The San Francisco call., 1896-06-15
A Bigger One, More AdroitIy
Planned and Concealed,
Was a Success.
FORMERLY JACK" AND "wILL'
Now 1t Is "Mr. Mcdonald" and "Mr.
White" and the Atmosphere
Is Frigid.
OAKLAND OFFICE, SAN Francisco CALL,
908 Broadway. June "A.

NA00lG ~ luduAOOu was AOpS4eSS4J S6NCIC0
at the recent Democratic primary in the
Third Ward.
Some what over a score of years ago
Willie White and Jack Mcdonald became
acquainted as boys-ittle childish play
mates. They studied their school-lessons
together, played marbles together, fought
each other as lads who are not friends
and towards do, and when one was award
ed a certificate more than the other each
felt equally sorry.
Time passed on, and William and John
Bill and Jack no longer-went to st. Mary's
College together. They were like two
brothers in everything but build, William
being rather spare and John being inclined
to heaviness.
In course Of time they graduated to-
gether, and together they laid their plans
10 meet the battle Of life. Their tastes ran
in the same direction, and each wanted to
be lawyer. They united in the desire
TO see at no distant date the law firm of
White & Mcdonald. Both minds were
made up simultaneously to enter the
Hastings Law College. Together they
crossed the bay in the morning, and when
studies were done together they came
home in the evening. During this period
many Of the evenings were spent at the
White home. They were very pleasant
gatherings to the two boys, and the
brotherly and, be it also whispered,
sisterly feeling were both fostered and in
creased. John and William again became
Jack and Will.
Things progressed so smoothly that the
announcement of an engagement was ex-
Oectad hUt ir bas NOT vaf
When everything was wearing its most
roseate hue and when the dual horizon
was clear as tropical moonrise a Demo
cratic primary was ordered in the Third
Ward, the home of both of these budding
men. OF all incongruous mixtures surely
nothing could beat that of Democratic
primary with the idyllic life of Jack and
Bill for incongruity and unnaturalness.
But the collision between the two oc-
CURED and altered the future of two
probably three-lives.
The Third Ward is entitled 20 two dele
gates and the two lads found themselves
in some unaccountabIe manner enlisted
under the banners of warning leaders. Nc
Donald was studying law with r. NJ. FItz-
gerald and naturally leaned toward his
chief
White could not desert the standard
raised by his father, W. w. Foote and
Frank Moffitt. There was a pause in the
friendship, but it soon ended. Mcdonald
would run with Fletcher on the Fitzgerald
ticket and White would run with Foote on
the Laymance ticket. The two friends
would then concentrate their forces and
elect each other, leaving the two partners
in the lurch. This plan was discovered by
some one who might be said to pose as
the villain in the play. He organized the
scheme to beat the combination by having
Foote elected to the county committee as
delegate at-large. This left only one dele
gate to come from the Third Ward, and
both the boys could not have it. They de-
clared war and fought. Mcdonald was
elected by the returns, but fraud was al
legged, and the credential was given to
White. This widened the breach, and
JACK and Willie became for the first time
Mr.. Mcdonald and Mr.. White to each
other.
Tomorrow Mr.. Mcdonald and Mr..
White go to Sacramento to fight the last
round. They do not visit each other now
and win not sit side by side as they go TO
the capital. Political aspiration has un-
uermined a beautiful friendship, and no
one is now looking for the announcement
of an engagement.
Nothing that has occurred at the City
Hall for some time has caused so much
unfavorable comment as the secret session
held last Friday night and part of Satur-
day morning to elect school trustees for
the coming year. No municipal board in
Oakland has dared TO hold a secret session
for the transaction Of public business since
the reform movement began three years
ago.
The reason given by the members who
held the secret session was that to dis
cuss the characters of teachers in public
might seiously iniure them. Consequently.
the teachers that were dropped from the de-
partment are now under cloud that they
cannot penetrate or else the reason for
the secret session is not the genuine one.
During the past few weeks a great deal
has been said and published about the i'm
palrment of the school system that would
follow If Oakland were to pay no more 10
its teachers than other cities pay. Part of
what has been said may be true, for this
city is supposed to lead the coast in the
quality of its educational facilities. 1t is
equally true that if the teachers knew that
their positions were permanent and not
dependent annually upon the political
whims OF q majority of the Board OF Edu-
cation, they would be far better able to do
justice to their pupils.
a system that will permit of total
change in every school every twelve
months from principal 10 janitor is radi-
cally wrong. OF course, this is the ex-
treme view to take, but if school board
should be elected next March whose COM
plexion and affiliations are different from
that now in Office, it is reasonably certain
that not an old teacher would be left after
the annual election next June. The splen-
did school system of Oakland is of too
much importance TO be at the mercy of
political freaks and a reconstruction of the
section of the charter governing it is as
necessary as was the amending of the sec