The San Francisco call., 1896-02-15
SECOND WARD BATTLE.
County Committeeman Mitchell
Calls the Regular Club
Together.
REPUDIATEs PORTER's CLUB.
The Rival Presidents Each Express
Determine ton to Maintain
Their Prestige.
REPUD1ATEs PoRTERs CLUB.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALI

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALL
90S Broadway, Feb. Ia. !
Politics have broken out in the Second
Ward and there is a prospect OF some keen
hghtlng. The climax was reached to-day
when John Mitchell, the Republican Coun-
ty Com mitteeman for the Second Ward,
issued call for meeting OF the regular
Republican club tomorrow night. Every
body thought the Second Ward Republi-
can Club had been started on its active way
week ago, and that it held rousing
meeting last night.
Now it appears that the club of which F.
R. Porter is the president is usurper,
and President P. NJ. Fisher of the regular
club does not propose to have any of the
glory of presiding over Second Ward Re-
publicans wrested from him. He has
COMMITTEE eeman Mitchell on his side and
proposes to say some very pertinent things
at tomorrow meeting.
There is Only one regular club" said
Com mitteeman Mitchell to-day, land that
is the one that l recognize. 1t is the same
club that has always existed in the ward
and ?. NJ. Fisher, ex-County Superintend-
ent of Schools, is president. There are
over $50 names on the roll, and we are
very strong and do not propose to be put
down by MIR. Porter or any one else. The
club to which Mr.. Porter succeeded in
having himself elected as president con-
slsts of about twenty members. At his
last meeting there were just eight voters,
and if he has fifty names on his roll
nearly all of them must be boys. Eleven
of our members attended the meeting and,
after seeing the nature of the piece club,
they left in body, and I am informed
that the hall was nearly empty. do not
recognize Mr.. Porter, but | have called d
meeting of the regular club and have no
| doubt it will be well attended. / object
| to having voters maue to believe that the
| Porter club is the regular one. If he has
| something to work out and little club
may help him. of course | have no right
to interfere. The field ia open, but there
| is only one regular Republican club in the
Second Ward.''
| +. K. Porter, presiden OF the other cub,
holds that any body of Republicans have
a right to form club, and he denies the
| jurisdiction of Mr.. Mitchell to dictate to
| any one.
I'VE have over 100 mem bers on our roll, -
said President Porter to-day, ''and we en-
as Mckinley Club, and for the purpose
of trying to get the Republican State con-
vention held in Oakland. We passed a
resolution last night to that effect, and
| sent copy OF 1t to the State Central Com
mittee. We are working for the best in
| terests of Republcanism in Alameda
County, and no one is doing any more.
We are not organized for any special pur-
pose as regards local candidates. Those
matters will be considered later. We or
ganized several days before the so-called
regular club held its initial meeting, and
we intend to go on in the way originally
mapped OUT
Both clubs meet in Milton Hall and the
respective presidents are very energetic.
For nearly a year the county committee
has been divided, and several attempts
have been made to reorganize it and to ap-
point chairman to succeed Mantalen.
This has proved to be impossible as a
quorum could not be obtained, but as long
as the authority Of the ward county, COM
mitteeman is disregerded by many Repub-
llcans, +. r. Porter says he has as much
right to form a club as has Mitchell.