The San Francisco call., 1896-02-25
Election Officers From Headquar.
terS Thrown Out in the
Forty.Fourth.
THEY SAT ON THE BALLOT.BOx
The Anti-Boss Faction of the Anti.Boss
Organization Wonder Where
They Are At.

The Junta held its primary for the cleo
ton OF new general committee last even.
ing. and Sam Rainey seems to have cap
tured the anti-Buckley organization.
If this is not the truth it is so close q
shave from the truth that it amounts to
the same thing. If the apparent truth is
the fact the local Democracy sits in dual
role on the neck of Democratic antl-b boss
ism. Buckley absolutely controls one
regular" local Democratic organization
and Sam Rainey smiIingly controls the
other regular" local Democratic organi-
cation.
OF course it is not all Sam Rainev. 1t is
an anti-Buckley trinity that is credited
with having secured control of the Demo-
cratic revolutionary organization which
Gavin McNab started TO get the party
away from Buckley and ostensibly to the
side OF purity. Daggett and Ed Lanigan
are with Rainey in opposition TO the re-
formers, that took them in on the start
''for a purpose and then proposed TO
dump them and take charge of the
party themselves.
At the primary last night and during all
the long preparations for that primary
there has been a constant conflict between
the Rainey-Daggett-L faction of the
Junta and the anti-hoSs element repre-
sented most vigorously by Max Pepper
and Samuel Braunhart and their friends
and by Chairman Sullivan, who is d close
friend OF Gavin McNab's, and by Gavin
McNab, who Is close friend of John Dag
gett, Ed Lanigan and the Fire Depart
ment, and yet in the interest of good gov
eminent their deadly political enemies.
a somewhat vague, mysterious and al
ways suppressed fight between the powers
in active control of the Junta organization
and the three elements which have given
the Junta organization its chief political
strength. represented by Rainey, Daggett
and Lanigan, has been going on for some
time. The fight reached the stage of open
conflict last night, and bids fair to become
pitched and general battle before the
week is over.
The Rainey element has so controlled
district politics that it has been able TO
dictate nominations in various districts,
which would give it a greatly increased
strength in the general committee. Recog-
u1Zlng the danger OF Rainey's control
in conjunction with Daggett and Lanigan
arbitrary measures were taken at head
quarters to repress Rainev by refusing to
allow TO him or to the Daggett and LAM
gan people any greater proportionate rep
resentatlon than they possessed in the ex-
lsting committee of 450. This measure
was successfully forced in a number of dis
tricts in pursuit OF the policy that the rep
reSentatives of interests all around should
remain as it was, regardless OF the primary
voting OF any faction in any district
Max Pepper and others demanded that
the process go further and effectually cut
down, If not eliminate altogether the
Rainey element in the organization. But
the prevailing powers at Headquarters con-
ceded equal strength, while refusing
10 recognize any new strength that such
Rainey and Lanigan and their experienced
heutenants might have gained bv their
clever political work meantime. IN this
meantime" all these three local powers
ana Rainey especially, have been quietly
reaching out for power.
That was the situation in the midst of
which the Junta primary was held be-
tween the hours OF 7:30 and 8 80 o'clock
last evening in the various districts, there
being one polling-place in each of the
eighteen Assembly districts.
No wonder there was some trouble The
chief battle was in the Forty-fourth Dis
trict, where George H. Maxwell, secretary
of The Fire Commission and Rainev's lieu
tenant, controlled the situation absolutely.
His followers constituted the roll and had
the district, the Opposition-led by Otto
Keeper, Senator Fay and others-being
in a small minority. Maxwell took a
bold stand on the Democratic principle
that the majority should rule, and
ignoring the ticket made up at head
quarters giving him twelve out Of the
TIVE nty-hve delegates, ran the ticket OF
twenty-five nominated by the club.
Chairman Sullivan, who had taken
things into his own hands, sent
five men to take charge of the election
and a bundle OF "official' tickets. There
were ten police officers there, but Chairman
Sullivan's election officers were thrown
out and the Maxwell people took charge
of the election. There were 100 ballots
cast and not single one of them were the
pink official tickets prepared at head
quarters.
This Forty-fourth row is the sum and
measure OF the whole situation Max
wells twenty-five will demand seats
in the general committee when it meets
for organization on Thursday evening
Not vote was cast for any body else. The
y-Daggett-Lanigan strength viii
vote for seating the twenty-five. That
vote will measure the Rainey power in the
Junta's new general committee at the
outset.
Out in the Thirty-fourth there were
more interesting doIngs. The district
club sent in twenty-five nominees and
S25 and supposed that everything was all
right. Rainey had d majority of the dis
trict They left off George Gallagher of
the Deuprey committee. AT headquarters
Gallagher was allowed 10 name ei gnu men
to be substituted in the ticket for Rainey
men. The ticket as amended by Gallagher
at headquarters was printed and sprung at
the polls when they opened. OF course,
there was row.
In two or three other districts nominees
who were strongly opposed TO Rainey were
scratched and Rainey men elected in their
stead.
The proceedings in the Forty-fourth
district were enIivened by the ousting OF
the committee appointed by Chairman
Sullivan to conduct the election. The
Assembly District club, rep
resenting that there were some dissentlons
in their midst, bad petitioned the general
committee for the appointment OF COM
Inittee of five from outside the district to
conduct the election. Chairman Sullivan
accordingly appointed as such committee
Frank Hughes, George Love, William
Harrison, George Gallagher and Frank
Conkin.
The first four named OF this committee
repaired to the polling-piaee at G04 Lom-
bard street and there set up the polls. They
took with them ticket already printed
a large red ticket-bearing the following
President. Otto Keeper; lice 1president,