The San Francisco call., 1898-08-18
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eral committee through, the, recording secretary at least three days before the meeting at which it is to be considered, provided at least ten days snail have in- tervened between it's introduction in the general committee and the issuance Of said notion" l challenge any represent atiVeS from the other side to produce any evidence to show that the constitution of the Democratic party of San Francisco prepared and drafted by the leaders or the delegation sitting upon this floor was ever amended in this way, thus reducing the general committee from 450 to lO. will tell you the reason, gentlemen or the convention, why this arbitrary action was taken. It was taken Tor the purpose of giving MT. McNab and his followers an opportunity to bring up some griev- ance so that the matter of the San Fran cisco Democracy could be brought up of fcally before the State Central Commit tee and to give MT. McNab an opportu- nity for carrying out his practice Of gath ering in all the proxies of the members of that body to make him the. political boss of the Democratic party of the city and county of San Francisco. There was a meeting called by the State Central Com mittee in February or March. 1898. You will remember the meeting, ana now l appeal to the members of the State Cen tral Committee themselves that there was no official communication sent out by 6he chairman or secretary of that body. The only information that was conveyed to the members of the State Central Com mittee to attend the meeting held in Feb ruary or March, 1S9S was an insignincant advertisement appearing 1nS one Of the corners of the San Francisco Examiner. It took the Democrats of San Francisco thirty-six hours to ind where that adver- tisement was-it was in such place in the paper After the Democrats ot the State were aware of the meeting of the State Central Committee the fact deVel- oped that there was project on foot to remove 53 members of that committee by reason of the failure on tnelr part 10 pay an assessment of $50. The Democrats throughout the State were indignant at the action of the managers of that com mittee.
 Here the Democrats of the State de- clared in thunder tones that no Democrat could be measured in any way py tue amount of money he possessed, so, there- fore, circulars were sent out asking the country members of the committee to ap- pear before that committee and revolt at the action of the leaders. The result was that all of the members of the State Cen tr6l Committee who had not paid their assessment were relnstated on the ron with the exception or SIX representatlVes on that committee from San Francisco who had not paid
 I say here that the reason why those six members from San Francisco were not reinstated on that roll was that by the figuring of MT. McNab and his followers they were not positive as to their strength on the committee which was to carry out the proceeding they afterWard carried out in appointing the committee Of 100. meeting of the State Central Committee was again called in the month of April, 1898. At this meeting reSolu- ton was introduced referring to the ex- lStfng dlnerenceS Tn the ranks or the Democracy of the metropolis The chair man was authorized to appoint a com mittee of nine for the purpose of investi- gating the condition of affairs of the Democratic party of San Francisco and to report back to the main body. The committee assembled and al its first meet ing 1t requested two representatives from each side, from the committee of 110 and from the regular organiZa- tion of 450, to appear before it and pro- duce evidence on their respective sides I bod toah hon fo h. "a va al that meeting representing the com mittee of 450. l desire to say that in my judgment before that committee of nine ever assembled, before they ever heard a word of evidence they had deterinined-a majority of them-to recognize a committee of ll0, Of which Colonel Sullivan was the head
 At this meeting, however, at which the evidence was to be produced. they changed their opinion. They realized from the evidence presented that the or ganiZation represented by Colonel SulH- van had no claim-no legal claim-to rep resent the Democratic party of the city and county of San Francisco, and, there fore, they. could not afford to recognize the committee of 110, because they could Therefore, as they had determined be- yond a doubt, a majority of this com mittee of nine that the regular organi- zation of 450 that I have the honor to rep resent in any event should not be recog niZed. the only thing for this commit tee to do then was to throw, the two or
 
 arrogantiy appoint a county committee of 1l0 men for the government of the Demo- cratic party of San Francisco.
 Assuming for the argument gentlemen, and for argument alone, that this com mittee of nine, or the State Central Com mittee itself, had the power to appoint a county committee for the government of the Democratic voters of San Francisco you would expect really that they would apportion the representatives of this county committee among the several dis tricts of the city; As a matter of fact, what did they do? I will explain: Under the law there are twelve Assembly dis tricts in the city and county of San Fran cisco. Nine of these Assembly districts are Republican and nine Democratic The nine Republican at the last Presidential election gave NJ McKinle- r,'.--a ii.1 over Bryan of 40O} votes. The commit tee of nlne in it's magnanim4,, ..........ed on the committee of 100 from these Re publican districts seventy-three members. The nine Democratic strongholds of the city that gave to Bryan a plurality of 3551 votes received twenty-seven mem bers on the committee of 100 The ban ner Republican district of the city and county of San Francisco is the Fourth At the last Presidential election 1t gave Mckinley plurality over Bryan of sos votes. This district furnished seventeen members of the or1oit of