The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-14
THE LEGISLATIVE TICKET.

! q DVICE upon political subjects now being the
! \ order of the day, desire, as a newspaper
entitled to be heard in the councils OF the Re-
publican party, to say word concerning the legls-
lative ticket Undoubtedly it is desirable that the
Legislature of 1899 should be Republican successor
to United States Senator Stephen M. White is to be
chosen by that body and unless it is Republican the
individual will be Democrat. In fact, we know OF
more important work to be done in this campaign
by Republicans than the election OF Republican
Legislature.
A momentous question to be answered, therefore,
is, How can this be done? Can the Republicans
elect Republican Legislature with M. H. de Young
as the proposed beneficiary of the resutf Can they
pack that perennial candidate for the toga through
the campaign and emerge with the Senatorship? Can
they in short allow De Young to choke himself
down the threats of the people and hope to install in
office Legislature which will choose Republican
for United States Senator?
These as we have said, are important questions,
and should be answered. 1t is true that De Young
has declined" the Senatorial Office He has said that
he is not candidate and has political bureau.
No intelligent person, however, should be fooled by
this campaign fap-doodle. De Young is candidate
and has political bureau, as the Republicans will
find to their cost if they lulled into fancied Sc
curity by his siren "decnation" He knows that it is
always DANGEROUS iOI pOlltiSs III
open His unpopularity is so complete and over
wheming that to announce himself as candidate for
anything is equivalent to defeat SO he has decided
to make still hunt for the Senatorship He will os-
tensbly take interest in the contest, but all the
time his agents will be programming legislative dele
cations, nominating weak Democrats against DE
Young Republicans, and generally working to secure
votes for their patron and employer.
All this should be prevented. If De Young sue
ceeds in covertly programnng the Legislature and
the secret gets out-as it is bound to do-the entire
Legislative ticket will wind up in smash, which, Xix
ened to Southern Pacific collision, will be as an
Alaskan avalanche to Potrero landslide.
No Legislature ever be elected in California
pledged to choose De Young for United States Sen
ator That as certain as that the shines What the
Republicans should everywhere do is to ascertain in
advance the Senatorial preferences Of their legislative
candidates. If they are for De Young they should
be turned down. II they non-commttal they
should be turned down. also De Young will prob
ably play the non-committal game all the State
At the outset so far as the Legislative ticket is
cerned, the fact should be recognized that De
Young's Senatorial fight means defeat. If he is per-
mitted to identity himself with the Republican egis
lative ticket the candidates that ticket from
end of the State to the other will be damned The
people do not want De Young for Senator and they
will not have him. Nor will they permit him to
sneak up on the blind side Of the office and sandbag
it. If the Republicans want the Senatorshp they
must repudate De Young everywhere