The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 25, 1898, Page 17

s and tribulations faintly be con- agina- erfoot who ugh the ordeal loss of nerv in the i tion of the e . human n who h public o d from the e ain that was put upon ade > have uffered An aspirant that are assoclated month fter was the re and his “reakening rous cam- Judge-elect at the returns e d and the recent death of e rden can be t: ages wrought t Ing diversion. A many instances of |v112 .]N path of the _NE N ceive but mo- public. f citizens who the elective - fellows run w dearly City Hall. who can sy us political fle hand at the otice from the maj 7 5, have curbed their 2 goal of your t while you f dissuade pl the thirty days precd fore you leap into the al battle. Consider the ry and salary to be ob ade- ate compensatio all men were with the of ~ampaigning that must be indulged in he up-to-date cand te the pur- of happiness would impel fewer to the path that leads to political nt. » longer can a candidate be‘con- ith the formal introduction .of to the voters through fi f public meetings. Oratori s to the mass count f he influ e of personal solici- when combined with steam bee aspirant for office who is verse politics knows that from ¢ moment of his nomination un the booths close on election day on the qui vive for opportunities to catch votes. If he na s & wink of sleep he must ke the precaution arm’ clock in his immediate vicinit He is expected to people and extend the *“glad hand” on all sid To own popularity is to discount his opponent’s activity. silance is the price of votes. jon is that the more people one meets in a cam- :ater are his chances of success, and consequently it is energetic candidate to c ver much territory as possib, A route is mapprd out for him at the opening of the campaig d he follows it religiously. He must go through the slime of ¥ ertown and of the tanneries of South San Francisco, clasping the h 1d of toil and soliciting the suffrage of the toilers. He must inhale the stifiing odors of the gas houses and he must patiently wend his way through the shops of the Union Iron Works l.ln th; lxmn-mu. the slums of the Barbary Coast and the groggeries of far Flat If his opponent is making what is technically known in the par- lance of curbsto; to fan the flan fn the city. In thosze plom as a “saloon fight,” it becomes his duty vivality in every ‘“‘wet goods” establishment which he fails to materialize his banner will be turned toward the wall. Such is the penalty incurred by the can- didate, for some -keepers insist upon personal ,acq ship with every o expects their vote. They are the saloon- keepers who nev change to a candidate for fear of insulting him. They have been known to pocket a $10° piece placed on the counter in payment for fiv inks. And the candidate—good, easy man—never murmurs, for £ of losing a vote, but after perience of that sort he ys carries an abundance of sil Silver js always convenient when you get into a saloon that is conducted by a highwayma There are other interesting features of a saloon fight, but no approximate idea of them can be conveyed in cold type. One must accompany a candidate over the unabridged cktail route,” samp- ling the interminable variety of brands of whisky that are sold over the 3500 bars of this cosmopolitan burg, to properly sympathize with the man that is seeking for votes. To get into a saloon where the barkeeper is all alone and then witness the phenomenon of thirsty voters suddenly appearing as if they had come up through cracks in the floor, like sprites in a Christmas spectacle, is one of the amusing features of a saloon fight. Whence they come it is impossible to eonjecture, but the presence of a candidate brings them into view as HERE big patronage office during the Read his vivid recital and you'll find out why a popular candidate needs a manager,a chaperon, a body guard, a parrel of coin, a will of steel and a constitution of last e ection. In making a s for it is very ed only one saloon on a corner where tl same street crossing is a most egregious blunder. did such a -thing—without hearing about his grievous erroi D - within = a4y s He learns, much to his consternation, Shsbi A, v ‘VSPECIE‘fi KN tiventy-four hours. highly sensitive are as mad as wet hens. They believe that they have been deliberately ins lidate to go and square himself at once by buying inks in each place that had been overlooked. loon-keepers who do not 1eeltlhat v y he umstance s aang;;t(figgieugg? tierxz‘»gefixgsa:?: s(ilfffltcienfll;cnumerous should characterize wearers of the ermine, and as a conseque to make a campaigner decidedly wary. One meets the autocrat of is numbered among the “also rans. ts where he is supposed to wield great “mixologists” it behooves the cand several rounds of dr Of course there are some sa of his being the bar in the remote distric is the experi— ence of a man who ran for a And the candidate must shake the hand of each with all the warmth of the greeting of two long se loon fight the greatest caut for a candidate to give serious offense. To enter ON TR here are other saloons at the b S No candidate ever o influence. He is easily offended. : i _ can afford to shirk the work that it entails. The first duty of a sell phonmey tickets for a ure toleend i o Sl e candidate under this system is to select a manager who thas had raffle for the aid of the ficti- 5 api offense. When the can- Some experience in campaigning. A manager is as essential ‘é?éq'?e“‘fflg"fls rti:eeen guilty of that candidate as he is to a theatrical star or a crack pugilist. Without serenely in every campaign. 7 a manager a candidate would get an attack of nervous prostration All these interesting char- is recelved with a frown and the auto- in the first week of the campaign. The manager takes charge headquarters, attends to the advertising and makes engagements f ing one of the 1igh-toned places down the unfortunate victim of political ambition. The engagements are ager, but there are many made principally with men who desire to introduce the candidate to that decline to be “kissed voters who are employed in large establishments, or who, in other off” in that way. advertently replies that the silk ban- ners are very expensive he is promptly told that they are not too expensive for the down-town establishments, and then he buys two rounds of drinks in- stead of one to soothe the autocrat. Some years ago the candidates for the large patronage offices were the only ones that attempted to make a thor- ough canvass of the city, working night and day, but in the late campaign_there were no distinctions. Charles