The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-27
Makes a Reply to Father
YOrke'S Speech.
A REVIEW OF THE SAILORS
HOME CONTROVERSY.
Attributes His Defeat to Prejudice Created
Against Him by the Speech Made
at Oakland.


inc dav 7 caused to be submitted to
him the following affidavits and trans
cripts from official records, refuting the
charges he had made against me in his
recent Oakland speech and pamphlet,
which he had distributed all over the
city on the eve of the election, and re-
ouesting him to retract said charges,
otherwise 1 would be compelled, IN de-
Tense of my good name, to publish
them.
Father Yorke read the papers ana
thereupon positively refused TO make
any retraction. l took the precautlon
to thus give him fair warning OF my
intention to publish the papers, SO that
he could not charge me with making
"cowardly attack" on him during MS
absence Although already In posses
sion of this evidence, l deliberately de-
cIined to use it in support OF my can
didacy during the closing week OF the
campaign, for the reason that my de-
sire for reelection to the once OF gu
pervisor was subserVient to my deter
roination TO protect and vindicate my
good name in the community, and be-
cause I we'll knew that owing 10 the
preiudice created against me by Father
Yorke I would not receive the calm ana
unbiased judgment, which at the pres
ent time-the excitement or the elec-
ton having subslded-i coIlliuenliS
hone to receive from my fellow-citizens.
In his pamphlet Father Yorke says:
.'When the question Sailors Home)
was first before the board DR.. CLINTON
was reported as having made motion
to give the home to the old sectarlan
society"
This Is erroneous My first official
mn taken at
the meeting Of the board last FEBRUARY,
when l offered the following resolu-
tons:
whereas, There are two applications
for a lease Of the building formerly
used as the United States Marine Hos
pital for the purpose of conducting ana
maintaining a Sailors Home; and
Whereas, 1t appears that the La
dies Seamen's Friend Society have
heretofore conducted and maintained
sailors home in the said building under
a lease from the city and county; ana
Whereas, 1t is desirable that such
an institution, as well as all other pup
lie institutions, should be conducted on
non sectarian principles SO that tnelr
usefulness may be extended and not re-
stricted or abridged; therefore
Resolved, That full power and au-
thority is hereby conferred upon his
Honor, the Mayor, to make, execute
a term of two CD years for the purpose
of a Sailors Home to such corpora
tions who may be organized for the
purpose of conducting home Tor sail
ors on non-sectarian principles, and TO
make such conditions as may De con-
ducive to conducting such home In the
manner and for the purposes as herein
set forth (Signed) c. A CLINTON.
February Z, 1898"
The resolution was not adopted. 1t
was an earnest though futile effort on
my part to settle amicably the whole
question and thus save our city from
the infliction of another religious
wordy war, which should be avoided, If
possible, by all good citizens.
The pamphlet reads:
CLINTON'S COWARDICE.
LAS soon as DR.. Clinton thought I
was helpless and could not answer he
comes forward with an attack on me
In the shape of a letter, supposedly
written by the sectarian society"
Now, in the first place, l was not
aware of Father Yorke's illness. In
the second, l was not the author OF the
letter in question. In the third, COW
ardice is not a factor in my makeup.
In refutation of the charge that l was
the author of the letter, or that l had
inspired it, submit the following:
ITO Whom 1t May Concern: This is
to affirm-upon oath, If necessary-that
the article Of explanation in reference
to the history and present condition of
the Sailors Home, which recently APP
peared in the leading city dailies, was
written by the request Of the board Of
managers and trustees of the Sailors
Home for three specific reasons:
"First-To inform our right minded
citizens concerning the history of an as
ISOLATION which for forty years had
baY re pryol1nd and heraI a
its managers some of the most reliable
and philanthropic people in the State.
"Second-To refute incorrect state
ments concerning It's management, to
which publicity had been given through
the press.
gratitude to those Supervisors who had
nobly battled for our rights, some
of whom we know having suffered
much abuse and defamation through
their efforts in our behalf.
"(Signed)
MRS. NELLIE BLESSING EYSTER,
Treasurer of Ladies' Seamen's Re-
lief Society
November 1, 1885,"
Father Yorke in his lecture says:
"In regard to his protestations of in
dependence, Dr. Clinton bears the same
relation to J. F. English that Delany
for instance, bears to Rainey. ]. T.
English MADE Dr. CLINTON ana put MIN
in politics, and DR.. Clinton worships
his maker. J. F. English is in the COM
mission business and sells potatoes and
onions and such things. Up to a few
months ago-this voting that 1 have
spoken of took place in the summer
time-and on the LIST of September I
learned from LarZelere & Co. Of 800
Davis street that up to a few months
before that time they had supplied po-
tatoes and onions to the Sailors Home
At that date the superintendent of the
Sailors Home began to drive up to the
warehouse of DIR. Clinton's friend and
get his onions and his potatoes for the
institution.
"Of course one good turn deserves
another, and 1t is an instructive and
edifying fact that the vote Of DR..
Clinton should be rewarded by patron
age for Dr. Clinton's friend, and so the
Honorable Potato Clinton was not
able to give reason why he had voted
to turn over the Sailors Home to a.
sectarian society, but preferred to re-
main silent in the absence of any rea-
son."
I am and have been for many years
! Mr.. English's family physician. and If
I had followed his advice I would never