The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-17
ALL PRECINCTS
WILL Be WELL
REPRESENTED
Promise of the Local
Democracy.

A good part of the local Democracy Is
waiting to see what the next meeting of
the committee of one hundred will bring
forth. The time for the meeting has not
vet been set, nor has there been any def
mite outline of business discussed by
those who wish things to go smoothly
and quietly. The Democratic situation
is in a state of expectant suspense, and
only the meeting will throw light on the
matters the wise ones are debating. But
even with all this it is denied that the
meeting will be of any importance. 1t
will be for the purpose of apporuonlng
delegates is the answer to all who may
ask why but it is from this very question
of delegates that the SITUATION taxes us
The first real move in local affairs Dem
ocratic has come from the State Central
Committee The committee, in referring
to delegates to municipal conventions,
and perhaps to the work of the commit
tee of one hundred a year ago, advises
that delegates be apportioned TO the pre-
cincts one to each, or three to each Vot-
ing precinct. 1t was at first the idea of
the committee of one hundred to allow
the faithful to vote blanket ticket that
would tighten their labors at the primary
polls and materially assist the aris-
tocratic administration to have things
its own way, as heretofore. But all that
was a year ago. The faithful have been
to school since then, and they have been
to the hardest school of all-the school
of experience. The State Central Com
mittee saw it first, and the advice to the
committee of one hundred was the result
The party will not stand another deal
such as it got a year ago, and so the
committee of one hundred was asked to
yield a point and forego the blanket
ticket in favor of precinct representation.
Precinct representation goes, therefore,
not because the State Central Committee
asked it, it is carefully explained, but be-
cause it would be better So Precinct
representation goes, but there is nothing
to define the term representation, and
may not precinct be represented by
manor born? good worker for the elite
who can move and establish a residence,
as well as a good worker for the rank
and file who lives in his own home and
clared, THE State Central Committee
cannot dictate to the committee of one
hundred 1t may advise, but no one is
bound by that advice. 1t may suggest,
but the suggestion need only be received
politely.
Under the new primary law there is no
way set forth in which the delegates must
be apportioned- 1t is required that the
manner of apportioning the delegates
must be described, but that, is all The
sudden Willingness of the kidgltovedf 10
not based on any demand OF the law
Within a month and with equal leganty
it was decided to submit blanket ticket
to the enthusiastic but as the enthusi-
asm has become somewhat dimmed the
purpose of the aristocracy has become
broader until 1t now is announced that
every precinct will have a representative
Twill he live in the precinct? IS the nat
ural question. and the answer IS, I sup
pose he will; but beyond this SUPPOSE
ton there is world of uncertainty,
Under the law the delegates may be
apportioned to the various precincts at a
be at large They may number up to
total that will give each precinct at least
ing to prevent every one of these dele
gates from coming from the same pre-
cinct if the apportioningx power only has
section. That is what makes the pro-
posed precinct representation Of the COM