The San Francisco call., 1898-06-03
THE DEMOCRATIC cINCH.


 San Francisco cannot be trusted to manage it's affairs. It is put under the suzerainty ot the State Committed, which comes in from the country to take charge of city politics. Petaluma and Mil pitas, Grub Gulch and Yankee Jim's precincts put their rural fingers in the San Francisco pie and will do the little Johnny Horner act to perfection.
 The triunlvrate of the State Committee has said it, and it is. One member of this political trinity IS from San Francisco and the other two hail from Stockton and Visalia respectively. They have adopted the party pandects, consisting of eighteen rules, which settle the party hash for San Francisco
 Rule recites that the Democratic city committee shall have power pass all questions of elections primaries and registrations, subject to limitations and restrictions These Vacancies in the county committee can be filled only confirmation by the State Committees the whole city committee which may succeed the present committee must be con- frmed by the State Committee before 1t can exer- else any authority the present city committee IS ap- pointed outright by the State Committee. This city committee appointed by the State Committee may select and appoint city delegates to the State conven ton. An appeal from any action by the committee lies to the State Committee
 It will be seen that under this most remarkable regulation the State Committee, by eectng the pres ent city committee and authorizing it to appoint dele gates to the State and other conventions has usurped the power to not only install the party machinery in San Francisco, but appoint delegates from here to the party conventions The rules also provide that this county committee Shall provide for the nomination of city, county and district officials, der which grant of power 1t may itself nominate such candidates.
 In the history of party management there is no other in which the rank and file were ever so completely deprived of voice in their local affairs
 It is no wonder that one member of the State Com .r1ittee in the meeting in which this job was put through asked by what rule written unwritten, the Democratic State Committee constituted itself the guardian of the Democracy of one section of the State. He asked if the Democracy of San Fran cisco had asked to have guardian appointed and declared that it all wrong to invade the rights of any section of the Democracy and the attempt should not be tolerated for he did not understand that the State Committee created to perpetuate any re- gime or clique control of the party and he wanted to know if this sort of thing forced upon the Democrats of San Francisco, what city would next be invaded This protesting rurale ought to have made motion to appoint receiver for the Democ- racy of San Francisco instead of guardian
 Under these rules the party here resume control of its own affairs. They will remain per petualy in the hands of the State Committee, which can dictate the local delegation all State conven tions and even the nomination of all local candi- dates. The members of the party left only one right that of voting for candidates kindly nominated by the State Committee This action is symptomatic. It thatthe methods adopted in the Democratic National Convention of 1896 to influence the party organization everywhere The Bryan wing controlled majority of that national convention and could make platform But it lacked the two-thirds required by the party rule in force since 1886 to nom nate candidate. This difficulty was overcome by expelling bodily the Nebraska delegation and enough of the delegates from Michigan and other States to control them under the unit rule These expelled members elected and credentialed regularly as the delegation from California which voted to pei them. The national convention then usurped the functions of the State conventions by electing dele gates to the vacancies had violently created This action by party that has loudly proclaimed State rights and home rule secured the needed two-thirds majority to nominate Mir. Bryan.
 The busting of the San Francisco Democrats from the slightest voice in their own affairs is the Altering of the national convention policy down to local affairs.
 It has always been held, and by none more per sistenty than the Democracy, that healthy politics requires that the people have free rein in party man. agement But that party does not scruple to put defantly record its dstrs of the people and its decision that they cannot be trusted to appoint
 local party committee! If this action is indorsed at the polls the Democrats of this city, who hold the balance of party power in the State, will have demned themselves to sort of penal servtude to the bosses of the State Committee
 The latter body, by applying the theory of party management throughout the State can per petuate itself in power and the party in every pre- cinct in California will have parted with its influence and control in its own affairs.
 n EOOI ISH p0I Jcy