The San Francisco call., 1896-10-03
Thomas Has Buried All Demo.
cratic Possibilities in the
Election of a Senator.
WILL GR1MLY WIN OR RUIN.
The Democratic Party Will Cut an
Insignificant Figure in the
Assembly in Any Event.

Leading Democrats are looking with
something like stupid amazement at the
political operations of Thomas V. Gator.
For that matter large portion of the Pop
ulist party are doing the same thing.
Democrats see that in the remote event
that the extensive fusion on legislative
candidates throughout the State returns
combined Populist and Democratic ma
jority on joint ballot in the next Legis-
lature the election of a Democrat will be
an impossibility.
If the next Legislature Is not Re
publican, Gator will own the majority
and as many Democratic members
backed by many strong Democratic
influences. would never cast a ballot for
Thomas V. Gator, the situation. it is gen.
orally seen by politicians, would create
deadlock and bitter row. Gator would
hold the Populist balance of power to an
ad adiournment without the ele ction of
Senator.
Gator has acquired remarkable boss
power in his party, and throughout the
State has traded any and everything
belonging to his party for Assem- blymen,
always giving the Democra is the Senator
for Whites benefit two years hence, and
throwing In judges and Supervisors
especially. Outside of San Francisco there
is hardly Democratic candidate for the
Assem- bly, in the field.
In the face of this state OF affairs all the
big Democrats who want to go to the Sem
ate are waking up in dismay. White has
been able to play trumps right along in
his game with Gator for partner, but no.
body can see where John Daggett. Con-
gressman Mcguire, Governor Budd, w. w.
Foote or Frank Gould, all avowed candi-
dates, have taken trick.
And nobody can see what chance man
of them would have between the Re-
publican and Populist millstones if the
large hold-over Republican majority were
overcome. The Democracy will be four
spot in the coming Assembly. The Popu-
lists will cut no figure in the smaller upper
house.
All the Democratic candidates men,
toned and Gavin McNab, who has been
mentioned himself. comprise the Con-
gressional ard legislative standing COM
mittee of the Democratic State Central
Com mittee but this committee has never
drawn breath of life. Each member has
simply either looked out for or dreamed
about himself, while Gator has been reach
ing persimmons.
Maguire's friends have wondered and
hoped and splashed around just little
bit. Daggett effected the nomination OF q
half-dozen friends on the Junta ticket.
The Democracy has thus been captured
by the shrewd Gator throughout the State
and the Democracy is sick with disgust
and despair.
But it is the coup which Gator has
quietly played in San Francisco within
three or four days which has most sick
eneo the Democracy. The ticket which
the Populist Legislative Convention in
dorsed last night was absolutely picked
out by Gator. whose word wss law.
1t turned out that Gators deal with
Buckley did not cover the entire Iegisla-
tive ticket. Some OF it was too rotten for
Gator to :rust. He found it well to make
some deals with Sam Rainey as well. He
Investigated quietly and picked his men
from both sides of the local Democracy.
Every man indorsed had to pledge him
self satisfactorily to Gator in private, and
the Populist ticket is supposed to be for
Gator and White.
Each candidate has had to pledge him.
self to vote half the legislative patronage
they may have finger in to the Populist
politicians for another thing. Gator
counts on bossing the jobs in the next
Legislature.
Every candidate is pledged, too, to not
vote for John Daggett for Senator in par
t1cular, or any gold man In general. Can
didates have all been before Gator and the
investigating com mittee within three days
and have had to pledge themselves in ad-
vance to these things to have their names
considered.
Gator, with his party influence to use as
absolutely as ever Chris Buckley used his
party's power, has thus done the best he
could with twenty-three candidates for
the Legislature from San Francisco all of
whom are pledged to divvy the legislative
patronage with the hungry Populists and
to vote for the evil one before John Dag.
gett. Gator is gambling on holding their
votes for himself.
Tne spectacle of the Democracy of the
State being sold out to q Gator in this
wholesale way gives the discouraged DEM
ocrats tired feeling, generally, and so
disgusts thousands that their knives will
be played into Gators ambition.
lis a delightful prospect for Mcguire,
Foote, Budd and those fellows. Wait
until the real fun of it all arrives.