The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 7, 1897, Page 1

This P,aper not ! VOLUME LXXXI.—NO. 38. SAN FRANCISCO, THURSDAY MORNING, JANUARY 7, 1897. PRICE FIVE CENTS. “MR. SPEAKER!” i 11 SCENE IN THE ASSEMBLY WHEN MEMBERS HAD T HEIR FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT BILLS. PERKINS' SHIP 1S WRECK Action of the Conference Not Bind- ing by Reason of a Lack of Numbers. Treatment of Waymire by Perkins’ Men Arouses Indignation and May Cause Them the Loss of the Alameda Delegation. Strength of Samuel M. Shortridge Increasing With Every New Development—Legislators Leaving the Standard of the Ineumbent for That of the Coming Senator. SACRAMENTO, Cal,, Jan. 6.—Senator Perkins’ political ship is fast break- ing to pieces on the rocks of defeat. This cveming Attorney-General Fitzgerald advised Judge Waymire that less than the mumber mecessary to elect is not a caucus and that those who attended the so-called caucus last might and those who remained away were equally not bound. Judge Waymire thereupon de- clared that, in accordance with the advice of the Attorncy-Gemeral, he would not consider himself bound by the action of the fifty-mine persons present at the so-called caucus and that he would mot consider himself bound to vote for Senator Perkins. At a late hour this evening he had taken under advisement the matter of his coming out as a candidate for the Senatorship. The friends of Samuel M. Shortridge are jubilant over the breaking up of Perkins’ force‘ They say that the defection of Judge Waymire will be followed'| by the majority of the Alameda delegation and a number of others. The excite: ment here is at fever heat. % SACRAMENTO, CaL., Jan. 6.—Three | actors were Attorney-General Fitzgerald, men of striking personality sat this even- | Judge Waymire of Alameda and Senator ing at a table in the Golden Eagle dining- | Morehouse of Santa Clara. They talxed room, and the crowd in the botel office | for nearly half an hour, the Attorney- stared and stared as the trio was seen to i General gesticulating vigorously in that be engaged in animated and earnest con- | Positive way which characterizes him versation. when he'speaks of anything which he con- The men were making history and the ' siders of grave import. | | Atthe end of.the interview Judge Way- | mire came out into the office and in- | formed a CALL reporter that ke had been | advised by the Attorney-General that a | caucus for United States Senator is a con- ference of a majority of the members ot | the Legislature, and that a conference of | | less than such majority is not a caucus, and 1s binding neither upon those who | attended nor those who remained away. | 1, where a majority was sixty-one, sixty | members could constitute a caucus why | should not thirty, or ten, or even five cail a caucus and attempt to bind to itsde- cision and 1ts candidate all the rest. | The statement of the case alone is suffi- | cient to prove its absurdity. Hence the | Attorney-General aivised him" that he was mnot bound by what was done last night, even though he took part and voted therei ©Taking the advice of Judge Fitzger- | ald,” said Judge Waymire, “I do not con- sider myself bound by the caucus because there was not a majority of the Legisia- ture present. I will not be bound by it | and I will not be bound to vote for Mr. | Perkins.” Judge Waymire was tricked and in- | | sulted most shamefully last night, He | spoke of it without betraying much feel- | ing, for the Judge is a cool-headed, pa- | tient man, but he will remember the inci- | dent for a long time. | “Idia notsuggest the resolution recom- mending me for a Cabinet position,” he said. “It was written at Colonel Jack- | son’s sugeestion and in Colonel Jackson’s | bandwriting. He came to me, showed | | me the resolution and remarked: ‘Judge, 1‘ there is what we’re going lo do for you. | Go into the cancus, and after we have nominated a Senator we will pass this resolution.’ ”’ | The Judge went into the caucus, cast his vote for George C. Perkins and retired from the room. As soon as the door closed upon him the resolution was read. Some one raise®a roint of order and the chair- decided that the point was well i taken, to the effect that the caucus had | been called for the purpose of nominating a United States Senatur, and for no other purpose. The resolution was rejected and thus the trick became a matter of history. Going over the ground of the Perkins disaster, the following facts are found: The adherents of Perkins said that they would bave enough votes to hold a caucus, namely sixty-one, and that they would get them. When this was toid to Samuel M. Shortridgs, he replied: “Gentlemen, I venture to say that you will not hold a caucus; I make bold to say that you will not have sixty-one votes.” | The result of the alieged caucus was a | vote of sixty, as claimed by tbem, and in | this was included a proxy. The gentle- men who manipulatéd the affair did not seem to be aware that there could not be any such thing s a proxy in a Legislature caucus, no more than any Assemblyman | or a Senator could give his proxy to some Consequently, ad- | one to vote on a bill. mitting for the sake of the argument tsat they had sixty votes, the friendsof Sena- tor Perkins failed to hola a caucus because they had less than a majority. Following out to its logical conclusion the claim of W. B. Hamilton that a caucus was held, two members of the Legislature couid go into a room and nominate a Sena- tor. Several persons signed the call through misrepresentation. Assemblyman Pohl- man of San Francisco. for instance, signed i it with the urderstanding that all the San Francisco delegation bad promised to sign it. When he found that he had been tricked, and that he was the only San Franciscan on the list, he had the man- hood and the courage to withdraw his nawme. The Joss to Mr. Perkins of Judge Waymire’s vote will be increased proba- bly by the loss of the greater part of the votes of the Alameda delegation. In reply to the question as to what effect the candidacy of Judge Waymire would have upon his thances, Samuel M. Shortridge replied: “If Tam anythiog of a judge of those | ballot next - things, if Judge Waymire goes into this fight my chances will bs vastly improved, that is also the opinion of my friends and supporters; because his vote is taken away from Mr. Perkins.” 