The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-16

organized the line (the company officers
snail elect all the field officers, and when
the regiments already formed all officers
except the staff shall elect.
Now, it is asked, what right have those
observation-disclosures and the majors that
are out to help elect the colonel of reg
lment to which they do not belong and
never dld belong? Several captains claim
That this is plainly the organization Of
new regiment as much as though every
company had been newly formed, and
tnat the company officers only have the
rlgnt TO elect. Others think that the
majors appointed to temporary command
at least have say on the new colonel
though they may be out too in week. If
the observation-disclosures are really officers
OF the new First Regiment. the regiment
mas three observation-disclosures, which is alb
surd and against the law.
:, oeml-offlclal directions have been given
tnat these held officers shall be allowed to
vote at the election of colonel on Thursday
night; This is favorable to Croker. He
would nave right to vote for himself
L!eutenant-Colonel Smith would vote for
him and Lieutenant Colonel Geary is ex-
Pected to favor him against Macdonald.
Most OF the majors would vote for Croker.
so the point cuts huge figure in q cam
palgn for the colonelcv, which is full of
Ipoiltlcs, pulls, jealousy, bitterness and am
bltlon. Plans are alre ady being made to
take the row into the courts
Inc other herce roar is over the Cover
nors taking the appointment of the lieu
tenant-colonel and the three majors into
his own hands. 1t is claimed that these
must be elected, under the military law of
the State embodied in the Political Code,
the same as the colonel, and that the Gov
ernor has as much right to appoint the
colonel as the others.
This, too, may reach the courts, it is
threatened, as rights guaranteed by law,
which the Governor and his adjutant-
general must obey, are being taken away.
1t is said that the direction that at the
election those voting should express their
preferences for these officers, which pref
erences will be considered by the COM
mander-ln-chlef, is merely way of get
tlng out OF very disagreeable box. The
Job OF selecting Northumberland and
three majors from the lot in this City
would be one well calculated to make the
communicating chief quail.
The campaign that will end THURSDAY
night in somebody being the big new San
francisco colonel is getting badly mixed
after being settled in the caucus early in
the week By officers of the old First and
Third regiments, which agreed to elect
Z. ii. Croker colonel and James F. Smith
lieutenant-colonel. If those at the caucus
would ali stand up the arrangement would
work to weaken the com bination. Lieu
tenant-Colonel Smith is doing all in his
power to hold the Third intact. He SAYS
that It is matter OF honor, and if any of
the Thirds officers fall down he wants to
get out. But some say that they are Lot
particularly bound by the caucus.
w. P. Sullivan, late colonel OF the First,
would like to be elected as a vindication of
the slap given him by the board of in
quiry after the Sacramento war if for
nothing else. He has friends in the First
who might go back on the caucus arrange
ment if he came into the field and created
a new situation. Sullivan is friendly to
Mcdonald and against Croker. Friends
OF both are trying to work up a combina-
ton against Croker. Sullivan will be
candidate on Thursday night if he can get
enough support to prevent Crocker's cleo
ton on the first ballot. 1t looks as though
it would be Mcdonald and Sullivan against
Crocker and Smith, and possibly Sullivan
might accept the overwhelmingly.
The line officers. who are shutfied out
and on waiting orders, will have no vote.
Should only the line officers vote there
will be thirty-siX votes-three from each
company. If the present understanding
is carried out forty-twO votes will be cast
at the election for colonel.
1t is wholly uncertain how the rebellions
of Companies d of the First ana II of the
second, when nave been merged into other
companies, will turn out. In these COM
panies forty-three and seventy-one men re-
spectively have asked to be discharged. 1t
is not easy to get out of the National Guard.
Good reasons are required for honorable
discharge. When the colonel of the new
regiment is elected he may grant the dis
charges on some pretext ii he wants to. II
not the men can get out by STAYING away
from three successive drills, being court
ms RI al od h Iiccb
In the case of privates, the only penalty
for this is that they cannot again join the
guard unless pardoned by the Governor.