The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-09
F|REMEN OUT FOR VOTES.
The Department Mastering Its
Forces to Fight Buck
ley.
Hints Being Dropped That the Regu.
lations May Not Count in
This Case.

The Fire Department employees have
received explicit instructions to round up
their friends and use every manner OF
political means to make an end of Buck
ley. These instructions have come from
the high officers in the department, and
were promulgated in all of the truck and
engine houses in the City on last Friday
and Saturday mornings.
The District Engineers attended to this
much of the scheme. At every station in
their respective territories the foremen,
engineers, drivers, stokers, extramen and
substitutes were lined up to learn bit of
the elaborate plan of action which is to
enguH the Buckley people in the rent
earth of the next municipal battlefield
With due formality and solemnity they
were directed to get out and hustle. 1t
was incidentally remarked that some very
important things were at stake--for exam
pie, heads-and that neither time nor OPP
portunity could be conveniently spared
until the greatest amount of hustling on
record had been accomplished.
This was quite enough for the men to
whom the fearful mandate was conveyed.
Since Saturday morning they have been at
work with admirable energy. Men in all
condition Of department servitude have
friends and straining every nerve to ac-
complish Buckeyes ruin and save their
Jobs under the beneficent rule of Mr.
Rainey. In all of the newly organized
district clubs the vigor which character
ICES the efforts of the Fire Department is a
topic of interest and anxious discussion.
Numerous instances are cited to show
how actively the roundup is being at
tended to, and the political duty which
has so far been imposed upon the iremen
has contributed lively feature to the
turbulence of the preliminary programme
The men are in fearful mood over the
general uncertainty of things which has
confronted them so early in the fight.
They are abundantly alive to the serious
ness of the situation. 1t is a matter of
self-preservation with them, and they pro-
pose taking no chances of losing the ex-
hilarating job OF tire-fghting when there
is city to pay for it. Not all of them are
inclined to talk about the matter, some
protesting to have heard nothing about
political instructions. But these are not
the greater number. 1t is generally adj
mitted that if Buckley issues victor he
will Immediately contrive to depose Sulli-
van, and the chief of his appointment will
also ingeniously contrive to make things
interesting for district engineers, foremen
and nearly every body else in the depart
ment. On, the other hand, they see no
danger in having Rainey at the head of
things, and their efforts in the direction of
his sdccess are well combined and vigor-
Gus.
AS far as the men have heard there
has been nothing said as yet about the de-
partment overriding the regulations and
taking more active part in the campaign
1t was remarked, yesterday, however, by
men who know something about such
matters, that If the Buckley Rainey con-
test becomes too close for comfort the Fire
Department will not hesitate to mix with
its opponents in the political arena. 1t is
expressly provided among the regulations
that ''no member of the Fire Department
shall be delegate in person or by proxy
to, or member OF, any political or parti-
san convention, State central committee
or county committee, nor, while membe
OF said department shall be a candidate
before any convention for any political
Office" Just in what manner the over
riding of this regulation might be effected
is not made known, but the probability of
that sort of thing is vaguely suggested al
ready