7 Mr. Shortridge added that if Senator Perkins should not be elected on - the first Tuesday, an adjournment would be taken until noon of the next Jay, when one ballet would be taken. If there should still be no choice, another adjournment would be taken, and so on, the otject of the law beine to allow the legislators plerity of time for deliberation. phidiibe o NOT A VALID CAUCUS. Attorney-General Fitzgerald Makes a Statement Concerning the Meeting Tuesday Night. SACRAMENTO, CaL., Jan. 6.—Attor- ney-General Fitzgerald made the follow- ing statement to a CALL reporter at mid- night: “Last night on my arrival at the hotel from my office I accidentally met Judge Waymire. The conversation naturally turned upon the caucus which had been held in the evening, as I unierstood, for the purpose of nominating a candidate for Senator. The matter had been very gener- ally discussed smong politicians as to whether it was a valid caucus within its po- litical meaning. I said thatIhad neard the argument advanced that it was nota valid caucus, for the simple reason that the number of men assembled there were not sufficient to ,accomplish the purpose for which the caucus was cailed. In other words, 1t took sixty-one men {o elect a Senator, and it seemed to me from the arguments advanced by the gentlemen that it wasa debatable question, but my knowledge was not of such a character as to justify me in giving an opinion upon it. But whether the action of te caucus was binding was a matter entirely with the men themselves. They would have to be governed by their own opinions with refer- ence to it. I think I said that every man was the keeper of his own conscience.” = WAYMIRE NOT BOUND. Released From All Obligations to Perkins and Jackson by Their Own Acts. * SACRAMENTO, Car.,, Jan. 6.—Judge ‘Waymire was asked this evening whether ne would be a candidate for the United States senatorship. He replied: “I have not yet said that I would be a candidate. A seat. in the United States Senate is, of course, something no one could lightly turn away, but I have no de- sire to enter into & hopeless contest, and I am waiting for some satisfactory evidence that the contest would be successful. IfI determine to be a candidate I will make the announcement in time. Iam advised by my friends that Senator Perkins' con- duct toward me has absolved me from all | upon them. obligations to him, and they contend that the interests of the party require that he should be defeated. My attention has been called to a report of an interview with Colonel Jackson in which he is quoted as saying that ‘Waymire wanted to make a dicker; that the cau- cus should indorse him for a Cabinet position, but Jackson says he declined to have anything to do with an arrangement of that kind.' I am surprised that Colonel Jackson should make such a statement a8 this. It is wholly untrue that I had any- thing to do with the resolutions indorsing me. *He showed me a document before I left San Francisco containing an indorsement of me for a Cabinet position, saying he in- tended to ask members of the Legislature to sign it. Yesterday, some hours before the caucus met, he showed me the resolu- tions subsequently offered to the caucus. They were not suggested by me. They were in his own handwriting, and I ex- | pressed serious doubts as to the propriety of the step, but subsequently I left the en- tire matter to Colonel Jackson and Fre- mont Older, by whose direction they were presented to the caucus. The caucus de- clined to act on them for the reason that it had not been called for that purpose. I am informed that the objection was raised by one of my own friends, and I think the caucus acted wisely in declining to sct All along I have entertamned the opinion that it is indelicate and im= SANTA CLARA COUNTY'S FAVORITE SON. SAN JOSE, CAL., Jan. 6.—A special meeting of the Republican County Central Committee was held here to-day and the following resolution was adopted: WHEREAS, The Hon. S. M. Shortridge, a favorite son of Santa Clara Coun'y, is an aspirant for the high office of United States Senator to represent “the State of California, and WHEREAS, We, the official representatives of the Republican party in Santa Clara County, do most earnestly indorse his candidacy; therefore be it Resolved, That we urge our Senators and Assemblymen to.use their best endeavors in bringing about the desired result. The resolution was signed by L. A. Sage, chairman; Dr. H. C. Brown, W. J.Kirkpatrick, E. E. Chase and Lyman Bare. The news that Samuel M. Shortridge’s chances for election to the United States Senate are very bright has caused much interest and enthusiasm in Santa Clara County, and many leading Republicans expressed therselves as much pieased with the outlook. 0. A. Hale, a leading business man and prominent Republican, who was a delegate to the St. Louis convention, is astanch supporter oi Samuel M. Shortridge. “] have known Samuel M. Shortrigge for many years,” he said jast evening. “He possesses great abdility and emergy and would be just the man that California needs in the United States Senate. The people of this county look upon him as one of our own people, and I consider it the duty of the Santa Clara County delega- tion to render bim their loyal support. ~If the Legislature acts for the best Interests of the whole State it will elect Mr. Shortridge to the United States Senate.” “The ability and energy of Mr. Shortridge is generally known and recognized,” said A. Greeninger, ex-chairman of the Board of Supervisors. “There is no doubt that he would fill the'office of Unifed States Senator with great credit to the people of the State, and ne should e elected.” State,” said C. M. Wooster. “The cereer of Samuel M. Shortridge has shown that he is a man of undoub! &t heart and the Legislazure would make a wise choice in electing him United States Senator.” Tt cannot be denied that S. M. Shortridge is by far the abiest man whose name has been presented for the office of United States Senator,” said Under-Sheriff §. G. Benson, “His election would be a credit to the State and the delegation from Santa Clara County should be unwavering in his support.” I regard Samuel M. Shortridge as one of the brightest and ablest Calilornlgns. and few if any have done mcre for the advancement of Republicanism in this ted ability,’” said County Treasurer Joseph A. Lotz. “‘He has the interests of the State