The record-union., 1898-08-16
The MCNab and Harney
Elements Stand
ING Firm.
without question"
THE CHEZ SQUABBLE.

without question"
THE CHIEF SQUABBLE.
The one great question that came to
the surface yesterday and was the talk
among all the delegates was the hght
between the two Democratic factions OF
San Francisco for recognition. Harpol
Commissioners P. J. Harvey is Chairman
of the Rainey committee, which the
McNab delegation has long tried to de-
feat in local politics. He was on the
ground early in the day and held many
conferences with his allies, as well as
with delegates from all parts or the
State.
A prominent Democratic committee
man yesterday stated in an interview IL
an afternoon paper, that he had ho
particular interest in the San tran-
cisco fight and that he recognized the
fact that good men were for the Har-
ney-Rainey faction as well as Tor the
McNab contingent, but he argued tha'
RECOGNITION of Harvey would be equiv
alent to a recognition Of Rainey in Local
and State politics again, which event
would work great evil He said tbs
differences of the Rainey people ano
bv a. committee of nine, appointed py
the Chairman Of the State Central Com,
mittee. The committee or nine refused
to recognize either the Ra1ney Iaction
or the reform committee but appolhteo
a new committee of one hundred WHICH
was subsequently recognized py .he
State Central Committee.
This prominent Democrat also arsueo
,x,nr a o.
that the recognition of the Ralney lac-
ton in the convention might result III
the defeat of Mcguire, which shoulu ho'
for a. moment be countenanced. Inc ar
g1,ment went so far as to assume tna'
there are plenty of precedents for the
interference in municipal politics by the
state Central Committee, especially IN
cases where local quarrels are so serious
as to affect the entire State, citing the
conduct of the State Central COMMIT
fee in 1880. when 1t was in the hands
Of Buckley.
A LAWYERS VIEWS.
A well-known San Francisco lawyer,
having read the argument just quoteo'
last night said in reference thereto:
IA politician, evidently from the In
terror. if we may judge Of his limited
knowledge Of San Francisco politics,
has undertaken to present the legal side
Of the case for the delegation appointed
by the committee of 100, which was ap-
pointed by a subcommittee Of nine. He
asserts that for the action Of the State
Committee there is ample precedent
but cites none nor can he find any in the
history of political management, nor
can he find any sanction for it in the
- a11yf n
States. He refers to a transaction dat
ing back eighteen years when Buckley
was in control not only of the local par
ty but Of the State Committee and the
action then taken was mere blinN to
fool the public. 1t was case OF
Buckley reversing Buckley and white
washing his own work. 1t makes all
the difference in the world whether the
injured party consents to be recognized
out Of existence or resents usurpation.
"As TO the Harvey organization and
the Sullivan faction submitting all their
differences to the subcommittee OF
nine, nothing could be farther from the
truth. 1t is a matter Of record that
the Chairman of the Harvey committee
carefully limited the submission to the
question of which is the legal body
and did so because he felt sure of his
ground, and when the case was present
ed not one Of the ultra reformers on
the committee Of nine could find a flaw
in their title.
''The oft repeated fallacy that State
Committee has absolute power over To-
cal party organizations is also found
in the prominent politicians express
&c 70 hi 10
that State and local political parties
are distinct and such is the very germ
Of the Australian ballot law comforting
local rights upon political organizations.
Such being the case, the one has no
power to interfere in the internal af-
fairs of the other nor can it, by recogni-
ton or by any independent action affect
it's legal status in the least particular.
The self constituted trustees Of the
morality of the party even go so far
as TO say that the State Committee can
give legal status to local party by a
mere act Of recognition. But they cite
no authority except a New York case
under a statute which says such recog-
milton shall be prima facie evidence of
legality. Any lawyer knows that even
under such a statute as that the recog-
milton settles nothing, but the ultimate
conclusions rest with the courts upon
the facts. In California, however,
there is no such statute and the action
of the State Committee is of no more
force than If one ordinary business cor
poration attempted by mere recognition
to create another
Thus, it will be seen that harmony is
long distance from men who thus
radically differ as to the powers and du-
ties of the Central Committee of their
organization, and the longer the fight
lasts the warmer grows the battle. II
is claimed by the Harvey men that they
are having good success in talking to
country delegates They say that the
recognition OF what the State Commit
tee has done would be the surrender of
local authority and the creation of an
I'M American system of despotism in
politics. IT Is by such arguments that
the Harvey -Rainey crowd say they hope
enough to control it.
II was said by several prominent pol
| iticians yesterday that Chairman AL
ford would recognize the McNab, or So
called reform delegation on the tenn
porary roll call and would also give the
Harvey faction a place in the pavilion
though not on the roll call. It is
thought that this will be the policy to
avoid a scene.
The Harvey people claim strength in
Alpine, Amador, Alameda. Colusa, SUIT