The San Francisco call., 1898-02-22
Leaves the Senate With Regret, but Will Profit by
 Retiring.
HIS LAST FIGHT WON
Tho Hawaiian Annexation Treaty, He Says, Is Doom ed to Certain
 Defeat.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


 @ LOS ANGELES, Feb. 21.-Sen- e @ ator Stephen M. White is not @ @ a candidate for reelection. The Q @ decisive announcement of his o @ final withdrawal from politics @ @ was made tonight, in an inter ej @ view with The Call correspond Q @ ent. No event of the future. he @ @ says, will alter this intention. Q @ While he has received many as- Q @ surances of Democratic support @ @ should he stand for reelection o e the interests of himself and of Q @ his family demand that he . @ thrust aside the possibilities of Q @ future honors and devote him. @ @ self to his more profitable law e @ practice. e
 In about ten days Senator White will leave for the north on his way back to Washington. He will stop in San Francisco for several days, and will there meet the Democratic leaders, all of whom are insistent that the Sena- tor shall stand as a candidate for re- election.
 Senator White says that the Ha- waiian treaty is dead. It will never be .favorably acted upon by the United States Senate. Annexation, in his judgment, will never be brought about through the adoption of a joint reso- lution. It could not receive sufficient support in the House and Senate to in sure its passage.
 The Senator is still firm in his be- lief that there will be no war with in "a l. belli has existed or will exist
 When Senator White stepped off the westbound overland there was quite delegation on hand to greet him, most ly clients, who were desirous of having word with him and who did not wish to take chances on being able to see him after he had once reached his of flee, where there was a volume of bus mess demanding his attention. The Senator was at once driven to his of flee and later he received the corre- spondent of The Call.
 For weeks past the people of the State have been awaiting an answer from the Senator as to whether or not he would be a candidate for reelection 10 his present position before the Leg isIature of 1S99 To Call correspond ent the Senator, before his departure Tor Washington, made the announce ment that he did not think he wouId be a candidate unless something inter- Vened between then and February l5 10 cause nm to change his opinion Opon thlS subject he said this evening.
 see no reason for altering the de- termination l expressed to The Call be- lore l left Washington, which was to the effect that 1 would not be a can dldate for reelection. I meant what I sald then, and mean 1t now. I then said that of all the labor I have ever been called upon to perform, my duties as Senator Of the United States are most pleasant and congenial to me, if my personal desires were to be consult ed and If nothing else was to be con sldered. It will be a sacrifice for me to leave the Senate, and 1t will be a sac rlace for me to return. If my constitu- ents, the people of the State of Cali 1ornla, were to desire me to return and l were to consent, l would be able to render them much more effective serv ice on my second term than I did on my hrst; and, as the work is a pleas ure to me, it is a sacrifice to give it up.
 "On the other hand, if I remain in the Senate for another term I will leave 1t with comparatively nothing. My law practice will be scattered and my clientele gone. l will have passed the prime of my life. and my ability to act for my clients will not be as great as 1t is to-day. l have my family to pro- Videsfor, and my first duty is to them. What shall 1 do? l can see but one pathway open to me, and that is to retire from the Senate and resume my practice. Then another thing: My family prefers to reside in Los Angeles. It does not desire me to return to Washington after the expiration of my present term.
 From, all sides, and more particu larly from the leaders of the Democrat ic party in California, have I received assurances of support if I decided to make a campaign for reelection. In fact they have urged me to stand once more Governor James H. Budd. has personally assured me that he would do everything in his power to secure my reelection if 1 would consent. To these kind friends l feel very grateful, and it is a desire to comply with their wishes that causes me to halt in my wish to temporarily at least retire from public life.
 Before I go back to Washington I am going to visit San Francisco and have conference with my friends will have, however, no further an- nouncements to make of my candidacy than I have given to you"
 Senator Whites failure to stand as candidate will come out as a wet blanket to Democratic hopes and aspi- rations in Southern California. If the Senator were a candidate the Demo nrats would enter the campaign this