The San Francisco call., 1899-07-25
Christopher Buckley, FierceIy AsSaiIed by
Rainey-LaWrence Combine, Threatens to
Fight ACCusers to a Finish.
Ugly Secrets of the Past DvuIged-The Knife Was Out for
Senator White An Electric Franchise Scheme.

! ing prepared and would be published
l also understood that the managing
editor of the Mud Mill was telling all
my followers to keep away from me; to
have nothing to do with me. The stuff
printed is simply rehash of what has
already appeared in the past ten years.
Many years ago l was actively en-
gagged with a gentleman named A. J.
Fritz, rs members of the Democratic
organization W. D. English and other
gentlemen who were members of the
State Committee at that time had the
idea that they wanted a Democratic
organ. and they requested George
Hearst, the mining man, who was
afterWard Senator, to purchase the Ex-
aminer, which he did, and turned it into
a morning paper, with w. 7. Baggett
as managing editor and W. II. Davis
| as business manager. Both gentlemen
are living now and are in this city.
| Often when the proprietor was out of
| town these gentlemen would come to
me for money and I would advance
! them $500. 800 and $1,000 to keep that
Mud Mill from going to pieces.
I'm 1875 Mr.. Fritz and myself had
! built up Democratic organization and
through the aid of the people who were
| cooperating with US we managed to
| elect a ticket in that year-1S75. In 1877
we elected a portion of the ticket. In
| 1879 the workingmen absorbed the
| Democratic party, with the exception
| of about 1000 votes, which we polled. In
| 1880 we compromised with the Working
| mems party and carried the city for
| Hancock. In 1881, during the delibera-
| tions of the Democratic convention. the
| character of men who presented them
selves was such that 1 advised against
accepting them. They would not heed
my advice and went to the convention
and nominated them. 1 then told them
| they would be defeated, and my prog
| thew
! ANONYMOUSLY defeated by 5000 or 10000
votes.
After the defeat of 1881 we then had
| in existence a Democratic State Club.
which appointed a committee consist
| ing of Washington Bartlett, Joseph
| Clark, Judge Hager and two other gen
| tlemen for the purpose of bringing
| about a reorganization of the Demo-
cratic party. l suggested to the COM
/ mittee a plan that the desired result
might be brought about 1t was that
| the Executive Committee of the State
| Central Committee should appoint a
committee of twenty-five and a county
| committee of twenty-five, making a
total of fifty. That the County Com
mittee should turn over all its rights to
! this committee of fifty, and the COM
mittee of fifty was then to formulate
| plan for the reorganization of the
| party. This was done and from that
originated the forty-seven precinct
| clubs.
after the clubs were organized
| George Hearst came to me and re-
quested me to take charge of his con-
| test for the nomination of Governor of
| this State. We secured large ma jority
/ of the San Francisco delegation and
/ balloted for him for five days at the
Democratic State convention which met
/ that year in San Jose. The local ticket
/ which was nominated that year by the
/ convention selected by the forty-seven
| district clubs. which met in Union Hall,
| nominated Washington Bartlett for
! Mayor. a BoarG of Supervisors which
| embraced F. 3. Pond, J. Henley Smith,
F. s. Strother, Thomas Ashworth, JEFF
! ferson G. James and others and a whole
municipal ticket. 1t was elected by up
ward of 10000 majority.
The administration of that govern
ment from 1888 to 1885 is before the peo-
! pie It was the best administration of
public affairs that this city has ever
| had. In 1884, when, according to this
/ newspaper. 1 had sold out the party,
| Blaine carried the State by 1000 ma
! jority. Notwithstanding that, We
elected the Mayor. Auditor County
! Clerk Public Administrator, Mr.. Pond
! for Supervisor and some other officers.
! In 1886 we elected the ticket. In 1888
we elected the ticket. In 1890, when Mr.
! Stanford was a candidate for United
States Senator, his legislative ticket re-
ceived AZ, 900 majority. In that election
Mr.. Pond, the Democratic candidate for
I Governor, carried the city by small
majority and the local Democratic
! ticket received $4,000 votes, 5000 more
than any local ticket has received
since. This is the time referred to in
! this article that the city was being
/ looted and robbed. and during this Sime
this same managing editor. Long
| Green Lawrence, was seen to follow
me around with his hat in his hand,
| hoO =
! Legislature, which I consented to do at
! the request of George Hearst.
THE people should stop to think Of
/ the Government they received from
! 1882 to 1891. The Democratic admins
tration of public affairs then was the
/ best they ever had. The government
was run for $780, 900 a year To-day
/ it costs S6000.00 What has been the
| cause of this? I will tell you. This
Mud Mill 1t has quarreled and fought
with every reputable man who has
come into politics that it could not use.
! These attacks on me are personal,
not political The present proprietor of
/ that paper came to me in the State
convention of 1890 and wanted me to
defeat the aspirati of the Hon. Ste
phen Nj. White, who was seeking the
| Endorsement of that convention for
United States Senator. This refused
to do. He afterward, through an
agent, wanted me to secure for him
/
/ Company from the Board Of Supervi-
sors His agent offered to sell me three
thousand shares of Electric Improve
ment Company stock at 81 a share,
stating that when the franchise was
granted it would be worth S75 share.
/ leave it to the public what [ was to
do with this stock. l informed his
agent if he wanted to do business of
that kind he would have to do it him
| self. as I was not engaged in ii. So
YOU can see, as l say, his persecution
| of me is personal, not political
In reply to questions as to the ad-
vancement of money to the Examiner,
Mr.. Buckley said he got back the
money loaned. Speaking of Lawrence's
career in the Legislature, he said the
managing editor of the Examiner was
a nonentfty But" he continued, L
do know, according to the papers, that
| On Fifth Pagal