The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-09-02
IN A BAD MESS.
Democratic Troubles Get
No Better.
= EVERYBODY is FIGHTING.
'Clunie Comes In for a Share of
CenSure.
SAID TO BE BACKED BY BUCKLEY
Joseph Kelly Is in an Awkward
:: .Predicament-TaIk of a Conn
promise of the Factions.
SAID TO BE BACKED BY BUCKLEY


'mansnIp OF the Democratic General Com
rnittee? That is the Question which was
repeatedly asked yesterday, but it was al
most invariably put bv members of the
:. Cluhle-McNab faction. They think that
Peppers practical confession following
lHe open charges made against him by
Clunie have placed him in such a bad light
:, before the public that be viii at last real
lze that his leadership if further main
tanned cannot fail to injure the party at
the election.
But among the men who have been eau
cusing with Pepper during the past week
the resignation of the chairman is not con-
sldered even probable, and Mr. Peppers
conversation does not indicate any such
Intention. He says in effect: ''If Clunie
thinks he can drive me out OF the party
I'd like to see him 10 it"
The effect of the Clunie onslaught has
been to force upon the public facts which
were as a rule known to many, but which
were kept in the background for political
reasons.
e. The controversy has brought out one
:. piece of scandal which had before been
known TO only active politicians. 1t was
the fac! that Pepper had paid blackmail
TO Crimmins and Kelly in order TO retain
the sUeet-cleaning contracts when the Re-
publican Board of Supervisors went into
Office This Dit of gossip first leaked out
night or two before Pepper resigned
from the purity committee. When that
bombshell fell into the camp of the puri-
ferS James q. FentoD, in his indignation.
: stated that Pepper had made an assertion
ip>the Tivoli Opera-bouse which untitled
him; for the position of chairman of a
Democratic committee. Mr.. FeDton would
NOT say what that assertion was, but it
gradually became known that it was to
the effect that he had paid to the Board of
:. Supervisors $3.50 in order to hold his con-
= tract. There were denials of this, and
= though most persons believed the story
there was a degree of doubt about it
:;:until MI Pepper made his amazing
confession Friday night that he had
" paid through Joseph P. Kelly $3.50 a
month to Phil Crimmins, as boss of
:. the Republican board. Mr.. Pepper
spoke of this transaction as though
. itcame in the natural order of things and
reflected no discredlt upon himself. If he
=. felt 1t at all he extracted considerable
T.; -selace from the fact that Joseph p. Kelly.
the: Democratic candidate for Congress in
-. the Fifth District and a Clunie man, was
involved. He said: Kelly paid the
m0n5y over. If they want to air that mat
:. ter fietus have both sides of il. Let Mt
:Kelly explain to the voters his share of the
=, transaction" So it is evident that Pepper
:. does not consider that be is seriously hurt
: OF, ak any rate, that he is more damaged
than the opposition.
- Nor do the men with whom be is afii-
+ated in the present factional fight in the
:. general committee believe that any good
:: would be accomplished by his resignation.
One of them stated their position yester-
day when he said: 'If Pepper should re-
sign we would only 20 from bad to worse.
Whatever may be said OF him, be is at
present sincere in his hostility to Buckley,
whether because of partnership troubles
or for other reasons does not matter. He
is against Buckley bitterly opposed to his
taking part in Democratic politics. Now,
if Pepper should resign Jim O'Brien
would be put up for the place by The
Clunie side, and he would be sub
jeet to the Clunie influence, which beyond
doubt is the Buckley influence. If O'Brien
should not be put I'D some man who could
be led by the Buckley crowd would be.
: and as between Pepper and Buckley we
prefer the former. During the Democratic
State convent lion it became apparent that
Buckley was working through Clunie and
others, and that Pepper was fighting the
candidates whom Buckley was backing.
But Pepper was beaten. He opposed the
nomination of Kelly for Congress, Stanton
for Railroad Commissi oner and Jim
. NealOn for the Board of Equalization, and
Clunie and the Buckley influence NOM
mated all of them. 1t was this that led to
the organization of what is now called the
Harney-Armes- Tracey combine. with which
Pepper is now allied and it was this that
led many of the men who had been with
the McNab-Clunie forces before to go over
: to this new faction. There is no doubt
that the Harvey crowd have gained great
strength through the appearance OF Buck
Iey's hand at the back of Clunie ia the
district conventions, and that is what
drove Clunie TO make his pers onal attack
on Pepper. He saw that Pepper and the
others would CAPTURE the committee IN
less some desperate step was taken, and
he threw the interests of the party to the
winds in order to drive Pepper out or to
make the men he was with desert him.
That is the true explanation Of the Clunie
letter.
IF Clunie and his men carry the COM
miltee Buckley will have control of the
delegations from the Forty-frst, Forty
second, Forty-third and Thirty-sixth dis
trlcts in the municipal conventions. They
would have nearly third of the conven-
tion to go il with, and with such strength
by trading they could capture for Buckley
men almost all the important offices in the
city government. So thai is the present
. position OF the Democratic party In the
city to-day. If Clunie wins This fight
against Pepper we will have Buckley can
didates to vote for. The general commit
tee is opposed to Buckley, and for that
reason men who do not like Pepper will
yet stay with him in this fight. He is the
least Objectionable of two evils"
The position of Joseph p. Kelly is ex-
tremely awkward. Clunie's attack upon
Pepper has had the effect of showing him
to have been interested with Buckley and
Pepper in the street contracts, and even
worse an shat. He is charged with hav-
ing actually paid blackmail to Crimmins.
: Ii the charges are true he is in the same
position as Pepper.
But Mr.. Kelly makes fat denial of the
whole affair. He also denies that he
stated yesterday to representative Of an
evening paper that he bad taken money
FROM Pepper and paid it to Crimmin..