The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-06-14
AUDITOR WELLS
PLAYED A STAR
ENGAGEMENT
Lees Elected License
Collector.
COMPACT WITH THE BOSSES
IMPOSITION UPON TIFFANY
AND HIS FRIENDS
The Auditor Attempted to Garry
Water on Both Shoulders and
Was Neatly Trapped by
the Mayor.

Frederick W Lees. son of the Chief
OF Police, has been elected License Col
lector of San Francisco, to succeed T.
r. Bonnet. AS predicted in The Call
young Lees received the votes of Au-
dltor Wells and Treasurer Truman. and
he will be confirmed by the Republican
majority of the Board of Supervisors
The election of the License Collector Is
the conclusion of a very interesting po-
htical episode, in which Auditor Wells
played star engagement. 1t will be
remembered that the Auditor and
Treasurer took pains TO announce that
in the selection of a License Collector
they would ignore political and per
sonal influences and choose a man
qualified by character and business
training for the place
Auditor Wells was particularly en-
phatic in his declaration that a bust
ness man would be chosen. He ex-
patated upon the advantage Of such q
selection, and showed as clearly as
others knew that the office should be
filed by such a man. After these
declarations had been made 1t seemed
a reasonable certainty that F. W. Lees
would not succeed Bonnet.
Then reports, in every particular cor
rect, were circulated that Chief of Po-
lice Lees was laboring with Crimmins
and Kelly to secure the position for his
son. 1t was announced that Fred Lees
would sacrifice the patronage of the Of
fee to the Auditor, Treasurer and
Board Of Supervisors, and that. with
f1r 70 nd Ga
the votes Of Wells and Truman These
reports were vigorously denied. Auditor
Wells going so far as to deny that he
had promised to vote for Fred Lees
but taking very good care not to say
that he would not vote for Lees when
the proper time came. The Auditor was
playing a rather peculiar game. He
was between two fires-that of the po-
litiCal bosses on one side and that of
substantial business men and infuen-
tial merchants on the other.
Auditor Wells had generously prom
ised to vote for F. w. Lees and also
for William z. Tiffany. The predica-
ment Of the Auditor was interesting
even if ii were extremely uncomfort-
able 1t was impossible for the Auditor
To keep his promise to both men, and TO
satisfy the antagOnistic interests which
Wells sought to keep in his train. On
the one hand was the pressure of politi-
cal threats and promises, and on the
other the force of political opinion, to
which Wells wanted TO bow, but did
not dare to do So
Downtown merchants and business
men. social, business and fraternal
friends of Wells urged upon the Audi
tor to vote for William z. Tiffany.
Wells promised to do so and assured
his friends that he would do everything
in his power to elect their favorite. At
that time the Auditor was pledged to
vote for young Lees. The gold brick
was being gilded for Tiffany. At the
first meeting of the commission which
is authorized to elect the License Col
lector Wells was safe. Treasurer Tru-
man was absent from the city, and
there was no chance that License Col
lector could be elected. Wells, there
fore, voted for Tiffany. Lees and his
political supporters smiled, as they
knew the secret of the game and were
willing to permit Wells to carry out his
deception to the end. when, under the
pretense of accepting a necessity he
would vote for Lees.
At the meeting of the commission
which was held on Monday, the three
Commissioners were present, and bal
lot was taken. Mayor Phelan voted for
Bonnet, Wells voted for Tiffany and
Truman cast his ballot for Lees. No
apparent agreement could be reached
and none was intended. Wells was to
be permitted to retain his reputation
with his business friends, but Mayor
Phelan took a hand in the game and
provoked an attack Of heart failure in
Wells. The Mayor suddenly became
reconciIed to the thought of electing
Tiffany. whose praises had bean so per-
sistently shouted by Wells. Since a
Democrat could not be elected the
Mavor professed his willingness to &C
cept a Republican so we'll qualified as
Tiffany. Mayor Phelan then assured
his associates that on the next ballot
he would vote for Wells candidate.
This announcement developed most
unexpected complication. Both Tru-
man and Wells knew that Crimmins
and Kelly had commanded that Lees
was TO be elected, and the will of the
bosses was to be obeyed. But Wells
had 10 make a showing to his business
friends and he at once proposed an ad-
journment Of the commission. Truman
accepted the proposal with enthusiasm.
and the commission adjourned until
yesterday.
The gold brick had now been COM
pletely gilded. When the commission met
yesterday ballot was taken, and Wells
again voted for Tiffany, with the un-
Outstanding that on the second ballot
he would vote for Lees. This was done
according to programme and Lees was
elected. Tiffanys friends are afraid to
tell him what happened to him, but he
is expected TO recover in a few days