The San Francisco call., 1898-03-27
CANNOT CONCEAL THEIR ECSTACY Alan eda Delighted at the Defeat of the Primary
 Law. Old Time Primaries More Acceptable to the
 Workers. The County Committees Action Will Really Decide the Pardee-
 Davis Contest.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
 ono Marrh o6


 It will cost money to get elected in Alameda County this year, and the can didate who does not intend to be gener- ous might as well retire from the field at once. In no county in the State has the decision against the primary law been re- ceived with more general Satlsiacuoh than in Alameda, and, strange 10 say, no newspaper has expressed a sincere regret over the ruling Barring few reformers among the politicians, the bulk of those who vote at primaries do not want re- strictions at primaries, ana they nave things now as they want them.
 Work has already begun, and now that the candidates know what to do they are setting about it in earnest. There Will be contests in every ward, and the Re publican primary will no doubt be the 1varnest time since Vrooman and Dargie tried conclusions nearly twenty years ago. The push" is in clover Ihere never has been more at stake than Will be brought into the primary Tor settle ment. Pardee and Davis are carrying their feht into every corner of the coun- tv and in some parts ''the push" Is with one marty and in other quarters with its onDonents. Old lines are partly lost sight of and the .'reformers" and the stal- warts are so mixed that they cannot be separated There are either some re markable political fItendshlps or else some base treachery now existing, ana each day tends to confirm the opinion that there is great amount or botn.
 Charles Mantalen of the County commit tee said yesterday that when the state SentraI Committee meets and decides TtI1an the convention shall be held the Conntv Committee will then fix times for the primaries, and will also decloe no" many primaries there shall be:
 The ultimate fate of the gubernatorial candidate will be really decided by the Countv Committee for if there be a urinary held and the delegates to the State convention be elected at 1t. then the man who is allied with the majority of the successful county candidates Will, of course win out with his delegates for the State convention Ihls lss peTnaps, the only way in which Alameda County can send solid delegation to sacramento One of the bitterest ward fights will cer- tainlv be in the Seventh, where there IS host of candidates. From this ward come County Clerk Jordan, who wants to sue ceed himself, Harry Melvin, the popular Deputy District Attorney, who wants to be at the head of the office; Robert $. I.eckie a candidate for County Assessor, and of course, Pardee and Davis each wants the ward delegation It can read ily be seen that all cannot have the same set of delegates, for no one ward is going to secure three county nominations, so there is a hard nut to crack in the aristo- cratic end of town.
 Affairs in the First, Third and Fourth are almost as complicated, but here leg islative and county fights are consider ably mixed The calmeSt ward in the city is the Sixth, and it is working with an eye single to the nomination of Assem- and what the Sixth wants it generally obtains.