The San Francisco call., 1898-08-18

CALL HEADIg OARI ETS, OdSl d- mento, Aug. 17-This has been hard day.
 For hours I was one of hundreds who sat in a hot hall listening to speeches which. for all the effect they had, might as we'll have been spoken into phono- graph and dumped into we'll. In vain did Harney plead for the cause he rep resented, and idly did McNab reiterate the speech he had already delivered to the credentials committee, while With out avail the war horses of Democracy snorted and paved the air. For the decision had been fixed in advance. All words concerning it were wasted, trial to the ear and a mockery to the understanding.
 There was no variation from the pro- gramme.
 Of course there were protests, but when Ajax defied the lightning the ele- ments were stayed as efectually as these protests stayed anything to-day
 I am not aiming to give an account of the proceedings, but only to record few impressions. Among these inn pressions is that there is more trickery in Democratic politics than had ever supposed. and that while the theme of the session was the iniquity of San Francisco, the Los Angeles delegation was exposed in the perpetration of a fraud as course as ever marked the ca reer of Buckley. It is very respect able delegation composed of office-seel1- CTS, all proud of not wearing the rail- road collar and all wearing the collar of somebody else.
 The fact came out that this delega- tion had held a caucus and had decided to vote as a unit against the Harney faction, and this before the case had been presented to the convention. This struck me as an instance of unblushing fraud. Los Angeles deems itself com petent to instruct San Francisco In the ways of purity The pot being pained to note the blackness of the kettle is a spectacle not devoid of humorous qual ity.
 I do not believe there was ever State convention so dull. There were all attempts to infuse life into 1t, bits of wit tossed by the presiding officer a show of patriotic fervor. an inkling of personal disregard existing between factions, now and then note Of anger. There was no rise toward climax, there were no dramatic scenes.
 Mayor Phelan made the speech that won the most applause. Mcguire was mentioned occasionally, but there seem ed no longer to be magic In the name. The gavel fell tardily. Attention had been called to the fact that at the opening there had been no sign or patriotism, no response to the sound ot patriotic melody, no acknoWleoSmeht of the presence of the national colors and of the honors won by American arms To-day an endeavor was made to correct this A resolution was adopt ed to send congratulations to President Mckinley, and in presenting these reso- lutions ]. J. Dwyer paid graceful tribute to the valor of soldier and sail- ar But this should have been done the first day. It was too palpably an af- terthought due to suggestion.
 Tbere were three cheers, which Gov ernor Rudd remarked could be heard In tho White House. but those cheers If ,,,,,an in the blue room of the executive mansion would not have been detected in the red room. They were feeble. The tiger which was due to follow baked, gurgled and died.
 Soon the discussion In relation to the two reports from the credentials com mittee was in full swing. Major liar ney was to have an hour some repre- sentative of McNab another and other speakers to follow as they pleased with a flye-minute limit. Harney spoke his hour rapidly, earnestly. Then ap- peared the first subterfuge of the day. McNab announced that his hour was to be divided among several orators, headed by his own subtle brogue. This was clearly against the agreement, but it was permitted.
 w. w Foote and others first pleaded against anything akin to gag law, and in doing so made an allusion to McNab which brought that leader of men to his feet and set his tongue to wagging dis tressingly. However, Foote finished, and when he was through there was no misunderstanding as to the meaning he had intended to convey. He con- siders McNab an interloper, his meth ods dishonorable and denounced the ef- fort to cheat the people of the right to govern themselves. He said the suc- cess of the effort would be to put a knife into the heart of Democracy The knife is there now. I believe the Demo- crats of California to-day were guilty of the indiscretion of suicide.
 Between speeches Senator White came in, was moderately cheered and spoke with a brevity that was appre- ciated. He was the only speaker of the day who appeared to regard brevity with favor. After McNab had hogged AL t,o how unfit San Francisco Democrats were to conduct their affairs without his guidance, R. M. Fitzgerald gave the cause a boost. Deuprey thundered few remarks. He was interrupted once by MT. Foote, who knocked some of the electricity out of the Deuprey thunder, hlrk xl.o