The San Francisco call., 1896-03-01
Congressional Committees Will
This Year Have the Control
of Primaries.
CONVENTION AT SACRAMENTO,
An Unexpectedly Large Number of
Members Were On Hand From
All Over the State.

The Republican State Central Committee
met at 2 P. NJ. yesterday in Pioneer Hall, and
in the course of a session lasting little more
than an hour disposed of it's business by
adopting a call for a State convention
which embodies a new plan for primary
elections.
The utmost harmony was exhibited in
the proceedings OF the hour. No business
not relating to the organization of the
meeting and the call for the convention
was brought up. But one resolution was
offered and the discussion was brief.
The convention adopted a call for
State convention and for preceding
primaries as reported by the executive
committee, and in accordance with that
call the primary elections throughout the
State for delegates to the State Convention
TO meet in Sacramento on May will this
year be under the control and manage
ment of the respective Congressional COM
mittees.
The call will be this year issued to the
congressional committees instead of to
county committees, as has always been
the case heretofore. and it will rest with
the Congressional committees to directly
supervise elections themselves or to issue
calls to county committees, which may
then in turn proceed as usual.
This innovation is the result of the word
ing of the call issued by the National Re-.
publican Central Committee this year.
This call apportions delegates by districts
and provides for district nominating con-
ventions. AS the State Convention this
year will have only Presidential Electors
~,
is more easily carried out than it would be
in year when State officers are to be
chosen.
The unexpected bringing forward of
Congressional district committees in this
manner was followed by some uncer-
tainty as to the status of existing COM
mittees, the creation of new ones where
necessary and the ways in which the plan
will be put into practical operation.
The work of reviving or creating Con-
gressioEal district committees was begun
st once on adjournment by the State COM
mitteemen representing the respective dis
tricts according TO the plan adopted.
Besides this feature of the proceedings
the only other important ones were the
adoption OF the Estee vote as a basis of
representation and the selection of Sacra-
mento as the place for holding the conven-
ton. There had been considerable discus
sion throughout the State as to whether
the Harrison or Estee vote should be used
as the basis for the apportionment of dele
gates, but the adoption of the Estee vote
seemed to satisfy every body.
Sacramento had a walkover in getting
the convention. The boomers for the
capital city anticipated active rivalry
from San Jose and Santa Cruz and pos
sibly Stockton, and a large delegation of
workers were on hand early, most of them
appearing Friday evening.
Among them were: II. A. McCraney,
Frank Rhodes, David Lubin, Senator Z.
c. Hart. Frank D. Ryan, Charles Curry,
W. II. Govan, l.. II. Brown and Walter
Thorpe. They soon found that San Jose
had rose carnival, railroad and some
other enterprises on its hands, and was not
very ambitious to add State convention.
They heard early that Santa Cruz would
be in the field, but Santa Cruz failed to
appear with bid, as did Stockton, so the
boomers easily got early promises of sup
port from majority of the delegates, and
thus when the question came up in the
meeting Sacramento got it gracefully and
quickly.
The attendance was unexpectedly large
for year which brought no hustling in
the line of State politics. The members
came from all parts of the State in the
interest of National Republican politics,
and in both the attendance and in the
spirit of the members present there was an
exhibition of supreme confidence in the
success of the party this year. The dele
gates present included large number of
the oldest and best known figures in Re-
publican politics in California
P. b. Cornwall, chairman, presided and
Assistant Secretary Jacob Steppacher was
on hand, with Frank McQuade as an as
sistant
When Chairman Cornwall called the
meeting to order with few words stating
the object OF the meeting the rollcall fol-
lowed, showing the presence of 70 of the
122 members.
On motion OF HI. P. Sonntag committee
of five on proxies was appointed by the
chair as follows: II. P. Sonntag, A. W.
Kinney, Dan 2. Cole, ]. c. DAILY and A. B.
Lennon.
After a Erief recess, during which all
proxies were received and passed ON by
the committee. the committee reported
that all proxies submitted were approved
Thirty-three proxies were rendered and
then tue roll was called again, showing
the presence OF 108 votes. The following
were those present, in person or by proxy :
Executive committee-P. b. Cornwall, chair
man; j. ID. Spreckels, vice-chairman; Wendell
Easton, treasurer; J. Steppacher, assistant sec
fetary; Isaac Upham, J. III. Mahoney, W. w.
Montague, j. j. Jacob, IL. L. Dodge, Leon Dem
hery, j. j. Evans, W. &. Johnson David Kerr
Asa Z. Wells, w. C. Palmieri, O. A. Hale. NJ
Cooney, A. Ruef, Frank McQuaid james Nc
Nab, H. P. Sonntag, Charles Bundschu all of
Tan Francisco; A. Hayward of San Mateo,
proxy TO Z. b. Cornwall; j. X. Doak OF Stock
ton; Edward Sweeney of Redding proxy to F.
NJ Stone; A. B. Lennon of Santa Rosa ]. C.
Daily of Ventura, w. H. Chickering of Oak
land, Z. C. Hart of Sacramento, Z. ]. Northam
of Los Angeles.
Alameda-C. S. Long, E. X. Taylor, C. L. In
sler, w. w. Morrison, George Morrow, Guy C.
Earl.
Alpine-W P. Merrill,.proxy to s. Coleman.
Amador-J. p. Muir, proxy TO f. c. VOORHEES,
Butte-F Mclaughlin, proxy to G. A. knight.
Colusa--E. w. Jones.
Contra Costa-W. s. Wells.
Del Norte-John L. Childs, proxy to Fl. A.
&acKinder.
FL Dorado-R. S. Raw, proxy to w. H. Brown.
Fresno-R. w. Barstow.
Glenn-A. Hocheimer.