The San Francisco call., 1897-01-25
HAVE DESERTED
{ THEIR PARTY
Populists Could Not Be
Found Willing TO Fill
an Office.
How Ex.Chairman Fred Camp
bell Saw His Guests Eat
at His Banquet.
The Fifth Plank in the Republican
Platform Has Caused Much
Uneasiuess.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL.
90S Broadway. Jan. "a

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALI
90S Broadway. Jan. "a. J
No one who attended the People
party convention last Tuesday night
could help but wonder where the party
has gone. Three months ago when the
county convention assembled in Ger
mania Hall it was party Of life. There
was a fight for every Office and the nomi-
nations were regarded as of some value.
The headquarters throughout the cam
paign were literally decorated with pic
= lures OF William J. Bryan and G. D. Lane,
and there was q healthy appearance on all
sides.
Monday night the hall where the con-
ventiOn met was like an ice chamber.
There was a scarcity of delegates and al
most an entire absence of lobby, and a
marked disinclination to accept a nomi-
nation. Eight people were nominated for
chairman and each speedily declined.
Win oever before heard OF a Populist de-
clining the honor of presiding at a con-
ventiOn2 Many prominent faces were
missing and there was marked absence
of ofice-holders. Mayor Davie was not
even mentioned and ]. NJ. Bassetl was
fOrgotton.
Somehow or other the Populists of Ala
media County forget their party affiliations
as soon as they 20 into office, and this was
particularly manifest at the late conven-
ton. There were but few true and tried
populists in evidence. When corn and
wine are plentiful so are PopuIists but in
"a dry year" the advocates of principle
only are woeiuIIy scant. At least that is
the case in Oakland.
Fred A. Campbell has not yet recove red
from the shock he received from the Re-
publican convention. He was chairman
OF the City Central Committee and ar
ranged all the details for the work of the
committee of twenty-one, which wrested
the party machinery from the old-umers
The nominations were closed, the new
City Central Committee named and the
name of Campbell was not mentioned.
No one can express the situation better
than Campbell himself
Here is the whole thing in a nutshell"
he said. II arranged the political ban
quet and invited the guests, and they all
came and partook of my good things.
They gave away every thing worth having
and helped themselves literally. l was
not even asked to participate, and as to
deriving anything from the display per-
sOnaIly that was out OF the question.
While my guests were in the banquet hall
/ was gracIously permitted to look in
through window and was not even in
vlted to O seat"
And every word of his story is abso-
lutely true.
Mayor Davie was reminiscent yesterday.
To a few friends he thus ruminated: For
nearly four years the people of this city
saved half a million dollars annually in
ferry fares because I dared to run a ferry
boat in opposition to the railroad COM
pany. 1 am informed that 5000, 900 of
people use the ferry every year and they
would still be paying the old rates but for
my competition. In a few weeks a de-
cision is expected from the Supreme Court
that will confirm the city's title to her
water front.
But for my fight six years ago, when it
was necessary to defend our property
against the armed hlrelings of the railroad
company, there would have been no agIta-
. tiOn to recover that valuable property. 1t
was Councilman r. B. Smell, I believe, who
stood on a pile and gained some notoriety
by calling to our steamer TO enter Broad
way wharf, but it seems to be forgotten
that if the Davie ferry had not been there
it would not have been necessary to find a
wharf for it.
"Only two years ago 1 stated that a
dollar tax should run the City, and l kept
my word, and the City was well run. But
who remember these things noW-Who
has a good word for Davie?''
There are many who think that there is
big surprise in store for the Mayor next
March.
For some reason or other the rosy fea-
lures of Assessor Dalton wear perplexed
look. Since the convention he has
walked up and down Broadway with his
eyes fixed at an angle with the horizon oi
. about forty degrees less than of yoTe.
The reason is found in the fifth plank of
the Republican municipal platform,
which concludes: "They must keep out
of politics, and not seek to control party
nomina tions or the actions of municipal
officers to the detriment Of the people and
the public good, and we therefore con-
denim ali efforts on the part OF county OF
ncers, or other person or corporation, to
\ obtain influence or control in municipal
offices for their own ends"
One of the keenest politicians in the
city thus outlined the situation to-day,
and although there may be many who
differ from him, there are others who
De declare he got very near the kernel OF the
nut.
Two years hence" he said, ga county
assessor will have to be elected and Mr..
Dalton will, of course, make an effort to
e succeed himself. II very naturally fol-
lows that II Mr.. Dalton could cut lead
ing hgure IN municipal politics in this
campaign he would lose nothing
by doing so in November of
1898. Now Harry should not have been
so thoughtless. He should have remem-
bered that there are Others Those 9th
ers' had ideas of their own about running
municipal politics, and they took very
polite way OF reading the riot act to him.
1t certainly did not apply to Sheriff
White or Mr.. Snook, or Treasurer San
ford, and nobody ever heard Myron
Whidden say word ABOUT local politics.
and DR.. Wilson, who was on the platform
committee, certainly would not hit hi,
friend Frank Jordan, so there you are"
STUART w. BOOTH.
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