The herald., 1896-06-12
And an Examiner Man Tells
About 1t
TWAS OVER AN INTERVIEW
With "Poor MITCHELL" Who Talked On
Los Angeles Primaries
cahuenga nan Should Not Take
Himself Seriously

Poor Mitchell!" laughed John T.
Gaffey collector of the port of Los. An
geles, after he had been shown an inter-
view with John w. Mitchell, attorney
for the Southern California whisky men.
Mitchell, In this interview, asserted
that the recent primaries in Los Angeles
had resulted in favor of the railroad and
Santa Monica, instead Of the people and
San Pedro; had accused Gaffey of taxi
ing Chris Buckley to his bosom and to
his home when that great American es-
caper of grand juries toured the south
land; and in fact had attributed most
of the virtues to himself and his whisky
selling, railroad friends and most of the
vices to George S. Patton, Telfair
Creighton, Albert NJ. Stevens, William
H. Workman, John F. Humphreys. Gaf
fey and the other anti-monopolists
whom he dignified with the title Of "the
purity push"
Gaffey laughed louder and louder as
he read down the long interview. The
whole thing struck him mora and more
as joke. say the San Francisco EX-
aminer in its issue of Monday last.
Have you ever seen man bustling
about political convention, loudly de-
claring his position on different topics
and fancying himself controlling in
fiuence, until he had gone too far by say
ing this thing doesn't suit me!
don't like it!' Then have you seen that
chap completely bowled out by having
some real leader look up quietly and ask
Well what of it?'
That's about the way with Mitchell
he doesn't cut any particular figure one
way or the other. l suppose he has bus
tied about and talked loud until some
reporter has obtained the idea that he
really represented something in Los An
geles. AS burlesque he is not at all
bad, but beyond that 1 don't know why
should reply to him any more than I
should to the local catches of a sing
ing comedian.
Poor Mitchell! I'm afraid he is lit
tie soured over his defeat as delegate
from the Cahuenga precinct. If any Job
was put up there to beat him had moth
ing to do with it. In fact, 1 took very
little interest in the fight in Los Angeles
and have not the remotest idea of what
the county convention will do when it
meets, although feel very certain that
1t will not be dominated by the tools of
the Southern Pacific Railway company
The Southern Pacific people are very
anxious to get some dummy on tho
Democratic ticket against McLachlan
for congress, and the man they are par
ticularly opposed to Is George S. Patton.
Patton ran for congress two years ago
and was openly opposed and knitted by
some of the men who were in the con-
vention that nominated him. and the
same crowd is now opposing his renomi-
nation.
"Mr. Fatton's name has also been mem
toned for chairman of the Los Angeles
county convention, and I think he will
be elected IL he stands for it, as he en-
joys the respect and confidence Of the
people OF Los Angeles in as great a
measure as he has incurred the hatred
OF the Southern Pacific Railroad COM
pany and its ally, the Liquor Dealers
association, of which Mr.. Mitchell is the
attorney.
Mr.. Mitchell tells one falsehood how
ever, which even court Jester should
not be permitted to gibber through the
public prints. He says I dined Chris
topher A. Buckley in my home. This
statement is absolutely untrue.
LAS for myself, Mr.. Mitchell gives me
a prominence as undeserved as his own
assumption of importance is amusing.
had little to do with the recent primar-
les, and when they were over came to
San Francisco to visit friends and tran
sact business for the federal govern
ment. 1 know enough of the situation,
however, to say that Mr.. Mitchells
statement that twenty-nine to thirty of
the delegates from Los Angeles will be
his friends is ridicuously absurd, if he
means by his friends men who favor
the railroads underhanded methods. A
little railroad clique, with Mr.. Mitchell
as noisy inconsiderable part, attempt
ed to capture the Los Angeles Demo-
cratic convention. They were routed
Mr.. Mitchell was repudiated by the
property-owners of Cahuenga-his own
precinct. General Venezuela Last,
president of the Liquor Dealers asso-
citation, was also beaten in his own pre-
cinct. From this judge that the South
ern Pacific company and the whisky
men will not control the county conven-
ton.
without asserting complete knowl-
edge of prevailing conditions, feel per-
fectly safe in saying that the Demo-
cratic county convention will indorse
Senator Whites position in the harbor
fight and back him for any honors he
may desire. feel entirely certain, too,
that George S. Patton will be honored
in almost any way he may elect.a that
the convention will indorse San Pedro
harbor and send delegation to the
state convention with large majority
opposed to Southern Pacific political
methods.
Mr.. Mitchell says the men whom he
terms the federal brigade worked un-
der orders from Washington on behalf
of single-standard plank in the plat
form. If any orders were received by
any federal fice-holder 1 never heard
of them. and T failed to find any of the
office holders taking more than pass
ing interest in the contest.
"If I wanted to pose as a prophet, I
should predict that the convention
would repudiate the railroad clique,
would elect Patton chairman. would in
dorse Senator White for delegate at
large to Chicago and send a delegation
to Sacramento in which majority will
be in favor of free silver. But I'm
really too inconsequential in the matter
to make my prophesies worth consider
ing. In fact. I'm almost as unconse-
quential as Mitchell"