you will see how the shadows lie and lurk and blacken about the massive portal and in the faces and in the light of the torches and in the attitudes you may see a study of light aud shade such as you have.seldom seen on canvas, And then you may study it from the other view, and may find it interesting to hear what it is the reformer is preaching, what sort of people are interested in it all, what wrongs of the people are being can- vassed and what manner of political science is being expounded. Not the big mass-meeting at Metropoli- tan Temple, which-is reported at much length in the papers, but these street meet- ings and especially the little campaign gatherings in small halls' throughout the City, are the ones that count, as far as meetings go, in the municipal and legisla- tive campaign, These district meetings are just now dotting the City with their bonfires every evening, as you note from up the tree, from where, too, you can see an army of 200 candidates accompanied by frienlds scurrying from one to another from early evening until midnight. The audiences come from theimmediate neighborhoeds and they give the local candidate a chance to get in his work. « He takes his place on the little stage of the little hall along the water front ana finds eight or ten other candidates there with him. There is aiways a principal speaker, who talks on and on without the faintest idea that he ought to let up, and the candidate scowls with impatience, as do all the other candidates. The candidate wants to get to a meeting at North Beach and to another on Howard street before 11 . u., and he wants to turn loose a lot of steam beer and a glad hand among citizens in a few popular neighborhood resorts. He wants to smile and make a good impres- sion with a brief httle speech and skip, and he wants to do it before the audience thins out from thirst and weariness. The “glorious Republic” orator sent by the County Committee stays with his theme, ' THE POLITICAL FORUM AT THE 15 per Window and the fellow running for Congress will follow, and he is entitled to considerable time to discuss the glory of Humble man- hood and the interests of the ‘‘common people,” which he will sacredly and de- votedly cherish. As our candidate is running for only Police Judge he will'not be introduced until three candidates for Supervisor and the aspirants for the jobs ot Auditor and Street Superintendent have bad :hexr‘eay and applause, and he pays precious time for the turn that is ceming. But thereis more than half the hudience left when the popular and clever young painter has finished his song and the chairman says: “I now have the pleasure, and Imay say, gentlemen, the honor to introduce— to present—to you Mr. Bailey, who isa candidate who is running for cneof the most important offices that involves the rights of the people—that of Police Judge of this City and County.” Mr. Bailey is greatly honored at meeting 8o intelligent an audience made up of the bone and sinew of the commonwealth, and it will be his purpose-1f elected to raise the unfortunate, to remember that justice is not cruel and to give no citizen cause to regret that he was given that responsible office. Mr. Bailey makes a different speech from the one he would make at Metropol= itan Hall. Itisclose to election day and on that stage he is closer to the people. The meeting is principally for candidates and not for National issues and Mr. Bailey makes an effort to adapt himself to cir~ cumstances as he does a few minutes later amid steam beer. Then he chipped in $2 50 when the secretary of 'the club rustled a friend among the candidates, and he assumes he is simply among his friends. It is in and about some of these little campaign meetings these nights that the local campaign can be seen as it boils amid its most picturesque surroundings. Go to the right ones to see the candidate make his play to the “push,’” and to see the campaign elsewhere than on Market street. Mr. Bailey is not running on any issue and knows that it behooves him to set abroad and nurse the impression that he is a good fellow. He is a prosperous young attorney, lives iz the Western Ad- dition, wears eyeglasses and a Prince Albert coat, is proud that his eminent father was a “Southern chiv,” and he has in the past contributed some thoughtiul papers on municipal reform to periodicals whereby he has secured the heariy iu- dorsemcnt of the Civic Reform Associa- tion, which is worth at least 120 votes. For two years he bas served, without fee, as attorney for two ladies’ philanthropic aesociations and he Las several such leads running into large circles where votes may be bunched. But Mr. Bailey knows that voters of another class swarm in the neighborhood of the meeting he has briefly addressed, and he knows that citizens who like steam beer are going to vote for police judges as well as members of the Civic Reform As- sociation. And so Mr Bailey, who has dipped into politics a little before, hustles from the meeting with smiles and nods when he has made his little speech and been ap< plauded, and in the ball he meets his friend and one of the boys of the district who is in his fight and who is to.pilot him about and introduce him during the half bour to follow. Go with'the trio to the corner and watch Mr. Bailey down the “steam” with resolute appreciation. The candidate won’t buy any beer for the purity of election laws limits his expendi- tures, but his friend is much interested in his fight and it is no felony for him to “blow himself”’ to any extent. It's a jolly good fellow is Mr. Bailey then, and it's twenty schooners the bar- keeper hustles out to supply the thirsty crowd that loves the joy of election time. The young district politician takes Mr. Bailey aside and, after a shadow as of pain has flitted over Mr. Bailey's face, a hand goes into a pocket and comes out, and then another hand goes into a pocket and comes out, and pretty soon the young man secures a chorus of three cheers for “Mr. Bailey, the young men’s candidate,’”” whereat the moneyed friend gives the bar- keeper another job. Bailey takes in two other saloons and then speeds on an electric-car to another meeting he has arranged to address and to more cam- paigning in the slums, and when he reaches his bed he is sick and weary in heart and head. There are 252 local candidates out hustling for votes, and every last one has a lot of friends “in his fight,” If you watch the army at work you will see many strange things that people do and many scenes of human life that slide into view once in two years. J. A. UENNY. MINT.