L. Patton set the pace In the fight for Mayor along the route, the factories and the mercantile houses. Toward the close of the campaign James D. Phelan emu- Jated him in a measure, confining him- self, however, to personal contact with the wage earners of the city. Candidates for judiclal positions. went parated brothers. fon must be observed, that do business at the other corners Something must be done to appease their = ulted and ment his speckled mirror behind the gross neglect puts in an appearance he crat suggests that if he were conduct- town he woul: have received a very handsome banner. If the candidate in- | - PR I & = OWN ApTH for judicial honors who appeared to be mindful of the dignit: The work of making a campaign has been reduced to a s Fail- and no candidate, particylarly if he be out for a patronage words, desire to lead the candidate into places where he can the “glad hand” advantageously. The manager is also used for reference purposes and in that the candidate should have capacity he is of incalculable value. - Every bore that molests the a chaperon to accompany candidate Is referred to the manager, whose duty it is to toy with him gently, and then “lose him’” without causing any hard feel- ing. A prime diplomat must the manager be to handle campaig bores without friction, for these pestiferous fellows are cognizant of the reluctance of candidates to make enemies, and are bold i; their persistence. It has been estimated that a candidate encounters fifty bores | every day and that if he undertook to give each an audience for | the time required the time for making the campaign would be re- | duced to one minute in every twenty-four hours, These cam- | paign bores are nearly all of the same ilk. They pretend that | they have large blocks of votes which they are willing to swing PATIENTLY WEND HIS WAY _ THROUGH_THE GROGGERI OF TAR-FLAT - -+ ~3 L2 o for a consideration. 'Many of them are ward politicians who are anx- fous to contribute their support but insist upon - being promised a place in the office. Sometimes the bore is a colored porter or a colored barber, who belongs to a colored social club. He assures the candidate that he controls the vote of the entire club and will “deliver the goods” for coin or for a patronage promise. In the last' campaign a colored barber negotiated the contribu- tion of his services, the consideration being two weeks’' wages. He represented that he would have to retire from the tonsorial trade for that period while engaged in electioneering among the boys. Oc- casionally the bore is a railroad conductor or a member of some union, who, by the exercise of some mysterious influence, controls several hundred votes. He is generally after a job in the office and his work is generally very much on the sume order as that of the race track tout who makes sure of his commission by tipping every horse in the race. And it is remarkable how many candidates are impressed by the representations of political touts. Very often the most bothersome bores are the candidate’s friends, who are so solicitous for his welfare that they are constantly scold- ing him for not doing certain things that he had no time to do. There s nothing so trying to a candidate’s nerves as to be grumbled at for instance for not visiting the gas works at North Beach on a certain day and at a certain hour, when he was engaged in shaking hands with the employes of a tannery at South San Francisco. No matter how much ground he covers in one day he will be told of some place where he was expected and be vouchsafed the pleasing ¢ information that he lost scores of votes through neglect. the route and even a Justice of the Supreme Court, fearful of the re- sult, cast aside conslderations of dignity and became a vote-wooer of gome friendly bore and the the most ardent kind. Judge Wallace was probably the only aspirant platant job-chasing bore, ] = EXPECTED TO 60 ATONG THE PEOPLE= =~ In addition to the bother- y that the candidate must endure nce he the piece-club bore, who is bewildering in his variety, ystem, and the advertising bore, office, and the fellow who wants to 1 to a tious widow who bobs up of the acters are referred to the suave and courteous man- extend In addition to the man- ager it is also essential that HE nusT TARE THE PRE CAUTION TO HAVE~ \\\\‘3‘ CL&?:%“MEDIATE' 5‘\\\\\\” VICIRITY - - n n <NEVER RETOURNS CHANGE - him on his vote-getting pilgrimage. The society bud is not in greater need of a chaperon than the man who is running for office, particularly if it is one of the large patronage offices. He is a neces- sary adjunct to every well-regulated campaign outfit,’and he is always se- lected with a view to his adaptability, < for he must have certain qualifications. E'j He must be a smart, active young man, always alert to call the attention of the candidate to some autocratic citizen who is looking for a nod of recognition, and to relieve the candidate from the importunities of that other individual of the bore species known as the “grafter.” Whenever a suspicious character button-holes the candidate for a private interview the chaperon must keep within ear-shot and be prepared for action. As soon as he hears the “grafter” suggest that a little coin would enable him to work more advantageously for the candidate's interests the chaperon must break violently into the conversation and adroitly effect a separation. All these political “‘grafters” pursue the same method and reveal their ldentity as soon as they get within hailing distance. They have their pockets filled with election cards and when they see a probable victim they pro- duce his cards as evidence' of their allegiance and then proceed to business. ' ! It is of paramount importance that the chaperon should be a man who is unknown among politicians or the political workers of a district. His value largely depends upon his obscurity because there is nothing so injurious to a candidate as to be seen in the company of a man who has enemies. The candidate is condemned for the company he keeps, and caution should prompt him to give as little occasion as possibie for what is known in the argot of political circles as “knocking.” In addition to the task of extending the “glad hand” by day and practicing spell-binding at district meetings by night the cam- palgner must testify to his admiration for terpsichore. He is deluged with inpvitations to Sunday night dances and he feels that if he fails to make his appearance in the halls the societies that extended the courtesy will feel somewhat resentful. So he goes to the dances and Tontinued on Thirty-second Page.