The herald., 1898-11-23

BACON'S MISSION
NEW LIGHT on THE SENATOR
lAL FIGHT
GRANTS LATEST PLAY
uA TRADE WITH HUNTINGTON
PossIBLEp
A PULL FROM WASHINGTON
The Postal Card Campaign Incident.
De Young May Be Given the
Double Cross-Surmises

An interesting piece of political iniorma
tion came to light yesterday when 1t was
learned that Attorney Walter Bacon is II
Washington for the purpose OF, in some way
that is not understood here, advancing the
interest Of U. S. Grant of San Diego for the
senatorship from this state.
Mr.. Bacon is man who has taken very
active part in Mr.. Grants campaign from
the start, and who in his eagerness to helT
his man, tried his best and came within
some distance of success, in preventing the
nomination of Mr.. Gage at Sacramento
Many will remember the flood of postal
cards which poured down into this south
land from San Francisco asking the recipl
ent to say whether he preferred governor
or a senator from Southern California This
was before the convention, and was In
tended to initiate against Cages chances.
It did have some effect, and the intention
was to have a multitude of such cards for
exhibition at the convention. Mr.. Bacon,
on the authority of very close friend of
his is said to have been the deus ex machina
Of the postal card campaign. He also had
anumber of other clever political plays ready
to work against Gage, when some of the
candidates friends had talk with him
and by promises in which Mr.. Gage had no
part and knew nothing about, induced him
to change his base and let Gage alone.
After the nomination Bacon went to the
men who had made the promises but found
that he had been out-played; the promises
could not be collected. He was given the
"trow down." as the yellow kid would put
it, and given it hard, so hard that for a time
he was dazed and saw the senatorial star
of his man go glimmering across the Gage
horizon down into the vast ETHEREAL depths
of political limbo.
But Bacon, though done brown, managed
to jump out of the frying pan without get
ting into the live Goals, and went at the
fight again tooth and nail Some four weeks
ago he packed his grip and went east "on
business" it is said. 1t now turns OFT that
he is, and has, for most of the time, been
in Washington. What he is doing there
Bacon knows. but no one else apparently.
He recognized the fact before he LETT, that
the Southern Pacific and the push" were
sclidly for De Young, that as things stood
Grant had no show at all, while for second
choice Bulla was pulling well to the front,
so it is surmsed that he has some idea that
be can get help from the national admins
tration.
Grant has many influential friends in
Washington, and in the Republican leaders
in the east, who knew and loved his father
There are men there who, if they cared to
take the trouble, could bring about an I'M
derstanding with Mr.. Huntington which
might lead him to dump De Young into the
hell-box, just as be has dumped other would
be statesmen before. Mr. Bacon's plan of
campaign is not such bad one, after all if
he can only get hold of the right men. 1t
resolves itself down to question of trades.
II he can find influences in Washington,
either that of the administration or of SEN
ators who will do something for Huntington
on condition that he switches Mr.. Herrin
from De Young, the game is won, for all the
world knows that Mr. Huntington wishes
more favors from Washington than he does
from Sacramento, or from the Chronicle,
and he can always throw to Mr.. De Young
the sop OF the Paris exposition managership
or something of the kind.
What success Mr.. Bacon has had no one
seems to know. His best friend here said
yesterday that he had not been able to get
any answer from him at Washington for
over ten days, though he has almost con.
stantly telegraphed to him.
This little piece of history shows conclu-
sively, however, that Mr.. Grant will not
have Governor Cages support in any event.
Mr.. Gage is an easy man to get along with
as a rule, and never has been known to 90
back on friend in any way, but he is also
implacable to those who he thinks have
wrongfully treated him. He knows all about
the Grant campaign, and the postal card
incident, and who was behind it. which TO
those who are informed on his character is |
sufficient to base the assertion that no
power would be able to make him stand in
with any move for Grant. There ia one
thing which the managers of this out,of.the (
state campaign seem to have lost sight Of !
and that is the difficulty of holding votes
gained by influences out of California. Both
the DE Young and the Grant managers seem
to consider the members Of the legislature
as simply puppets to be moved AS they
please. In other legislatures such n view
has been too often correct, but it is ones /
tion If the bosses are not figuring on a mis- /
taken basis of the votes they have in their
pockets.