The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-06
Politicians Laugh at
Herrin's Work.
FORGERlES TOO TRANSPARENT
NONE DECEIVED BY THE LATESr
SCHEME OF THE MEXICAN.
Care Taken That None of Grants
Supporters Should Get Hold
of the Fake Appeal From
San Francisco.

CALL HEADQUARTERS SACRA-
MENTO, Feb. 5.-All political Sacramento
was laughing to-day over Dan Burns
latest abortive attempt at vote-getting by
moral influence"
That heavyweight petition, signed by
sixty-five of San Francisco's heaviest
business men, of which w. F. Herrin was
the managing editor, has been productive
of nothing but broad grins The thorough
exposure made by The Call this morning
of the whole crooked scheme by which
three score San Francisco merchants were
induced by false pretenses to affix their
names to petition calling upon the
legislators to vote for Dan NJ. Burns as
the peoples CHOICE has turned into
laughing matter what might have been
construed by some as a proposition for
serious consideration.
1t develops to-day that a few of Mr.. Her
rims unique petitions got to the Grant
people. Only the supporters of Bulla and
Barnes and those who are still casting
their votes for 'honoraries" were hon
ored. Those legislators Burns hoped to
win to his standard by the moral sua-
sion" that his forged and falsified petit
ton was supposed to effect. And his well
concocted scheme might have been pro-
ductive of results had not the whole glar-
ing fake been shown up in all its badness
by The Call this morning. The signature
of a business man is as dear to him as his
reputation, and he does not fix it at first
thought to anything. The signatures of
sixty business men at the end of prayer
for Dan Burns success would certainly
carry weight with many of those who are
here to make a Senator.
The same signatures carry with them
even greater effect when they are attach
ed to such statements as appeared in
this mornings Call, branding as rank
forgeries some of the names signed to
the Herrin-Burns petition.
This last assault upon the Senatorial
phalanx was made with boomerang,
and the thing has come back into the
camp from which it was flung, to the very
evident distress of its launcherS.
Assemblyman Dale was about the only
Grant man who was in on the deal, and
he was engaged in commenting upon the
rankness of the fake when Call repre-
sentative saw him this morning.
That's the rawest piece of work I
ever saw said he. II got one of those
petitions but was suspicious of 1t from
the time that / saw the names of San
Francisco business men whose opinions
on the Senatorship 1 knew. If Burns
thinks he. is going to get any votes by
in politics he failed to learn. know a
lot of the boys who got them, but even
If the thing was on the square 1t would
be too late in the day to swing them that I
guess it will smash some of the furniture
when it gets back to Southern Pacific
headquarters.
Here is another thing to think Of
continued Dale. Burns has got the San
Francisco delegation already, and those
signatures are almost all San Francisco
wholesalers. What does Yolo County
or Del Norte County farmer or store
keeper care for a San Francisco business
mans opinion? Those fellows down there
are dependent upon these people from the
country for their living"
Senator John +. Davis of Amador. who
votes for Irving NJ. Scott, is another who
got a petition. II know personally but
few of those who signed the petition he
said tonight, land l have not heard it
has not created much of stir. AS for my
own vote, the only person who can infiu-
ence it is myself. This petition certainly
cannot"