The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-09
PIONEERS At THE POLLS.
II. N. Tilden Defeats Judge
MCKinstry for the
Presidency.
REGULARS SWEEP THE FIELD.
How the Veterans Rallied Around
the Ballot-Box Via the
Hack Route.

A spirited annual election of officers of
the Society of California Pioneers was in
duiged in at their quarters on Fourth
street yesterday.
The polls opened at O'Clock, and at that
hour the gray bearded pathhnders, who
had gone to many ballot-box armed and
ready for trouble, began to file in and de-
post their tickets.
In the early morning it was pretty well
understood that the regular ticket placed
in line by the elected nominating commit
tee of the society was confronted by what
was known as "The Members Progressive
Ticket, prepared under the vigilant and
practiced eye of A. w. Won Schmidt, who
was very active all day proclaiming its
merits.
About noon it was discovered by the
regulars that the progressive element was
pulling its devotees into line with great
rapidly, and forthwith the former pro-
ceeded, under Chairman Peer Tiffany, to
send emissarIes broadcast into the City
and gather up all the regulars, who were
staked out as reserves in case contest was
threatened.
All afternoon the alley beside the Pho
neer building was troubled with eruptions
occasioned by the arrival of the official
hack of the regulars, which dashed up to
the hall and deposited voter for II. n.
Tilden, who, it seems, was their choice
owing to his knowledge of the affairs Of
the society and his complete understand
ing of the business of the Lick trust.
The Progressive ticket got out blue
printed placards announcing that they
were the true representatives of progress
and would beautify the halls and add
strength to the society the moment they
were installed in office. Further than this,
charity where deserved was INDUCED in.
All these things and others were set
forth, but the regulars went them one
better and got out red placard which
was placed above the blue one proclaim
ing that calm, sober thought was the
thing necessary to conduct a society of
pioneers and do it properly. 1t also
stood the charge before we're still good
enough to send to the front and just the
right kind OF pioneers to see that the
residue of the Lick trust was properly
gathered in after the final settlement,
which is so near, had occurred.
Steadily the balloting went on, and
when the hack appeared with some aged
and failing pioneer who had been in his
early days one of the pillars of the new
w esl, InOSo wiz WClc etiil 1aAc dllu ucatty
went to his side and extended him strong
arms upon which to lean and make his
way to the box. There was no bantering
of words no suggestions in an undertone,
no clever swapping of tickets, but he was
permitted to vote like man and do as he
pleased IN the country he helped to found.
A general atmosphere of good will pre-
vailed Judge Elisha W. McKinstry sat
down in the main hall and exchanged 40
yarns with the regulars, while Tiffany and
Won Schmidt, the two heads of the fac
tons, joked with each other about the
probable outcome.
Right up in the thick of the fight were
the junior Pioneers, who, while they are
without doubt good and valuable citizens,
know absolutely nothing of the suffering
and privation encountered by the grizzled
veterans who were clustered around them.
No mothers son of them might fully I'M