The San Francisco call., 1896-05-09
WHY so EXTRAORDINARY 2

The delighted surprise exhibited by all
supporters of equal suffrage that THE CALL
should have come to the support of the
cause Is an eloquent disclosure of a condi-
tion of affairs which should never have
been permitted to exist. THE CALL has
been under its present management only
a year and a half. During that time, as
occasion arose, it has made several radical
departures from the standard of journal
ism TO which the people of California had
been accustomed. One of its first radical
innovations was to publish the railroad
timetables without charge after their pub
lication had ceased by reason of the fact
that the Southern Pacific refused to pay
for the service. THE CALL restored them
to its columns in order to serve public
| convenience. 1t was essential that the
people should know when the trains ar
rived and departed, and when the South
ern Pacific refused to perform that service
The CALL came to the rescue.
Another unheard-of thing was THE
CALLS refusal to be bribed by the lottery
companies. The advertisements of these
Swindling concerns are paid for at a very
handsome rate and the bait is a sore
temptation to newspapers which do not
scruple to assist rascally enterprises in
ronbing the public. Not content with re-
fusing thus to be bribed, THE CALL has
vigorously attacked these swindlers and
has lent its whole force to the overthrow
Of the disreputable downtown poolrooms
and ali other pernicious forms Of gam
bling.
Its more recent efforts to overthrow cor
rupt boss politics in the local Republican
| party are fresh in the minds of the people.
and its success in the State Convention
has been as crafty ing as it was com plete.
While these and other departures which
1t made were aimed at evils that were
sapping the purses and self-respect oil
the community, it has done many
things of building-up kind. In place
of corrupt political management it has
supported the leadership of clean and
vigorous man, a member of family
that has done and is doing more for Cali
fornia than any other in the history OF the
State. 1t has fought the infamous fund.
ing bill because that measure would con-
done the rascality of the aided roads and
| perpetuate the transportation monopoly
which has so grieyously hampered the
| progress OF California. 1t has vigorously
| supported the Nicaragua canal as meas
ure which manifestly would tighten the
! burdens which our people have to bear, Il
has supported the free coinage of silver 1T
the conviction that the interests of the
West in particular and of the Nation in
general would be greatly advanced by the
rehabilitation of the white metal. Last
and most advanced of all it has come
forth in the advocacy of woman suffrage
as measure both of justice and wisdom
| These items make a showing of ad
vanced, aggressive and independent jour.
nalism entirely new in this part of the
world. In view of the many things which
| The CALL has attempted and achieved
| there should have been no great surprise
al its advocacy of woman suffrage when
the occasion arose for taking ground on
| the subject. That occasion was the eve ot
a Republican State Convention whose in
1uence could be exercised in National
affairs. That the convention accepted the
| policy suggested by this paper was a suffi-
| clent vindication of THE CALLS advocacy
and Of the right of the cause which it sup
| ports. In the future there need be no
great surprise at any course which THE
GAIL may pursue in its determination to
reflect and advocate all that is best in the
| advancement of human progress.