The herald., 1898-09-09
!.
Claims to T Have Won the Opening
Skirnnish
CAUCUS ELECTION PROVES A FARCE
TICKETS SELECTED WILL BE CONTESTED AT
THE PRIMARIES ON SATURDAY
In Many Precincts the Respectable Republicans Stayed Away
From the Polls-The Railroad-Court House
Ring Run Things for Themselves

The alleged caucus Of the Republican
party held in the city and county las. night,
turned out to be bowling farce.
1t was supposed that the voters would
select delegates to the county convention
to be held next Monday by caucus and that
their decision would be ratified at the pri'
maries to be held tomorrow. when the Re-
publican voters were expected to walk up
to the polls and ratify without question, the
caucus nominees.
But i: won't be quite that way.
In many precincts the respectable Re
publicans kept away from the polls eli
tirely and allowed the push caucus'to to nom-
!rate its men for delegates without vote
against them, but tomorrow this same re-
spectable element will put ticket in the
field against the push and pull nominees,
and then the hair will begin to fly.
In precincts in which the Republican
push or pull caucus selected delegates, If
the caucus nominees are not ratified at the
prtmaries on Saturday next-the defeated
push and pull. and they are the S. P. del
egates, propose to go into the convention
and contest every ticket elected against
them at the primaries, on the ground that
It was a :acit agreement of the voters Of
the party that the caucus nominees should
be the delegates and that any contest that
might ensue should have been fought and
settled at the caucus and not at the pr-
maries.'
The push, which at this time avowedly
controls the coming Republican conven-
ton, argue that unless the matter of Sc
lecting delegates was to be settled at the
caucus held last night thre was no use
holding 1t. They claim, and with show of
reason, that the primaries to be held on
Saturday were called merely to ratify the
selections made by the caucus.
''If this is not true" they ask, why did
we caucus at all? If we are to fight for
delegates at the primaries, why hold eau
cus?'
And then the wise men of the party tel.
them.
In almost every precinct, by diligent and
careful inquiry, it has been known to the
leaders of the Republican party in the
county what was the strength Of every
candidate for place on the ticket. But
there were precincts, both in and out of
this city, where a close estimate by the
slate makers could not be made.
The caucus has Indicated TO the men
with the slate and pencil what it will be
necessary to do to keep the slate from de-
struction.
In certain precincts the ticket nominated
by the so-called caucus will be allowed TO
be elected and the delegates will be seated
in the county convention. In other pre-
oincts a bitter fight with an opposition
Co will
be made and if possible the distasteful, or.
more properly, an uncomfortable. caucus
ticket selected will be defeated and new
men sent to the convention.
So far as can be judged from the caucus
of yesterday, the Republicans In the city
and county of Los Angeles have cast the
Republican state ticket to the winds and
are making a fight under the banner of
''the county offices first and the state ticket
when we get time"
The country is afraid Of the city, the city
afraid of the country and every precinct
In the city afraid of every other one. Old
Republicans say they never saw such 9
mix-up. 1t isn't a case of knitting" your
opponent in the dark, but Of tomahawking
him in the open. There Is no thought ap-
parently, of the future. Every man is fol
himself and the devil take the hindmost.
All the good the caucus has done is 20 in
iicate TO the men making the slate where
the weak points in their party enemies
Notifications are, and they are prepared
10 attack them a the primaries tomorrow
The harm tha. the caucus has done will
,ot be fully known nor appreciated unit
After the votes are counted.
tn tan of
known in Republican politics as he court
house ring was clearly shown yesterday
In fact. many members Of the ring grew
arrogant last nigh: in their jubila ion owe!
the success of their methods ard probably
told more than they should have done.
Walter +. X. Parker was not in the city
yesterday, having gone to San francisco
10 attend the meeting Of the Republican
executive committee. His colleague on thai
committee, II. Il. Osborne, returned with
significant haste from his vacation at Gaia
lima yesterday.
c. NJ. Eiberson handled Parker's end OF
the county fight yesterday, and his state
nent of the result Of the caucus may b'
considered as an excellen; indication of tn,
Ia abstraction Of what the Times has desig
aated che railroad push" over the outcome
" the battle.
1--WE have won out nearly everywhere,
he said. land where we haven't won out W,
will put ticket in ;he field a; the pr.ma rie.
Saturday tha; will win out. We have go
hings our own way, Times or no Time s
md you will see it before we are through
"You bet, we have" Clipped in lleuten
mt, who. by the way, went to Sacramen. {
,n a Southern Pacific free ticket, accord
ng to his own admission. "We'i have tha
convention, and don't you forget it,
''Shut up,' said Elberson, and the lieu
tenant obeyed like clam.
In the Ninth, Fourteenth, Twenty frs t
rhirty-f1fth, Thrty-ninth. Forty-second
sixty-fourth, Sixty-fifth, S!xty-sixth, Six
.y-seventh and Sixty-eighth precincts II
his city there will be no opposition to tn,
caucus ticket named, and ;he hardest figh
omorrow will proba bly, be in the Twen tie, h
rwenty-fourth, Twenty-sixth Th!rtieth
md Thirty;hird precincts.
This is, Of course, surface prophecy, TO
10 man knoweth what the Saturday pri
naries will bring forth although the cour
iouse is full of good guessers
The whole Third ward is particular
ooked upon as being honeycombed wit
roc11as, but 1t Is by no means certain tina
he rnilroad and court house camera ,e vii