The San Francisco call., 1896-05-30
]. P, IRISH, Too,
BLAZES AWAY.
Says the War Issue Is
Between Filth and
A.. Decency.
"PRETENSES" OF FOOTE.
Laymance Is Eloquently Roasted
as a Perpetrator of
Frauds.
NO FEDERAL BRIGADE IN IT.
"The Same Gang Has Bcbbed Up Every
Year With the Appetite of
a Cormorant."
NO FEDERAL BRIGADE IN IT.

The hercest of the many battles that are
keeping the Democratic party doubled up
with the collie is the one being waged in
Alameda County between the old factions
which divided at the Stockton convention
twelve years ago. The mbitions of
W. W. Foote, Nj. J. Laymance and
Prison Director Fitzgerald, the control of
the county machine, yearnings for revenge
and hatreds are leading causes of the
struggle. John p. Irish is one of the
strongest forces at play. This is his ex-
position of the situation as he gave it to
CALL reporter yesterday:
1.-The party issue in Alameda County is
not between Mr.. Daggett and Mr.. Foote.
Foote and the special-contract Examiner
sc pretend, but the pretense is false. The
same issue would be there if Foote and
Daggett were dead.
"Mr. Foote's friends are bugling the sill
yer men to their side on the pretense that
his defeat will be disaster to silver, and
I observe that Mr.. Foote himself an
nounces that he must go to the State Con-
vention in order to introduce anti-funding
and anita. P. A. resolutions, as if the
party were in imminent danger of indors-
ing the funding bill and the A. p. A. if
Mr.. Foote does not arrive IN time!
"All of these pretenses are made to
cover the real issue in that county, which
exists now and will next year and the
next, to infinity. 1t is an issue between
fraud and fairness, between trickery and
honesty, between filth and cleanness in
politics. Mr.. Fitzgerald represents fair
ness, honesty and cleannes, let who may
represent their opposites.
"Mr. Laymance's honors have been self
provocative. AS politician he is 5i-sexual,
and like the Egyptian beetle, creates him
self out of himself. He Is usually on the
City, County and State committee, and
has been the active promoter of every
offense against fair play and decency that
men dare commit IN primary politics. One
need not go back to the frauds and crimes
at his primaries in 1892, which began in a
secret conspiracy and ended In wide
jawed drunk to celebrate its victory, for
his operations now are sufficiently in
structive. He desires TO be a delegate to
the National Convention, and is not re-
strained by any motives of delicacy from
working his candidacy from his vantage
ground as chairman OF the County Com
mittee.
''There is good evidence that his first
plan was to have the executive committee
of the County Committee, which he con-
| trolls appoint the county deleg alton 10 the
State Convention. The recent Republican
revolution in the county against such busi-
ness warned him and he called the whole
committee to meet, ito select one delegate
at large and to provide primary for
choosing the other thirty-four. Now, /
challenge his right to conclude in his call
the action OF that committee. l DEFY Mr..
Foote to show any authority in Mr.. Lay
nance to name the election of delegate
at large as proper function of that COM
mittee. Mr.. Foote is himself the bene-
hciary of sthis rascally usurpation. Not
content with this, which was accomplished
| ~ r
suspected to have been fraudulent Mr..
Laymance proceeded to subtract Mr..
toote from the quota of delegates allowed
to the Third Ward, where he lives I chal-
lenge the record of the Rockrollers and
thugs for an equal outrage upon a constit-
uency. Mr.. Laymance without shadow
of right or authority arbitrarily denied to
the Third Ward Democrats the right TO
elect one-half the delegation, to which
they are entitled So raw is it that | am
certain If 1t were contested the State Con-
vention would restore it's rights to that
constituency and rebuke the impudent
trick by which they were taken away.
Against these and much longer cata-
logue of frauds, offenses usurpatlons and
indecencies Mr.. Fitzgerald leads The party.
of my county, and / follow him. IF Mr..
Foote had chosen to lead in the same cause
l would have as cheerfully followed him,
but he did not.
'tThe injury done to the party there by
the Lay finance management is immeasur-
able. Its aim has been to keep the party
control small. without making it select.
When the people got disgusted with Re-
publican maladministration in the city
and county the. Democracy should have
been the beneficiary of the revolt, but Lay
nance and his abettors had deprived the
party OF public respect, to change to them
was running from Fagin to fall into the
hands of Bill Sykes, so the Populists and
Non-P Partisans became the beneficiaries of
Republican revolt. We have in the county
Populist Treasurer, Sheriff and Assessor;
In the city, Populist Mayor and City At
torney and Non-Partisa an Council. That
these officers are not all good Democrats is
due solely to Mr.. Laymance and the gang
that supports him.
"These elements make up the issue and
none other. Mr. Foote'S anxiety about
the railroad and the A. P. A. is unneces-
sary and pretentious. When the Eng
fishes and Moffitt are put forward as anti
railroad men one has to smile. When /
ran for Congress the Examiner and the
railroad joined hands to oppose me. When
Warren English ran Mr.. Foote, the Exam
iner and the railrrod joined hands to sup
port him.
"Since the vice-president of the South
ern Pacific is running for elector on an
anti-funding platform Mr.. Foote'S fear
that the Democracy may indorse funding
unless Laymance sets up delegation as
the fruit of unblushing chicanery is lu-
dicrous.
Now, you will observe that there is no
Federal brigade element in the fight on
Lsymance. majority of the Federal
Office holders in the county are against
Fitzgerald and also against the President
whose commission they carry. Country
postmasters have held back letters to Mr..
Fitzgerald inclosing committee proxies
which il delivered would nave likely pre-
vented the insulting disfranchisement of
the Third Ward to make Mr.. Foore del
egate, and l believe the postal inspectors
have some of these cases in hand.
The same gang has bcbbed up every
year with the appetite of cormorant for
every honorable place in the party and have
got 1t by dishonorable means. We want
change, we want the proper ambitions of
| young men to have chance. and we want
all men inclined our way to feel that they
may SIT in Democratic organization
panoplied in all their rights.