The San Francisco call., 1896-10-31
COLONEL TAYLOR'S
ELECTION SURE
Betting Men Disposed to
Give Odds Against
the Field.
Said to Be Impossible to Cut
Enough Out of His Follow.
ing to Defeat Him.
HE is MAKING A HOT FIGHT.
Something About the Next Mayors
Active Lie in Business and
Politics in This City.

Betting men are giving odds on the elee-
tion of c. L. Taylor for Mayor. They
have it all figured out. 1t is estimated
that the man that gets $4,000 votes in the
Mayoralty race is winner. In the race
for the Supervisorship last year. with just
as many opponents in the field as he has
now, Colonel Taylor piled up 2S, 600 votes
and lead the procession. People who
claim to know things about politics say
that there is no influence, combination or
man with pull in the present fight, hot
as tits, that can filch from him so many
as 10000 of those votes. The9most con-
seryatlve among the expert political statis
ticians and prophets place the number OF
his votes at not less than 10000. They
back their estimates on knowledge of the
influences at work in the campaign and
the strength and following of all the can
didates.
Colonel Taylor is putting up hot fight.
His younger competitors have some diff
Guilty in keeping to his pace. He has,
however, one big advantage. or. rather.
several big advantages. He knows poll
tics-s on a familiar footing with the art
of conducting campaign. He knows
and is known by the people. He has no
explanations to make. His long record in
the public service, beginning away back
in the fifties and almost uninterrupted
down to the present time, is perfectly
clean. Almost the only work laid out for
him is to become acquainted with the new
crop of voters. Colonel Taylor visits
number of gatherings of voters every day
and night. His presence never fails to
impress those present as that of man of
a n of
pose, coupled with that .of strong COM
mon sense, force of character and business
ability.
Colonel Taylor's public career owas be-
gun as School Director in 1858, and inothat
position he distinguished himself by TAX
ing possession OF school lots which were
held by'squatters. That feat was bit OF
history making at that time. The prob
lem OF securing the lots vexed the School
Board for some time. Colonel Tavlor
with his. usual force and determination
offered to solve the problem if the board
empowered him to do 90. The word was
given, and with force of men he exc
cuted coup in the early hours of the
morning. Tho squatters, hearing of the
move, armed themselves and, Ied by
Colonel Stevenson, made sally to recover
possession of the property. They found
Colonel Taylor with his force entrenched
behind board fences and, considering dis
cretion the better part OF valor, they re-
tired.
In 1868 Colonel Taylor was elected a
member of the Harbor Commission on the
State ticket at the head of which was Gov
ernor Lowe.
In 1874, without seeking or desiring the
office, Colonel Taylor was reelected a
member of the Harbor Commission. He
filed his certificate and bond and then
sent to the Governor his resignation, as
his business interests prevented him from
giving the necessary time to the duties OF
the office.
He is now serving his third term as a
memhe of the Board of Supervisors.
Colonel Taylor has been prominent for
many years in business circles and his
record there, as in his public service is of
the very best. He was one of the organ
izers of the Mechanics Institute in 1853,
and for many years exerted his best Ell
forts toward placing that splendid insti-
tuition on a sound footing. He is now one
of its honorary members. He wase also
active in the organization of the Cham Der
of Commerce and is one of its ex-presi-
dents.
He was large shipowner for many
years, his vessels being engaged in the
coasting trade. He afterward put on a
line of sailing vessels between Australia
and this port and also a packet line be-
tween here and Boston. He was one of
the pioneers in the development of the
salmon industry in Alaska.
He organized the first military company
of San Francisco and was colonel of the
first regiment OF cavalry, most of the
companies of which were mustered into
the service Of the Union after the breaking
out of the war. He organized the first
company-known as the California 100
which went from this State to serve the
Nation in its time of distress.
He is prominent member in number
of fraternal societies, among them, for
forty years past, the Masons and Odd
Fellows.