The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-13
BEECHER AND LAIRD ARE
AGAINST CONSTITUENTS

CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA-
MENTO, Jan. r. - Assemblyman ]. H.
Beecher OF Shasta County who has permit
ted himself to be made one OF the victims
Of the dire influence Of the Burns push
and who has for five ballots voted for
Mexican Dan, feels deeply the unfortu-
nate position in which he is placed, but
he does not appear to be strong enough
to break away from the fold into which
he has been dragged and reassert his
manhood 1t was a very cleverly arrang-
ed plan on the part of Colonel Burns and
his manipulators whereby they persuaded
Assemblyman Beecher to violate his
pledge made to the Grant people and to.
cast his vote for a man for United States
Senator whom 1t is admitted is not the
choice of twenty-five Republicans in
Shasta and Modoc counties, which are
included in Beecher's district.
George D. Champlin, relative OF
Beecher, who is also connected with the
Stanford estate and has been more or less
close in his relations with the Southern
Pacific Railroad, is directly responsible
for Beecher's change of heart from Grant
to Burns In this work Champlin was
assisted by Superior Judge Edward Swee-
nv and ex-County Clerk Drynan of Shas-
IA County. Both Sweeny and Drynan
have been in Sacramento on and off ever
since the Senatorial fight opened and
they have left no stone unturned, not only
in bringing Beecher over into the burns
camp, but they have also been constantly
guarding him to see that he stays Where
he is placed.
Beecher was not originally a candidate
for the Republican nomination In the
Fifth Assembly District, but 1t was given
him. Judge Sweeny, who was originally
favorable to Grants candidacy, nomina-
ted Reecher in the convention. His dis
trict was close, having been formerly rep
resented by Shanahan, so some OF Grant
friends gave to Beecher material assist
ance in making his fight. In fact, 1t was
the friends of Grant who persuaded
Beecher to enter the contest All during
the campaign the voters In SHASTA anu
Modoc counties believed that Beecher
would If elected cast his vote for Grant
Io peechar probably intended to do so, for
ba &c not a politician and is not well &C.
nnointed with the double-cross tactlcs Oh
the professional politician. But a1ter ne
arrived in Sacramento his relative Gna M
Min got to work on him; ana WIN Iile
assistance of Sweeny and Drynan, Beech-
er was won over to Burns. ,,.,o,,,
Judge sweeny is an am a. laoil
ing to the future. A seat on the Supreme
bench of the State would not be dlstaSte-
FIi To him, and Colonel Daniel Burns mas
in the past as pr9mhl5 @ A AGnuo Judge
1 1,, MS MS closed up the Superior Court
Of shasta County and made TWO tIlpS 10
Sacramento since the Senatorla al nslie ilaa
opened. and the effect of his lapors mere
ore visible He has assisted In adding
one vote to the Burns column, and AS,
semblyman Beecher has thereby Vloia'eo
ii re I1dge emphatically denies that he
&c for Burns and claims that ne mas not
M rticinated in the Senatorial nght But
there are others here who claim tnat tne
1iGta
Srro IN their statements that he mas
piaced the Burns collar over MS neck as
Sweeny is in his denials
We'll defined rumors are current tnat
Assemblvman Beecher is to be remem.
bered by Governor Gage in the shape OF
Job a nd i br rs aiSo is not to
Ia FORGOTTEN for the work that he has
done for Colonel Burns; CAGE
Again is the hand of Governor cage APP
narent in the Senatorial contest He is
ppeinq II to foist Daniel M. Burns upon
the people of California as their repre-,
Sentative in the Senate or the united
o., command any of the State patronage
&c aid him in his fight daily accumulates.
0f course Beecher and Drynan both deny
that they are looking Tor any appoint
,aan+ from the Governor. 1t was not~ex-
nacted that they would admit 1t.
Senator T. j. Laird, who represents the
counties of Lassen, Modoc, shasta, Sis
l,iyou and Trinity has misreprseented MS
ny on every ballot by voting for
pmrns Laird secured the Republican
domination in the Second Senatorial Dis
trict after sharp. contest by one vote.
IF there had even been suspicion that
IL u,o,,id upon his arrival at Sacramento,
heo"rne associated with the touts and
Federal brigade in attempting to II force rec
IIIIi.ed states Senate he would have been
Srried under an avalanche of votes by
the hardy mountaineers who make up the
49,, nor IN their opposition to Burns, and
w6o regard st; his Senatorial candidacy as
an Insult to the honest people of the
oS Sa'1o+ or Laird has stated that he has no
fnfure political ambition and that this is
the the last office he will ever seek at the
hands of the people 1t was tais not In hes
fGF owe own acts acts placed himself on the re-
tired list. He has misrepresented his con-
stituency by voting for Burns on five
ballots, and according to reports from the