The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-04
His Latest Threat Will Not Force
Them Into a Caucus
PUBLIC INDIGNATION IS AROUSED
Burns lmpudence in Demanding That the
Majority Shall Rule and Then Refusing
to Obey the MajOrity'S Will

CALL HEADQUARTERS, sACRA-
MENTO, March S.-Burns is squareIy
confronted with the decree of the ma
1or1ty that he cannot be elected United
States Senator. He now threatens that
the vacancy in the Senate, that will be
caused by the retirement of Stephen NJ.
White, shall not be filled by this Legis-
lature. 1t remains to be seen whether
he can execute his threat to deprive the
Republican party and the people of Cali
fornia of their just representation in the
Congress of the United States. During
his career as a political boss he has made
Some bold bluffs and openly def1ed public
sentiment, but he has never before dared
10 defy the people of this great common
wealth in the high-handed manner that
he now assumes.
The proclamation inspired by Burns,
and written by Assemblymen Johnson
and Dibble, is sure to arouse pubic IN
dignation. It is clearly apparent tonight
that the so-called address signed by the
Burns henchmen has crystallized the anti
Burns sentiment in the Legislature.
Members who had considered the IDEA OF
going home before the adjournment OF
the Legislature have now resolved to stay
until the finish or until Burns has Re
tired from the field.
The opinion is expressed here tonight
by the ablest men of the Legislature that
the MANIFESTO SlTlppeu u W. 100 -
simply means this: There are twenty
seven out of eighty-five Senators and AS
sembiymen who support the pretenslons
of D. NJ Burns for United States Senator
We demand that the other htty-elght
Senators and ASSemblymen, or enough Oh
them TO elect a Senator, say slXty-ohe'
shall go into a party convention or eau
Gus which a bare majority SHAH conroI'
and be bound by a vote OF torty-three
or thirty-one, as the case may be- We
can never elect Burns by majority Oh
the Senate and Assembly in joint conVen-
ton Therefore Burns demands a party
caucus which we believe We can controI
by the help of those who are secretly
allied to US, but not ready to openly es-
mouse his cause. Ii Burns is not award
ed a caucus we will see TO IL there small
This is his demand, and this the penalty
of a refusal. The difficulty of this posi-
ZION lies in the fact that while the party
nav decide the question of caucus or no
caucus, Burns, simply because ne IS c one
of several candidates competing 1of SEN
atorlal honOrs, has no right, Lnorai OF
otherwise, TO demand one. II ms right
10 demand a caucus IS CONCEDED, theI any
other candidate has the privilege OF qe-
manding that there be no caucus al an
Mr.. Grant has openly voting Tor MIN
one more legislator than mas Burns. ne
declares against a caucus, and Tor reasons
eminentIy satisfactory to himself asks
that Mr. Burns orders be not complied
with. Is there any time-honored custom
that decides which of these candidates
shall have his way? If the answer to this
query is that neither candidate can de-
mand anything, but that the whole body
acting together, shall decide their conten-
tons, then it is plain that the question IS
settled against Burns.
A conference of all the Republican
members of the Legislature was held
few days ago, when Henry c, Dibble, on
Burns behalf. proposed in effect that
the conference" resolve itself into a
caucus" to be governed by such rules as
the majority might thereafter determine
This may not have been the precise word
ing but is the substance. The result was
that the party resolved to adjourn sine
die so far as the caucus proposition was
day in court then and there. The verdict
was against him by vote OF IS to ~.
That ended the caucus business, and with
It ended the last glimmer of hope that
twenty-seven men, with three or four
whom Burns had up his sleeve, could rule
the Republican party Of California and
enable him to become, for the sole purpose
of standardization, United States Sena-
tor. -.
Republican party of California as a
whole does not desire Burns as its
representative in the United States SEN
ate There is no Senator or AsSemplyIna
who does not know this to be the fact.
With the exception of certain Well-knoWn
subsidized or controlled newspapers, the
press of the State is against him, and that
mighty power, the public judgment of the
land, is protesting that his election would
be a political crime never 20 pc ConuoIeu
or forgotten. He may be rlght or wrong,
good or bad. sinful or holy, entitled to
Indication from Islander and libel or con-
dign punishment for a variety or 1elonleS.
The Republican party has no concern with
either condition, and decides nothing but but
that IL does not want him ana Will not
have him for its Senatorial representative.
r. r. has Sd decided the violation of it's, will
means political death to him who defies
Two-thirds of the Republicans in the
Legislature know this this o; as s+oD well
as aa Inv shall Burns impudent individual
demand 9elnaTd emphasized by Grove, Johnson's
siobbering pen, drive two-thirds, or any n
5Enopde of their constituents shall be fg-
n6red and where perhaps thirty-one shall
ronouer the conscience and sense OF de-
'cency of eighty-fve?
OF course California should have in the
Senate mate for Senator Perkins Inc
time is critical one. Great questions
y------