The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-08-27
SEARCHING FOR SIGNIFICANCE.

| lie long and niSnly SuStdHlcu oeiiN' % N'~i'N0
planned to express the unanimous welcome
home of the First California Volunteers has
gained all of its significance from their personality
and their return to their homes and the pursuits OF
peace. Some individual politicians may have used
the occasion to put themselves in the focus OF pubic
attention. but as this is the politicians way, and noth-
ing can restrain him from using everything, from
funeral to ete for that purpose there nothing I'M
usual in it. The people have paid Tor the welcome
and have turned out in hundreds of thousands to ex
press their respect for iellowcitizens who nave
been under and under fire, IN oDeaience u
orders, in a hazardous for which they volun-
teered No sensible person has considered 1t TO mean
anything else. The cheers and tears and shouting
have been by those OF all shades OF opinion on
the issue of expansion and of all sorts OF political
belief Silver and Gold Democrats Republicans and
Popusts all put up their sound money that the city
might be garnshed and in gay dress for the pleasure
OF the soldier boys.
1t has remained for the Evening Post to entirely
dsconnect the great occasion from the presence ana
the personality OF the returned volunteers IL insists
that it is unanimous expression in favor OF incor-
poratng the Philippines into the United States and
demand that Dan Burns be elected Senator IN order
to effect such incorporation
This theory is important No one else has devel-
oped the relation OF Burns to the holding of the
Philippines or the holding of anything else except the
public nose We had no idea that the case had be-
come so bad that the Post in every group OF con-
sulting citizens and in every crowd OF thousands de-
mand for Burns We have no doubt that that ambl-
tious person has assumed that it is his campaign
The welcoming feet OF ships and craft on the bay
were to him the enlistment OF Neptune in his fight.
The thousands of electric globes that string the streets
are merely to light his march up the shining way to
the Senate. When the band played Hail to the
Chief he saluted himself and knew who wore the
said chiefs clothes. The procession, from Shatter TO
the last man and horse, was merely his dopple-
ganger, and when the crowd reared its cheers and
the ladies turned every window into casemate from
which to throw kisses the luscious and light artillery
OF OSCILLATION was all in action for his benefit
The Post is quite positive in all this 1t thinks that
not only the land and the people thereof crave for
Burns to take his in the Senate next December,
but the Pacific Ocean joins in the demand. 1t says
that wide sheet of water has prepared itself for the
theater OF the gtandest national drama yet enacted
the stage OF human history, and the play will not go
on unless Burns is elected. II he is not that ocean
will Immediately cease to be theater and will shrive
to the petty purposes OF fshpond.
The Post should add that il Burns is not imme
diately commissioned Senator the will turn back
at Verdi and cease to beam California at all The
big trees will become sapngs, the hg trees will bear
thistles and disguised nature will shrug her mighty
shoulder and shake the State back to eocene chaos
and black night.
In all humility The Call ventures TO assert that not
the one hundredth OF one per OF the people who
welcomed home our soldier boys had thought of
the vacancy in the Senate, of its perpetuaton by
the election OF Burns. They not approx
ing or Disappearing OF the Philippine Its popu
larity or unpopuarity did not figure in the event
The whole occasion was g-hearted whole-fsted
welcome to men who had individually and as an
ganization shed great glory and imperishabe honor
upon their State and written shining chapter in its
deathess history 1t meant that and nothing else.
and that enough. 1t is insult to the soldiers
themselves and to the people who hailed them home
again so genuinely and heartily to put upon it any
ether construction, and especially to reduce all this
hearty roar OF good feeling into shout for Dan
Burns
There are scores OF men in the First who marched
for miles between walls of hearts beating time
to their soldery tread who better fitted for the
Senate than the Posts candidate. Any OF these
scores can put off his beaten uniform for the
Senatorial toga and it worthier than Burns.
But to the eye of the Post these young veterans had
no other place in all the pageantry but to as sand
witch men bearing sign inscribed, Burns for Sen
ator."