The San Francisco call., 1903-09-30
A FUSION CANDIDATE.

III
Democracy OF this city have been augmented
by incurring the displeasure of Mr.. William
Randolph Hearst candidate for President and phil
osopher OF fddie-strings.
The Democratic convention resolved against fusion
and against permitting any Of its nominees to accept
nomination from any other party This policy was
dictated by and frequent experience. The party
under Mr. William Randolph Hearst's dictaton has
fused with any old thing that came along. In 1896
II fused with the Populiss, and again did the
IN 1000. In State politics it has fused with every
thing but the Prohibitonists, and would have done
that if cloves had been passed pending the negotia
ton Out of every fusion it has come with less
votes than it would have probably poled alone, and
in such barren results of that policy it has acquired
a prejudice against mixing.
But while the fusion habit is rejected as a party
there be individuals in the party who have it yet
and so several candidates took pains and trouble to
provide themselves with the labor party nomina-
zion in advance and then report for Endorsement to
the assembled and warning regulars and horses and
carts, in convention met point with pride, view
with alarm and reach for things. There they found
cold-hearted determination to denounce the Mayor,
head of the labor party, and pick such flaws and
bore such holes in his administration as to make 1t
look like colander Having done this it is dis
party, and the sooner candidates who had secured
its nomination find themselves compelled to elect
and choose between the two. Thereupon they are
smitten and
The trade against fusion issued by the grand Turk
Of the city Democracy shoots above the lowly
wretches who small Offices and are content with
crumbs. McNab loses tricks and has an excellent
memory. In that respect he is the Democratic
Mazeppa, and in that only, for he is as proper a
ever bossed party and put up epgrams of
equal pungency whether suggested by victory de
feat Mr.. William Randolph Hearst has long dis
approved of Mr. McNab and has even gone to the
extreme OF putting him upon his blacklist along
with Denman, Sam Brooks, Phelan and others, for
that list is formidable and was for years headed by
the name Of Stephen NJ White who dared be elected
the United States Senate without the consent of
Mr. William Randolph Hearst
McNab has not wasted away and become anaemic
under the strain, but has remained sufficiently robust
TO know the time to strike back That time came
with the present convention Mr. William Randolph
Hearst has been busy creating labor party in order
to have something with which Democracy can fuse
with him the representative OF both He concludes
that fusion on every local candidate is the best way
TO begin. and desired that this city, upon which he
conferred the inexpressble honor of selecting it for
his birthplace should lead off The willy McNab saw
the longngs Of ambition in Mr. William Randolph
Hearst running up and down like mercury in the
stem OF a thermometer and smote them with clay
more by compelling the party to canonize against
fusion and compelling straight nominations His
Bannockburn would not have been complete if Viii
liam Randolph Hearst had WINGED and yowled
under the blow But this was not lacking, for Viii
liam Randolph Hearst in an inspired editorial ran up
and down the gamut OF regret and disappointment
jawed the local party for being the willing instru-
ment OF his ambition, and reminded it fretfuly but
firmly that it and the labor party look alike to him
and he does not approve OF Democrats to whom they
appear different
Then McNab rejoced for he had pushed bod
kin through the OF the Presidential candidate
and the whole town had seen the victim vince and
heard him cry. But it is safe to say that the anti
fusion plank will stand, and if candidates want to
stand on the Democratic ticket they must step off the
labor ticket McNab's is straight goods. and
the advocates Of cocktail politics will have to quit
mixed drink and come to plain grog
The delays and procrastinatons of California
courts are proverbial, but it took San Jose man