The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-14

ing as barrier to the circulation of other
candidate toward the head of the ticket.
However this may be it looks to me as
though the splendid generalship and the
surprising finesse of Mark Hanna has sur
prised the enemy while sleepinI in camp
on the evening before the battle and ut
terly routed and stampeded them.
There can be no doubt that he had an
unlimited supply OF money (gold stand
ard) to work with; nor is there any dis
pute as to the fact that he went into the
field earlier than did any of the other
great masters of political strategy and
erected trocha across the line of fight
which they could not hope to carry by
storm. Long before the primaries were
talked of the trusted agents of Hanna had
made their combinations in every State in
the Union, and whatever promises or ca
iolery could not accomplish was effected
by more weighty considerations.
Hence, when the bugle sounded for bat
tie and the foemen were tightening their
saddle girths for the charge, they found
themselves surrounded and overmastered
by what appeared to be an overwhelming
force, and were thrown into a state of
helpless stupor, from which they have not
yet begun to recover. With Platt appar-
emily outgeneraled, Clarkson stricken with
a painful disease and lying sick unto death
in New Jersey, and Manley acting the I'M
manly and cowardly, if not traitorous
role, it is no wonder that the friends of
other candidates were thrown into
political panic and dropped their banners
in the dust without a blow. But who can
! foretell what changes twenty-four hours
may not effect in political convention in
which are confronted such giants as Nc
Kinley, Allison, Reed and Morton.
! The convention is peculiar in this fact.
| All the candidates but one are playing the
role of dark horses. Their friends are
waiting, watching and hoping for what
ever turn of fortune the mysterious to-
m orrow may bring.
A serious charge is brought against
Major Mckinley by one of the many
women correspondents who are digging
stories around the Hobbies for newspapers
here and elsewhere. She told me that
when she called upon that gentleman sew
eral weeks ago he took her hand coldly
and gave her what Is known as the society
shake.
In the society shake the right arm as
sumes the figure of the letter V, the elbow
being the angle, of course. Then the
wrist is bumped a little. the fingers are
stretched rigidly and close upon the mid
die finger points OF the person to be
| honored. There is then an abrupt shake
! of an inch downward with all of the
platonic expression of the claw of dead
crab. The claws relax and the hand of
the unfortunate victim falls to his or her
side, as the case may be, with a n.uffied
thud and the thing ends.
was given an object lesson in the So
ciety shake, as practiced in refined circles
in Missouri, the other day by charming
lady from Alabama. / didn't offer to
shake hands with her when introduced,
merely contenting myself with raising my
hat and tucking it under my armpit. As
she offered her hand 1 fell into the trap
like the rest OF the fools, and the lady
practiced the shake on me. | shall keep
my right hand in my pocket hereafter.
Now, that's what Bonaparte Mckinley
did to the woman correspondent who
wanted to squeeze his palm in good old
fashioned style, and that's why she is
wearing Morton badge conspicuously on
her heavlng bosom.
| 1t is hard to keep down good State or
good people. California is the one and
her people are the other, and to-day
the representatives of the land of the
orange, the olive and the vine, where the
oleander grows out of doors all the year
round moved into their headquarters on
the first floor of the Southern Hotel. It
is just opposite the elevator landing. Over
the door is draped a beautiful American
| flag, that those who enter may walk be-
meath its blessings. The room was for
merly the ladies' parlor. Next to that occu-
pied by New York it is the largest apart
ment in this one of the most beautiful
caravansaries of the South.
The mantel is of rich onyx and white