The San Francisco call., 1899-02-12

CALL HEADQUARTERS, sACRA-
MENTO, Feb. u.-Dan Burns has made
another bid for a Senatorial caucus.
This time the proclamation comes
through the editorial columns Of the
Record the recognized organ of
the Southern Pacific Company in Sac
ramento.
:: The railroad ownership of the
Record-Union is so we'll known that up
70 to-day the paper has refrained from
. espousing the cause of Burns in its
!. editorial columns for fear that by so
: doing. 1t would brand the Mexican as
the railroad candidate and thereby
damn his chances of success. AS the
contest now stands, however, Burns
finds himself in desperate straits and
As forced to resort to whatever means
:: are~in his power to prop up his falling
fortunes. In his extremity he has
: sought the aid of w F. Herrin. and
that astute politician has sought to aid
his favorite through the columns Of the
railroad organ, the Record Union.
.. II is we'll known to all who are In
touch with the situation here that there
-: are certain members of the Legislature
who would betray their constituents
.
and make the defense that their action
was the result of party caucus. They
would go into caucus, where secret
ballot would cover up their shame, and
vote for Burns as the caucus nominee.
These same men would then go on the
floor of the joint Assembly and cast
their votes for Burns and defend their
action by declaring that he was the
caucus nominee and that they were
compelled to vote for him whether they
wished to or not, they having first gone
into caucus and agreed TO be bound by
the majority vote Of the caucus.
- 1t was with the hope that some such
result. might be obtained that the rail-
road manipulators authorized the in
spired editorial in the Record Union
this morning. That this was the pur-
pose which the editorial in question
Intended to achieve is made apparent
by reading the following extract from
Mr.. :Herrin's literary production:
There is a method by which Re-
publican United States Senator can be
chosen, and that is by calling council
of the representatives. of the party.
. There are eighty-six Republican mem
.bers. of the Senate and Assembly. They
possess the intelligence necessary to an
agreement as to a Senator in Congress
for: the next six years. They owe this
duty TO the party at whose hands they
have received an election, and they will
. fall to discharge it at the peril of their
political fortunes. They owe to the par
tY the holding of a party council TO
which should be referred the overshad-
owing question.
80 "In view Of all these considerations,
1t IL. the duty of the eighty-six Repub-
:liean members of the Legislature to
meet together in council for the pur-
pose Of celebrating upon the highest
interests of the party. This they owe
TO- the Republicans who have elected
them to office and at whose hands they
have accepted the trust Of acting In ac-
cordance with the highest interests Of
the Republican party. If a deliberative
party council of this kind, held in a
spirit of conservatism, presided over by
partisan patriotism, guided by party
fealty, and honestly striving to harvest
the. fruits of a Republican victory, is
unfit to be trusted with the fortunes of
e. any Senatorial aspirant, that aspirant
is unfit to be elected to the office of
United States Senator Whoever re-
fuses to submit his political fortunes to
such a council of the party is unworthy
of honor at the hands of the party it
self Let the test be made at once. Let
the Senatorial candidates whose per-
= sonar ambitions are standing in the
way Of party success and defrauding
the party out Of the fruits of its we'll
earned victory, declare themselves at
e ONCE on this question; and the Senate
rial candidate who refuses to submit his
claim to a deliberate council Of his fell
low partisans will prove beyond all