The San Francisco call., 1895-10-09
CHANCE TO GUESS AGAIN
More Signs That Both Ends
Will Be Played Against
the Middle.
BUCKLEY TALKS COMPROMISE
The Junta Says It's a War Of Ex-
termination and Both Sides
Prepare for Battle.

Buckley and Rainey held an important
business conference at the Poodle Dog
restaurant on last Friday afternoon.
The twins gene rally keep people guess
ing and here is a magnificent chance for
that proceeding. Few people who were
born before year ago last Tuesday take
any stock in recent stories about falling
out and there are few who have any notion
that Sam Rainey will iniure himself fight
ing Chris Buckley in the interest of purity
and to keep the Fire Department out OF
politics.
Is Rainey quietly preparing to sell out
the Junta to Buckley or is he doing the
more natural thing-fxing up the terms of
a partnership with Buckley under which
he will help boss the other branch and
divide the gross profits.
The story of the meeting last week is an
authentic one. The two were seen by peo-
pie who knew them well and their COM
ings and goiDgs were timed.
The conference was held between and 4
o'clock in the afternoon. Rainey slipped
up from the st. George stables to the cor
ner Of Bush and Dupont streets and lodged
into the rotisserie. Fifteen minutes later
little Maurice Schmitt led the blind boss
down the hill from the Occidental Club,
a block above, at the corner of Bush and
Stockton streets. Buckley and his facto-
tum went upstairs to a private room where
the other farmer was in waiting.
After a little more than an hour Rainey
came out and went down Grant avenue,
and a few minutes later Buckley was led
up the hill to other conferences which fol-
lowed at the Occidental Club.
OF course the two agriculturists might
have met to exchange opinions on the
proper time of the moon at which to pick
pumpkins or on the best method of sui
phuring apricots, and perhaps they ar
ranged for little private celebration OF
the anniversary of their successful arrival
in wintry Montreal once upon time.
With the closing of the door behind
Chris and Maurice at about P NJ. last
Friday the guessing begins. Nine hun
dred and ninety-nine politically wise
people out of thousand will believe that
Buckley and Rainey are Sin cahoots" to
do politics, and that whatever purifying
Sam Rainey does will be in the ultimate
interest of the firm.
The crafty Rainey remains a large
political mystery, and he doesn't care if he
does. Rainey has, of course, a large-sized
grip in the Fire Department and great
influence with Chief Sullivan. who himself
is universally credited with being sincere
in his protests that he wants the depart,
ment kept out of politics. When Rainey
wants to swing the Fire Department. fol
any selfish purpose he will make it strong
force to his ends in spite of the fact that al
this moment it is not as free and active q
political power as in the past. But 1t gives
Rainey power in practical politics, and
he is further power through political
friendship outside and his experience and
natural shire TdneSs as an unscrupulous
manipulation.
Nobody will credit Rainey with any
motive higher than avarice and desir,
to enlarge his power as boss, and if he i.
not in politics it will be because he cam
work in or there is nothing in it. 1t i:
generally conceded that the Junta coulc
not have defeated Buckley at the meeting
of the general committee last Wednesda,
night without the assistance of the Fire
Department. In spite of the fact that the
department is "out of politics,' it wa!
about the strongest force arrayed in sup
port of Watkins, the Junta and purity
Sullivan himself is a sincere enemy O
Buckley, whom he fears, and then Rainey
is pretty close friend to Daggett of the
Junta, and is supposed to be to McNab
Then, Rainey would naturally do any
thing to hold the Fire Department fol
himself When he delivers it it will bt
when the last item of the negotiations il
completed.
Just now Buckley and his friends arr
engaged in a life-or-death struggle tc
capture the local party organization, anC
if Rainey could ever secure good terms i
would be right now. In view of the situa
tion the Friday conference is calculated tt
cause a good deal of guessing, and /,
general belief is that Rainey is secretl,
standing in with Buckley.
What the Blind Boss said about Rainey
the other day in his interview in TIL
CALL may be interesting to recall. Wher
the reports about him and Rainey havins
fallen out were mentioned, Buckley said
Rainey? There's nothing In that story. w,
are good friends. There has been a lot of tall
about Rainey and me and my enmity to certain
departments OF the City government Mt and m,
seeking revenge. l am not seeking ouarre
with anybody and don't intend to. Rainey
and 1 are as good friends as ever and alway
will be. Rainey and 1 never had an,
differences and don't think we will.
That Buckley and Rainey worked to
gether to control the last municipal con
vention, and that they did manage t.
secure several nominations. including JET.
ferson G. James for Mayor, is well-knowr
history.
"There is no doubt that Buckley ant
Rainey are now playing game together
to bunko the people," said Max Poppe
last night. "What they say cuts no figure
They lied to me last year when they saic
they were out of politics, and they ar
lying now. If Rainey said that anythin.
was white / would know that it was black
They will probably put up game in whicl