The San Francisco call., 1898-01-02
4 POLITICAL { ..OLLA PODRIDA
  How the New Year Finds : :..:"> :.. : :. Party Fealty in .+-. -. :: = -. =. :. Oakland.
:.Ru1nors Of Changes Are Now y. HoVering Over the City
:. Everything Mixed at a Time When %. ..* a Solid Front Is Most -. Needed.
Oakland Office, San Francisco Call, QnS RrnadMaN Dan 21

SOo DIOduWdys OSC. ol
 The advent of the New Year finds Alameda County in very mixed con- 4dition politically. The complications : start at the City Hall and go clear :. through the whole of the political or : -ganizatiohs of the county.
 ::: Everything appears to be twisted . and turned, and no one knows exactly : where he stands or why he stands or = what he stands upon. For reasons which have never been explained a system of dispensing patronage has : been maintained at the City Hall that =. is subjecting the Republican party of :. Oakland to ridicule from within and
 without With a Republican majority
 in the Board of Works, and with hun : dreds.. of competent men in the party :" capable of filling any municipal office, :. men. without particle of claim on the :: party in power have been retained to
 help: disrupt Republican organizations. - This, too, at a time when this city stands more in need of solid Repub- .lican front than at any other time in
 @her. history.
 During the past o-weeks what may
 be called the solfdifying of the parti-
 sans of Dr.. Pardee. and w. R. Davis : has been quietly. taking place in more :" marked degree" than during the. past : three months, It has been stated that :. the present contest between these two
 men is a ~goed.thing. for the Republican /: party; because it will bring out every
 party man in the county who will, at the right :time, vote for the man who : proves the: stronger. At the present time there would appear to be what T.: W::R:+Davis called yesterday many
 ioI ait : ..They+are found every fourth year, but ;: in the Interval they fly around driven F .by=.every* breath of political doctrine :""..t that may~>be born of the hour. When asked for his. opinions, MT. Davis said :: that he. had expressed them four years '.> ago. and they had not altered a parti- =. cle:..; He gave his expression as fol- <:. lows: ':The Legitimate object of par tics and campaigns is to forward prin- = cipleS and to: secure. good administra- :: tion. No party or campaign can just :: .ify its. existence on personal ground. : No: man is indispensable, no ordinary :: ::Ilian. is of much importance, even. It ,:.,is::the :co-operators, not the dissenters, : +;*:Co-0peration, and not diSSension, which - .WiH accomplish what is best for the = -city--WheneVer and however it is done :. If. .doctrines or practices are to be op- . posed let us confront them with CO., = opera tive. strength, not with seeding ~ and :rIVal forces. each weakening the = Qther.:. I believe in good government, , so. do Nou,~ so. do we all. We'll then, ' to secure it shall we split up our num- . .berS,. fall upon each other and come out ..:Worse:: than when we began2 It is = :suicidal to split up those combined forces. with. which alone it can be <:# d0ne-folly. Cooperation, unselfish ?. and: unambitiCus, is the need and :z.Watchword of the hour. Sidelights are :~ false lights, and side voices are false . pt stand fOOPthpr stick .- together, think together, act together, :: and we. can do sometf1ing-do every .*+t hing that can be done at all for the city of Oakland. If we. split apart.
 stay apart, vote apart and act apart, ' we shall accomplish nothing for the :: lasting good of the city, which is the 7 only real. point worth words or worth = enthusiasm"
 :: In referring to: these remarks MT. = Davis said: that while he would not ap- :: ply them; in detail to present condi- *: :tiGns he has no cause to alter one par :. ticle of their. sense or principle. It is
 now the desire of the party that the " whole of Greater Oakland shall be a - strong Republican foOthold in the inn c= pOrtant. State and county campaign of = 1S9S. At the present time the prospects .=@a re'that there, will be the usual dissat- - isfaction and, dissenslOn, and that even many of the quadrennial Republicans =. win. have been diVen into side issues -. because of the edisloyalty of some who are. noW in a measure responsible for
 :: the -party's welfare, The matter dur :: .: .3Ily inc past week has. been very thor :: jIghIy discussed, and when the holi- ;. >.<daYs are over it is likely that there :. = Xvfl be some important but not alto :. [:|;gether unexpected changes in the city -: government.
 :; The revocation of the appointment of :=.Judge Wood to succeed Judge Allen :: :*fas Irlore. significance than is apparent -.*:"0rl: the surface. It shows plainly the - Beginning of a new order of things at
 the City fIalI the end of which can { hardly be seen at this time. The Mayor has frequently stated that the reason
 good Republicans have not been put into positions now held by the rem
 nants of a. Populist administration has -. been that eligible parties have not been
 presented. He admits now that there
 are many eligible candidates and that - no valid reason exists why justifable
 changes should not be made.
 The coming of Frank Jordan back
 into the county fight has overthrown 'e many plans and created new cOmbi-
 nations and hOstilities in that end of
 the political machine. The present
 county government might be said to be
 about equally divided between Popu-
 lists and Republicans, and of course
 bitter fight will be made to recover
 the ground lost to the Republicans
 four years ago. It was really recov- cred one year ago at the general cleo
 tion,:-bu the many tangIes that have
 taken place since then leave the pres .. ent condition of the party matter of
 doubt. City Attorney Dow is being
 frequently brought forward as a good candidate for District Attorney. MT
 Dow made a splendid record as a Coun-
 .-ciman. He has followed it up in the %, office of City Attorney. but if he would % lay claim to further honors from the
 party he will have to be more true to =: party doctrine and to the ideas ex-
 pressed by William R. Davis than he = has been. Altogether 1898 opens up in
 very interesting manner for the poli-
 ticians on this side of the bay.
 
 . .=SEAMAN'S MISSION OPENED.
 " OAKLAND, Jan. 1.-The County