The San Francisco call., 1896-04-28
California Should Be Placed in
Line With the Next
Administration.
CHANCE TO SURVEY THE FIELD
Many Out.and-Out Supporters of Nc.
Kinley Favor an Unpledged
Delegation.

0OlSSdtCo w tAS Pls AOulo SOnYcnLlOu
should not be sent there bound with iron
clad instructions to support the cause of
any particular candidate.
Colonel George Stone, president of the
Union League Club, is strong Mckinley
man and a candidate for delegate to the
National Convention. He Is opposed to
giving the delegation any hard and fast
instructions, though believing that the
convention may well express preference
which the delegation would feel bound to
support as long as good Judgment made it
proper to do So.
''In my judgment as far as the State
Convention should go is to express its first
choice and send a delegation morally
bound to support that choice. am not in
favor of ironclad instructions to the dele
CATION.
But ] believe that the delegation
should be instructed to vote as unit. 1t
should decide its vote in caucus and let
the majority rule. California has no favor
ite son, but it las choice, and the delega-
ton should support that choice from the
first ballot until the chances of success
may appear gone. The State should have
a chance TO vote for the winner When
the time comes it may plump its votes as
circums stances dictate. California is the
first Western State on the roll and its
course might become a decisive one. I
notice that most of the Eastern State con-
ventions have not given instructions
though many district conventions have.
If | were delegate I would much dislike
to be bound by ironclad instructions. The
National Convent ton will not convene
until six weeks after the State Convention,
and it should be remembered that the sit
uation may change much in that time"
DR.. George A. Moore. president of the
Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Com pany,
entertains the highest admiration for Mr..
Mckinley. but he is not in sympathy with
the custom OF instructing a delegation to
a National Convention. "He said: sI
should say that the State Convention at
Sacramento should instruct our delegates
to vote for Mckinley on the first and per-
haps the second ballot. but the pledge
should not be so binding as to compel the
delegates to vote for him after it became
reasonably certain that he could not be
nominated. If Mckinley is not nomi-
mated on the first or the second ballot, the
prize will ultimately go to some other can
didate.'
Colonel George w. Granniss said: 'tThe
delegation from this State should not be
pledged to fixed line of action. Some
margin should be left for the delegates to
exercise an intelligent judgment formed
by the surroundings. The preference of
Republicans here seems to be in favor of
Mckinley as their first choice, and should
say that the convention at Sacramento
nnnht m hot nd "a
wise the delegates to the National Conven-
tion to secure his nomination if possible.
Beyond that the delegation should not be
hampered with Instructions"
Major w. o. Gould, past commander of
the Loyal Legion of California and Re-
publican from the days of Fremont and
Lincoln, expressed high regard for Nc
Kinley. and said that in his Judgment the
State Convention at Sacramento ought to
give expression to the Mckinley senti-
ment and advise the delegation to support
the Ohio candidate. yet" said Major
Gould, "the delegates should not be bound
by positive pledges to support any candi-
date. They should be left free to change
if circumstances demanded change"
Judge F. w. Van Reneygom said: t'The
delegates to the Republican National Con-
vention should not be pledged. The expe-
rience of the past in pledging our repre-
sentatiyes to support the wrong candidate
should not be lost sight of. The delegates
which we send to ST. Louis should be per-
mitted to form their own judgment after a
careful and intelligent study of the situa-
ton. In that way the State may be placed
in line with the nominee of the convention,
4 ia, 1.
admin istration of National affairs"
Colonel G. Mason Kinne did not believe
in castiron instructions to do one thing
and nothing else. "Let US use military
example. Say that a colonel of regiment
was ordered to move in certain direction
and occupy designated advantageous po-
sition. Should he find the direct road OBJ
structed he certainly would be expected to
exercise his judgment and vary from in
structions in order to gain the advantage
desired. The delegates at st. Louis should
be left free to grasp any fair advantage pre-
sented. They should not be tied up to the
support of any particular candidate. l see
no objection to the principle of advising
our delegates by resolution to favor par
ticular candidate, but the resolution should
not be in the form of Instruction.
General S. w. Backus was not in SYM
pathy with the idea of sending delega-
ton to st. Louis with a view of trimming
and trading to get on the winning side
for the purpose of obtaining State favors
from the incoming administration. He
said: eff several able leaders get on the
floor at the Sacramento convention and
pres ent IN true light the attitude of
California delegation going to ST. Louis to
trade and caucus for advantage with the
administration at the time when the coun-
try and party demand the highest intel
ligence and devotion in behalf of good
government, there will be less talk of
schemes to get on the winning side.
Now, recognize, said General Backus,
''the strength and popularity of McKin-
ley, and feel that resolution favorlng his
nomination should be adopted, yet, if /
we're elected delegate to the National
Convention and bound with pledge to