The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-26
Gould'S Partnership With Nc
Nab, Daggett and Sam
RaiDey.
JAMES H. OBRIEN's REMARKS.
The Busy Federal Brigade, Anxious
Jim Budd and Braunhart'S
New Warpath.

Talk about the craftsmanship of the
Democratic State Convention increases as
June Is nears, and with it develops
steadily the strong probability that the
chairman will be some Democrat other
than Frank Gould of Stockton. the present
chairman OF the State Central Committee
Gould's strength, his Craftsmanship
boom and his political prospects generally
depend mainly on John Daggett and Gavin
McNab, his political partners. This in
teresting firm figures on controlling the
convention and the new State Central
Committee as far as possible. Daggett
mainly through his patronage power, Will
control many delegates to the convention
and a number OF party workers. He will
have q considerable scattering strength
over the State, and, with McNab, will
absolutely control the Junta delegation
from this City for gold, for the administra-
ton and for the local machine. That is
what he puts in.
McNab has an extremely small personal
following but he controls the Junta ma
chine, which is composed of a few small
politicians.
Gould, likewise. has no considerable
measure of influence or popularity in the
party, but he is chairman of the State
Central Committee. As such he cracked
through the McNab programme at the
tee, and as such he is counted on to place
the Junta delegation on the temporary
roll and otherwise assist the McNab-Dag-
gett programme in the convention.
GouId's candidacy for the convention
chairmanship has thus sprung from his
partnership with Daggett and McNab, and
these partners have furnished whatever
momentum II has acquired.
But Democrats generally do not serious
ly think that Gould will get the chairman
ship, and they think that when the time
comes some weightler Dem ocrat will be
asked to preside over the important party
gathering.
Lieutenant-G overnor W. T. Jeter is the
only man now prominently mentioned
since w. W. Foote refused to be a candi-
date, because he wanted to be a delegate
at-lerge TO Chicago. Quite boom for
Jeter has begun TO develop throughout
State, and his friends are pointing at his
long and clean record In State politics. his
popularity and his fitness for the place at
time when an able and broad and fair
minded man Is needed.
Gould is the candidate of the Junta but
he is being bitterly opposed by the Buck
leyites IL the City and shifted at by the
Democratic politicians of the interior.
Remarks by James II. O'Brien yesterday
were typical of the anti-GouId estimate of
Gould.
What earthly reason can be given
why Gould should be honored with the
Craftsmanship of the State Convention?"
said Mr.. O'Brien. "What claim has be on
the party? And who is Gould anyway
He is a little Stockton lawyer who was
made Speaker of the Assembly once. and
then he was made chairman of the State
Central Committee by Budd because he was
Stockton man and Budd's friend. The
party didn't make him leader. Then
what has Gould done for the partv2 He
was failure as director of the campaign.
10 Lot nd p,,ll 1.
all through the campaign, and took hold
OF his campaign himself with the assist
ance OF some experienced men who were
appointed on that advisory committee
He and Budd quarreled over the A. 2. A.
and half the party believes that he and Nc
Nab are half a. P. AS.
Gould is a little, narroW-minded up
start who IS standing in to run things with
Daggett and McNab. The Federal brigade
needs him to force through if possible the
administration and gold programme to
which the mass of the party is opposed
Does it appear likely that the party will
make such man chairman of the State
convention and let him appoint the execu-
tive com mlttee to run the campaign in the
interests of two or three wouid-be bosses
like McNab and Daggett and in the inter-
est of minority faction2 He is especially
offensive of course to the Democrats of
San Francisco, who are not in favor of the
local party being given into the control of
Gavin McNab, the Federal brigade and
Sam Rainey. He has already committed
himself in the local contest and is the hot
partisan of one faction with which he is in
partnership. We want 10 see fair-minded
man worthy of the place made the chair
man and any man of that sort will salts
fly u.s."
The extent to which Daggett, Rainey
and McNab have gained control of the
Junta delegation to the State Convention
has surprised and disguised Il majority OF
the members and active workers in that
general committee. The primary will be
held next Saturday night, but as in fifteen
of the districts the nominees will surely
be the delegates the complexion of the
delegation is now known.
There will be 108 district delegates
elected, and of these the Daggett- Men alb
Rainey combination have at least 80. The
contests in three districts will give them
more On Monday the campaign com.
mittee will nominate SO at large, and the
com bination will have at least 40 of these.
giving it more than 100 of the 161 dele
gates, through McNab's clever manipula-
tons.
Besides these delegates directly con-
trolled by Daggett, Rainey and McNab,
others through influences emanating from
Welburn, Wise and others of the Federal
brigade, will support the gold progr anime.
The Federal officials throughout the State
are using the force of their positions and
patronage powers TO elect delegates and
secure proxies that the Cleveland admins
tration may be served. Ii the gold men
are unable to control the convention,
declare for 'sound money" and elect a
Chicago delegation that will stand up for
the administration they hope at least to
temper the results in those directions.
The strength of the gold element in the
convention will be greater than it is in the
party through the operations of the
Federal machine. but it does not appear at
ali likely that it will approach a majority.
In this situation the local contest becomes
of State Importance, as it means 161 votes
for either gold or silver according 20 the
disposition of the contest and the gold
men have the machinery which will place
the gold delegation on the temporary roll.
Governor Budd is getting greatly inter
ested in the schemes and programmes that
are being patched for the State Conven-
ton. He has an eye on another term.
He is hob-nobbing and exchanging shoul-
der-slaps with Buckleyites, McNabers and
the boys generally. He is 'leeryo of thai
scheme Of McNab. Daggett and Gould to