The San Francisco call., 1899-11-02
AUCTION SALES
POLITICS AND THE FLAG.

y a speech made to workngmen on Tuesday MI
! Franklin X. Lane said: We sent our boys to
fight for the flag. They came from down here
from the families OF worlngmen. 1t lies in man 5
mouth to say the Democrats are untrue to the flag.
Tread softly Mr.. Lane The flag is national flag
Mayor Phean says that mention OF things national
is treason to the charter But who has said thar
Democrats were untrue to the flag? We have NOT
heard it. Why does Nh Lane have to kick himself
in order to get mad about being kicked? The only
allusion to lack OF patriotism has been made by Mr..
Phelan, who said that Republicans scarce in
the army that Major Geary did not see any in Ma
Mia That a false impeachment OF Republican
fidelity to the flag and an appeal to national matters,
for which the Mayor was alone responsible. 1t was
untrue, as would be like slur upon Democrats on
the same subject. The party politics OF had
nothing to do with their enlistment in the Spanish
war 1t may be said that Mr.. Lane and Mr.. Phelan
arc both young and patriotic, but they did not
work it the extent OF ensting, and they would
both better let the who did enlist alone and
not attempt to use them stage properties in their
our-standsa-night party theatrical troupe. Mr.. Lane
is a young gentleman in possession OF a brilliant
vocabulary, stocked with high-priced words His
resonant periods woven all of bright-colored speech
until they were gay as a Navajo blanket a Mexican
woman's rebozo, put on the market in behalf of M
Cleveland and all his works, were accepted at the
time as sincere expressions of his sentiments That
he has vocal fabrics OF equally irridescent color in
stock for the denunciation OF Mr. Cleveland and the
exaation of Mr. Bryan is evidence OF the versatility
OF his convictions.
Really he does not need to draw upon the abun-
dant resources of his fertile Imagination for straw
facts to serve as a text to his flowing speech All
men admit that he loves the flag Every star and
every stripe is as dear him the apple of his eye
Let It go at that Mr. Lane and don't treat work
ingrnen so ignorant that you make them be
eve any has decried their patriotism. They work
for living. You work for office. They pay your
salary and you wear a billed shirt" They meet you
every campaign, and we have no doubt that your
feryid oratory enlivens their noon hour But be-
tween times you don't hire them. You don't paw
them wages. You have no capital embarked in those
business activities which by paying wages enable
workingmen to support their families and yours for
you live a salary paid by taxing them. You don't
even go down among them when you are not a can
didate advocating other candidates. and their
hour desolate and deprived OF your interest
ing presence except at such times as their votes are
necessary to your personal purposes We will admit
for the sake Of the argument that Mr. Phelan and M
Lane are wakeful at night for sympathy with work
ingmen, but their vigils pay no wages nor add an
ounce to the aborers basket and store We suppose
that Mr.. Phelan rents houses to laborers, but the
wages which pay his rents earned in employment
by others, not by him nor Mr.. Lane
Some one Of the Phean oratorical troupe said to
workngmen the other day that Mr. Phelan is the
worllingmen's candidate, while Mr. Davis is the can
didate OF their employers Now in its essence. the
situation IS this: Both workngmen and their en-
ployers want such an industrial condition that two
employers are after one laborer, not. two or many
laborers beseechng the same employer for Job that
only one man can have Out of the agony and blood,
sweat of hard times this city and State have SLOWLY
emerged into condition in which the employers are
out looking for worl1men and but few need be idle
IF both employers and employed conclude that the
election OF Mr. Davis will tend to the maintenance
of these industrial conditions which both desire it is
not friendly act in Mr. Lane no matter in what
oratorcal coruscation it may be clothed,S to make
class appeals to workngmen for the support of can
didates who have never been laborers nor en-
ployers