The San Francisco call., 1895-12-13

heyday of his power, Mrs. Peck's property
went on the market after her death, and
Buckley bought it at bargain for $32 800
Then the Tammany Society became Buck
ley's Manhattan Club. 1t moved $4,000
worth of furniture up the street to Buck
ley's new mansion, and Jake Lindo bought
the fine mirrors and some of the furniture
of the house at auc ion for the club. The
Manhattan Club began to flourish under
the presidency of Colonel Andrews as a
high-toned social club, with politics on
the side. There was terrapin stew and
champagne to be had there then.
But in 1891 Buckley had important busi-
ness in Canada while the Wallace Grand
Jury was in session, the club went to
smash and a time of storm and distress
came on. Some of the Manhattan people
and some of them are back now-got
out with the reorganizers and shouted
against Buckley, who was thought dead
forever. An old guard remained true,
but silent. During this season of bad fol-
| tune the club owed Buckley year and a
halfs rent and the furniture became his
and stayed there in the deserted rooms
where the spiders nested long. The
Manhattan Club maintained nomi-
nal sort of existence while Buckley
was so thoroughly down and out.
In February, 1898. the Business
Mems Democratic Association organized
ana LOOK tuc Olu hepuDLlCun AllldnCc
headquarters on Powell street Soon after
this organization and the Manhattan Club
com bined under the name of the Business
Mems Democratic Club, with John Nc
Carthy, the wholesale tea merchant, for
president. Quarters were taken in the
Baldwin Annex and Chris Buckley and
Jerry Driscoll were dropped from the rolls.
This club didn't make any great amount
of noise, and it was hot very lively along
obo loc Christmas hoA
| time safely returned, had secretly shown a
strong hand in the last election, and some
of his old friends of political experience
consulted with him about new pro-
gramme for the important political cam
paign that was coming.
John Mccarthy, A. T. SPOTS, 0. M.
Welburn, John ii. Wise, f. T. Mills, Will
liam Cronin. Ambrose Mclaughlin, spe-
cial agent of the treasury, and three or
four other members of the Business Men 8
Club, talked things over and decided on
the new organization, about which Buck
ley gave his advice and to which he offered
his deserted palace on the hill. Heads
were scratched for a name and McLaugh-
Inns suggestion of Occidental was taken.
The Business Mems Democratic Club be-
came the Occidental and early in January
the Stockton-street mansion was swept
ont and occupied. About all the club had
to do was to move in and sit down on
Buckley's furniture, and it did so with 210
mem bers. Since then there have been
many changes in the roll and now the
mem bership is stated at 1884, and every
man friend of Buck.
The following present officers can all be
traced back with the leather upholstered
chairs that cost $27 apiece to 1887, Bush
street and the Tammany Society:
President John Mccarthy; vice.presi-
dents E. T. Mills and T. E. Dunno; secre-
tary, Joseph A. Baxter; treasurer, William
J. Bryan. The directors are these officers
and Joseph Rothschild, P. F. Dundon,
William Cronin, J. w. Mcdonald, Samuel
Newman and Thomas J. Barbour
But there are other untitled officers for
what really goes on up there. Buckley, of
course, is the king who can do no wrong.
Things rather wait and languish when he
cometh not When he puts in three or
four days at Ravcnswood there is some
thing like dropping to be sensed as
though a worm might be getting in its
work in the bud of promise. Buckley is
the soul and breath of life of the Occiden-
tai Club of the present. He knows every
trick and move in every district in the
City and the measure of every influence in
operation. His mastery ''advice" to his
friends directs every play.
The active, experienced leaders with
whom he counsels, and who make and
execute the plans of operation are princi-
pally John Mccarthy, A. I. SPOTS, James
H. O'Brien, Robert Boyd and Joseph
Rothschild, with several others taking
leading parts.
This is glimpse at the political organi-
zation which represents Buckley and his
new campaign. The Occidental Club has