The herald., 1898-11-21

except it be one of the leaders, can show
But even his strength is hardly regarded
seriously. 1t is merely a complimsnt-a
mark of esteem and regard-and not band
OF desperate loyalists, ready to go down to
political death for Bulla. Preston is pre-
sumed to be the candidate of John d.
Spreckels, which would insure him money
enough to make the proper showing as
candidate in case he happened to 90 into
the open market for votes. No one openly
accuses Preston of anything more substan-
tial than Mr.. Spreckels' favor and possibly
the San Mateo delegation.
But there is always M. II. de Young. Ask
him, and he will say he doesn't think it ex-
pedient to attempt the goal of his ambition
this year. He says no more in his paper
than he does by word of mouth. To his
readers the senatorial contest might be
game OF bean-bag in the fowered walks of
Already, of so little moment does it seem
to be.
lie has very properly thrown over his old
managers. Frank Stone, for instance is
raging against him. "SadlEyed Jim" Kelly
is said to have handled some of Grants
money in the sunny southern land. In fact,
, 1t cannot yet be said that anybody is making
4e ioung's fight. That he has thrown over
tnose old managers may be considered an
element of strength, for they certainly
forced him into positions uncomfortable and
ridiculous in the past.
| But there is "feel" in all the political at
mosphere that De Young is to be the man
selected to oppose Grant. The notion pre-
walls that all the Southern Pacific's
strength Is to go to him-that this time lie
Is to be given far more than the railroads S
moral support. He has money to make
hight OF his own. He has newspaper
which the railroad learned to fear. what
time 1t handed him out that cold gold brick
IN the legislature of four years ago. And
De Young has always had a personal follow
ing. He probably has more votes than any
other candidate except Grant, if all hands
were taken off right now and the contest
left to be decided on it's merits.
30 the impression has gone abroad that
1t is to be Grant or De Young this time, and
that the lighting will be SO fierce as to come
near splitting the party. Possibilities of
deadlock loom up in the surcharged future.
And there is no denying the talk that slips
from lip to lip among those who live by
politics that the price of votes is far and
away higher than it has been since anybody
OF the present day was old enough to sit I'D
and take interest in political campaign.
Though the Southern Pacific has made no
definite sign of it's favoritism, and though
its preference for De Young is merely
matter OF conjecture, there is no doubling
Its fierce antipathy to Grant Its evening
organ continues to below his delinquencies
and every little railroad politician can tell
Just how much of a fool Grant is when once
he Is OH the leading strings Of his managers.
The corporations evening organ continues
to have its fling at the San Diegan, it's most
recent illumination containing the following
explosives:
| u. 5. Grant is candidate for United
States senator. He has addressed the people
of California by the indirecton of an inter-
view; has informed them of his ambition;
has solicited the honor of representing them
! in the senate of the United States Adopt
ing the methods and purposes of dema-
gogue, he has declared that the Southern Pa
citic company is unfriendly to him, because
he has been criticised in a newspaper pub
lished in Sacramento, which, as a news
paper, has right to reflect the individual
opinion of it's editor.
Ihio lOi JIe OIlIeQ STATES SEN
ate mentioned the Santa Fe railroad in his
interview. He said: II have not considered
the Santa Fe nor the Southern Pacific as
political factors. In comparing them, how
ever, am free to say that the former is
more friendly to me than the latter" In
this U. S. Grant has declared that the San
ia Fe railroad is in politics; that the South
ern Pacific company is in politics; that he
has the friendship of one and the enmity of
the other
Mr.. Grant declared on the question of the
debt of the Central Pacific: II think the
present plan should be satisfactory both to
the company and to the people, The Cen
trail Pacific debt is no longer public ques-
tion. and its interjection in the senatorial
campaign is without excuse or palliation
The question of the payment of the Central
Pacific's debts is one solely of concernment
between that corporation and its creditors
But Mr.. Grant, in company with that large
crop of demagogues who have found the
nebulous thing called the railroad question
a convenient instrument of political weapon
ry, seeks to interject a railroad issue into
his campaign. He wants it understood that
the Southern Pacific company is opposing
his candidacy. He must have a well-de-
fined purpose in this, unless we are at liber-
ty to think and to believe that Mr.. Grant
talks to no purpose whatever and in accord
ance with no well-deviscd plan. He presents
himself before the public in light which
will make it appear to the state, to the coun-
try and to the world that his election is
triumph over the opposition of the Southern
Pacific company.
1t may be defantly asserted, and without
fear of controversion, that the Southern Pa
cifc company is Indifferent to Mr.. Grant,
to his personality and to his candidacy
When, therefore, our contemporary says
that if the railroad desires honestly to get
out of politics, it has an opportunity, it
should remember that the politicians are
confronted by an opportunity to let it re-
main out of sight as political factor, out of
consideration as political force, and out of
view as an object of hostility.
That certainly sounds like declaration
of war; 1t is the battle cry of Herrin and
the defiant yelp of Mills. But, though Presi-
dent Ripley of the Santa Fe has declared
that his railroad is not favoring Grant
well, almost anybody knows how easy it is
for railroad presidents to talk one way,
while their political underlings go right
ahead working in the other. And there is
no doubt about the attitude of the Los An
geles Terminal railway-that line which
strikes the sea at San Pedro. Kerens and
Elkins are in that project, and T. E. Gibbon
of Los Angeles, vice president and attorney
of the road, declared openly the other day
that Grant was entirely satisfactory as
L IL