The San Francisco call., 1898-11-10
HONOR IN DEFEAT.


 IT dubious methods is honorable defeat.
 \ Mayor Phelan has been reelected to the high office he has held for term and Charles L. Pat l ton, after gallant campaign, open above the sus- picon of trickery untinged by the color of corrupt ing gold, has lost by a margin. Pattons can vass was in all respects remarkable He brought into 1t unsulied reputation, and he went out o 1t with his reputation maintained, his methods unques- toned and his strength among the people established During his two years in office Mayor Phelan has turned the departments under his control into a political machine Of this machine he is sole director. He selected the personnel of the convention which nominated him. He named those who should be on the ticket with him. He accepted two nominations 1 in advance of the promulgation of the platforms. That money freely used ln his behalf IS generally believed and 1t is openly charged that for Phelan 5 i interests, when he saw them III danger Magure was traded and slaughtered in the house of his friends A knowledge of these facts detracts some what from the glory of achievement.
 To Patton there is due from his party and the ct- zens generally debt of gratitude A successful law yer and business man. he had never been in politics His ambitions not in the direction of office The opportunity was thrust upon him. and he undertook what seemed like hopeless task. He undertook 1t only from a sense of duty. He knew that Phelan was intrenched, that the Phean hosts had been shaled the plan of campaign marked out to the small est uttdl, SpOlIS III All Ol dinary candidate, in opposition to such array of fortified henchmen, would have made fight futile as to be ridiculous. A strong needed, and Patton proved himself to be the He had not been in the field wenty-four hours before the Mayor knew a foe worthy of the administrators steel had arisen. He had not been there week before the Phelan followers n agony of fear, and to the end they worked for desperate and feeble chance.
 By the exercise of the activity and resort every trick familiar to the trained manipuator they managed to continue Phean in office. But they have not besmirched Patton, because they could not. He emerges unscathed from bitter contest his worth made known, his loyalty Republican writ ten large, and his individuality impressed upon the community and the State that 1t will not be forgotten The future holds for Patton greater rewards than he came close to attaining He will be needed n affairs of state, and since he devoted his time and his energy to carrying the flag of his party to the in trenchments of the enemy he will be gratefully re- membered It is but the logic of events that he shall be called to larger leadership. He has lost nothing when there is considered the vital character of that which he has gained. With the complacency of philosopher he accepts the verdict. He did much toward educating the voters. Many were won over The spirit of reform which he represented could not in short campaign be crystallized
 We have no feeling of animosity toward Mayor Phean On the contrary, we wish him well and hope the conduct of his office will be marked by an ab- of the features which have heretofore brought upon 1t measure of discred We trust the Mayor will learn that he cannot always continue to be the Dem ocracy and that such Democracy he may constitute himself cannot always continue to rule This time he too cunning his schemes too deep-aid, his mnions too carefully instructed, to be overtirown He had narrow escape from defeat, and for him such experience would have been fraught with dis grace for 1t would have been distinct rebuke. h. deed the result which keeps him in power is far from hattering for had he been faithful the tide ir his favor would have been overwhelming against any candidate who could have been named, and any such candidate only sacrifice the party altar. We congratulate MT. Patton. Against great odds he fought good fight. In a subdued way, we con gratulate the Mayor He has been given opportunity to redeem himself and to profit by contemplation of the errors marring his first term. He IS person of brains and education fully competent if he will, to reach plane above that of the oice-seeker and to doff the cloak of demagogy in which he appears to be enwrapped