The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-04-24

OCAL Democrats have begun their
preparatory work for the cam
l. paign which will end in November
with the first election under the char
ter. The faithful followers Of the Gal
lagher- Naguires have hardly recovered
from the crushing defeat which they
suffered at the last election, but they
are active and eager in the field with
a firm purpose to fight each other that
with the scars of internal warfare,
they may better oppose their common
enemy. The fractional quarrels which
have done so much TO make Demo-
cratic politics spectacular have COM
menced in earnest.
Mayor Phelan will be the bone of
contention. and his success or failure
in securing the Democratic nomination
for Mayor will mark the great issue of
the local campaign. Savage political
blows are even now being aimed at the
beloved and much cartooned head of
His Honor" and if dark political
plots count for anything that interest
ing toppiece will be severely battered
before the fight is over. Those that
are opposed to the Mayor will seek in
every possible way to destroy the local
Committee of One Hundred through
the intervention of the Democratic
State Central Committee
Success in the scheme will leave the
way open for a complete reorganiza-
ton Of the municipal Democracy in a
manner that viii relegate Phelan and
the political elements he represents to
private life. In this fight the State
Central Committee will be the judge.
The second contest is utterly depend
ent upon the first. If the opponents of
Phelan fail to destroy the Committee
Of One Hundred it will be idle to block
the progress of the Mayor except in an
appeal to the courts. If the Committee
Of One Hundred is permitted to exist
ii will strive to destroy district opposi-
tion that in all probability would be
successful This scheme has been
elaborated with cleverness. The fol-
lowers Of Phelan will attempt TO have
all the delegates to the municipal con
venton voted for by local Democrats
irrespective Of district distinctions. In
stead Of the Democrats Of each district
electing their own district delegates,
the entire body of Democrats in the
city viii vote for all the delegates to
the convention. This will rob 9ve15'
district Of any influence in opposition
to Phelan.
The first fight which will determine
the very existence of the Committee
Of One Hundred. will be fought the
latter part of this week or early next
week. Seth Mann, the chairman Of the
executive committee Of the Democratic
state Central Committee. says that a
meeting Of the body Of which he is the
head will be called very soon to deter
mine an appeal taken by w J. Heeney.
q member Of the local Committee of
one Hundred. In the early stages of
the last campaign Heeney became dis
gusted with the dominating influence
Of the Phelanites in the committee. It
viii be remembered that the State Cen
trail Committee nearly two years ago
grabbed both local Democratic factions
by the neck bumped their heads to-
gether and told them to go home Both
organiza tons were disbanded and a
committee of nine, representing the
State Central Committee, selected one
hundred men to- organize a new local
Democracy.
These hundred men declared them
selves a committee Of one hundred
and arrogated to themselves all the
power and authority Of the local or
ganization. They made themselves a
County Committee, and then, to carry