The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-10
STRIFE AMONG
CITY DEMOCRATS
IS THREATENED
Knives for Committee
of One Hundred.
THE NEW PRIMARY LAW
DEFEAT LAST FALL ASCRIBED
TO COUNTRY INTERFERENCE.
Attitude of Messrs. Buckley, Rainey,
Gould, McNab and Other
Bosses of the
Party.
THE NEW PRIMARY LAW
DEFEAT LAST FALL ASCRIBED
TO COUNTRY INTERFERENCE.

The new primary law is causing no little
speculation among the rank and file Of the
various political parties. Each day
awakens a deeper interest among the poll
ticians.
What will be the outcome?
This question no one can answer, not
even those who have heretofore served in
their several parties as pilots at the
wheel, steering the party ship on such a
course as would best serve their purposes
and ambition. The operation Of the STRAIT
ton primary law will certainly surprise
many of the patriots. Particularly will
this be the case among the Democrats.
For several years back the Democratic
party If this city has been governed
through self-appointed committees, aided
and abetted by a few Democratic poll
ticians from the interior who manage
periodically 10 gain membership on the
Democratic State Central Committee, and
then use their position to deprive Demo-
cratic voters here Of their right TO gov
ern their local organization.
The present county committee of one
hundred. claiming TO be the governing
body Of the san Francisco Democracy,
was appointed by a committee Of nine
from the Democratic State Central Com
nittee This committee consisted of
seven members from the interior and two
from San FranCisco-GaVin McNab and
Eugene y. Deuprey. Frank H. Gould, an
other member, however, has since relin-
pushed all claims as a Statesman from
the country and is now a full-fedged
leader of the Reform Democracy OF the
F0Ttieth District, and II is said second
only IN command to NJ. c. HaSSett, the
Leonidas of the Lone Mountain Pass,
whose political achievements have been
even more brilliant than was the military
heroism of the history famed Leonidas at
Old IhermOpylae.
The war Is on among the unterrifed.
For the present the work of organization
in the eighteen Assembly districts is pro-
ceeding quietly, but soon the tame OF en-
thuSlaSm viii burst forth, and what a
flame 1t will be! The Fire Department
has been quite successful in the past in
preventing the spread of fire throughout
our city. but the flame of the political en-
thusiasm now smoldeTing in the breast of
the "unWaShed' will certainly reach the
citadel where is enthroned the creation of
the "Goulds, Affords and McNabs as
perSOnified in what is called the Commit
tee OF One Hundred. and no effort of the
Fire Department can even save the has
beens' from destruction.
The general sentiment as far as can be
ascertained is that the Committee OF One
Hundred must be wiped out, II for no
other reason than to demonstrate at the
approaching primary that said committee
does not now nor did at any time truly
represent the Democratic party. The dis
astrous defeat of the party at the last
election is pointed TO as undoubted proof
vans. Braunharts. MCNabs, Hassetts,
NOugueses, FayS and the rest of the Cotere
have been for a long time expressing the
hope that a primary act affording every
possible safeguard to the end that an hon
est primary could be had should become
a law.
Now that such primary law has been
placed on the statute book, their every ac-
ton indicates that they have become fear
full Of the results. They view with I'M
feigned chagrin the resistless current of
Democratic sentiment against them. In
their mad effort to stem the tide they pro-
pose that the Committee of One Hundred
shall hand in 10 the Board of Election
Commissioners an appOruonment Of dele
gates 20 the local convention, whereby
the delegates shall be all elected at large.
They figure that by this method, with Re
publican support a the primary, they can
control the convention. Depriving Demo-
Gratis in the precincts and districts of the
city of their right TO a voice in party mat
tiers is nothing new with them.
The present State Central Committee, at
its meeting on Thursday next, may fix
things up so that the Committee of One
Hundred will have no power to act on
the apporuonment proposition, should the
State Committee not interfere. The Dem
ocrats opposed to the one hundred are 50
confident Of their strength in being able
10 annihilate that body that they care but
very little what manner Of apportiOnment
will be made. whether at large by dis
triCts or precincts
The law, however, clearly shows on its
face that delegates to party conventions
must be elected by precincts, and the eff
forts 10 have them elected at large dem
onstrates that those who were the loudest
in their demand to give the voters a fair
chance at a primary are now enlisted in
an attempt to ignore the true base of
political action-the precinct.
The leaders of the One Hundred are
vainly giving out the word that the Buck
ley and Rainey followers are the only ele-
ments opposed to the regime that has
brought disaster and disorganization to
the party. While 1t is true that Buckley
has opened headquarters in the Baldwin
Annex and is sending for people as of old
while il is probably true that Rainey Is
watching with anxious eye the trend of
events and awaits an opening to break
in-although up to date those who are
supposed to be close to the Fire Depart
ganization-yet it seems that the followers
Of both Buckley and Rainey, although OPP
posed no doubt. to the Committee OF One
Hundred represent very small proper
tion Of Democrats who eagerly await the
opportunity 10 give the One Hundred bat
tie.
For the time being 1t would seem that
all elements have pooled their issues and
have determined to wipe out the last YES
tige of the self-apDointed committee. be-
lieving that when this is accomplished the
chances for Democratic victory will be
much brighter.
The hope is entertained by many Demo
Gratis that the Committee of One Hundred
will place a ticket in the field at the pri-
mary, and should this be done the antag-
onism that will develop against 1t by con-
servative anti-boss Democrats Will be
made manifest and the attempt on the
part Of the One Hundred to pose as the
only ahti-boss Democrats must neces-
sarily fall to the ground.