The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-04
THEY DIE HARD.
Democrats Striving for
Compromise
BEFORE NAMING DELEGATES
Prolonged Caucusing by the
Two Factions.
A COMPROMISE is POSSIBLE.
The Committee Meets Tonight tC
Name Delegates to the NUM-.
cipal Convention.

The mud-sliDging propensities of Andy
Clunie had left the temper of the states
men in such condition that smicable ad-
! justment of the existing differences was a
| difficult task. and a whole day and the
greater part of the night were required to
bring the warning elements to a point at
| which compromise was possible. But the
| General Committee meets this evening,
and without some agreement as to how the
delegates to the municipal convention
should be appointed a general split-up
seemed inevitable. and so the leaders of
the two factions worked untringiy in
their efforts to exiricate the committee
from the tangle into which it had been
| thrown.
Max Pepper was at his headquarters at
| Seventh and Mission streets from the fore
noon until late this morning. He wanted
| the delegates elected by a majority vote of
the general body.
That was his object in joining the Har-
ney-Armes-Tracey crowd and he stuck to
it with great peTtinacity, although some
of the men who were considered leading
spirits in this movement fell down and
began to urge him to agree to some pro-
portional system. lie held out howe yer,
although he was told by Charley Armes,
James a. Fenton and others that unless
he agreed TO abandon his position he
would inevitably be beaten, as the prOpor-
tional plan was the fairer to all parties
and would undoubtedly appeal to a major
Ity Of the committee.
Max Pepper believed that CIunie was
working in the interest of Christopher A.
Buckley, and that any arrangement which
would give the young frebrand a say in
the appointment of the delegates would
result in the selection of Buckley men.
And this proved TO be a strong argument,
| for il has come to be the general belief
| that Buckley rolled the freball which
| Clunie flung into the ranks last week with
such disastrous effects to the interests of
the party, and that Buckley will be at his
| back In whatever he may undertake. So
| Pepper had many sympathiZers, and the
work of winning over the no-comprOmise
men was more of an undertaking than had
| been anticipated.
James II. Budd has become very much
| worried over the state of affairs in San
| Francisco and he took hand in urging
| settlement between the factions. He
| talked with the local men earnestly and
| impressed upon them the fact that they
were kicking the fat in the fire by their
stubborn factIOnal fighting. But even Mr..
Budd could not control the recalctrant
committeeman. lie did succeed in getting
representatives from the opposing forces
together and the result may be COM
promise after ALL
During the afternoon Fenton and a
member of the Clunie party met in a room
in the Nevada block with Sheriff McDade
present as an interested Democrat.
They sat for long time and discussed
the situation. They all agreed that COM
promise should be effected, and they also
declared themselves in favor of a proper
tional system of selecting delegates. After
that the roblem of what that proper
tiOnal system should be was considered.
Several methods were suggested, and at
the close of the conference it was decided
| TO recommend to the factions an agree
ment by which each member OF the dis
tricJ committees shall appoint from the
district in which he is located one dele
| gate TO the convention. This would give
$50 delegates. Then the district commit
tees shall appoint committee of one. the
eighteen committees of one from the eigh =
cen districts TO meet and appoint a CON-
! mittee of seven persons not members of
the general committee to select 100 men
from the public at large as an additional
delegation at large The total mem bership
of the convention would then be $50 1t
was expressly stipulated that the 100 dele
| gates-at-large should be chosen on their
regulations as being anti-Buckley men
and men OF standing in the community.
! 1t was argued that this arrangement
would have the effect of satisfying every
member of the general committee, and
| also, of course, all the delegates chosen,
making a total of 1000 Democrats with 30
| kick cOmiug-mOre than the city is at
| present thought 10 contain.
The conferees adjourned after reaching
the above conclusion, and in the evening
! they submitted the plan at the caucuses
of the two factions.
The CIunie side met In the evening at
the Occidental Hotel. The caucus was
! very largely attended. and those present
! felt that they were strong enough to die
|
| acted as spokesman Tor the Nevada block
| emissaTies of the factions. He explained
the plan stated above. and declared that it
seemed fair and that he was in favor of it.
| The committeeman were favorably i'm
| pressed, and after a conference of nearly
two hours it was adopted as the ultmatum
of that side of the house. Pepper and
whip.
A committee of three was appointed to
wait upon similar committee from
| Seventh and Mission streets, the meeting
to be held at the Baldwin Hotel. The
meeting adjourned at 10 o'clock and the
They had a long wait for the other com
mittee, for the Pepper men we<e still
wrangling and could come TO no conclu-
sion. The best they could do was to ap-
point a committee to confer with the en-
envy, but the committee, composed of p
uel Kohlman, P. Fl. Norton and Tom Do
Ian, were given no authority TO close a
! bargain. They were Instructed only to 90
TO the Baldwin and hear what the Others
had 10 say and then to report back to the
caucus. Ii was so late when they reached
the hotel that Andy Clunie had wearied of
waiting and gone home.
The conference was held in one of the
Baldwin sitting-rooms, and it sat for an
other hour, with outsiders excluded. 1t
was after midnight when they emerged.
and then it was necessary for the Harvey
men to go back to Seventh and Mission
streets and make their report The Clunie
committee was tired and went home, saw
ing that the others could report their de-
eision to-day. 1t was understood that the
proportional plan met with the ap-
| prevail Of the committee OF five, how
ever. and when they left the hotel
they said that they expected to be able to
induce the caucus to accept it, The eau
Gus, however. sat for some time longer.
and had made no report up to O'clock.
The prospect. though, Is that the compro-
mise will be accepted, as there are 40
many of the Pepper side in favor of il that
it would seem foolhardy thing for the
boss to longer hold out against it. as ne
would go into the meeting tonight with
| small chance of winning and with every
| thing to lose should the ballot 90 against
| him.
If Pepper persists in holding ont there
| will be considerable opposition to his IRE.
siding at the meeting OF the general com
mittee. & The men opposed to him will con-