The San Francisco call., 1904-02-18
GOOD PLACES
ON THE LIST
Talk That Republican Aspirant
May Be Named Secretary of
Yosemite Valley Commission
LERMEN's LONG LEASE
Gen. John H. Dickinson Ready
to Accept~the Nomination for
State Senatorin Ninth District

The duty of appointing Commis-
sioner of the Yosemite Valley. to fill
the vacancy caused by the death of w.
W. Foote, devolves upon the Governor
of the State. Mr.. Foote was appointed
to the commission in 1897 by Governor
Budd and was reappointed by Gov
ernor Gage in 1901. One of the first
acts of the Yosemite Commission after
the appointment of Mr.. Foote was the
displacement of the Republican secre-
tary and the election of j. ]. Lermen. a
Democrat.
The fact that the latter has held the
office of secretary of the commission
for five years under Republican admin
istration has caused deal of comment
in political circles. The comments are
of this style: why should not the ap-
pointing power under a Republican ad-
ministration recognize the Republicans
who go to the front and win victories
for the party?"
In the State Blue Book Of 1899 the
salary of the secretary was listed at
$500 year. In the new Blue Book it is
rated at $500. There has been no
actual change in the compensation.
The salary was probably $500 per an
mum when it was listed in the book at
$500. The low rating was probably
MADE for the purpose of reducing the
number of aspirants for the place
Under the new apportionment of leg
islative districts, the counties of Marin
and Contra Costa constitute the Ninth
Senatorial district. In the Presidential
election of 1900 the Republican plurality
in Contra Costa County was GIG and
in Marin County IN, or 1893 in the Sen
atorial district. In the contest for State
Senator that year Charles NJ. Belshaw,
Republican, defeated his Democratic
adversary, James H. Wilkins, by 305
votes. The election returns indicated
that four hundred Republicans in Marin
County supported the Democratic nom
inee The rule has long prevailed to
give the Senatorship to Marin one term
and to Contra Costa the following term.
1t is now Marin's term, as Contra Costa
had an inning in 1900. The point, how
ever, is raised that Marin did not play
fair in the last contest, but on the con-
trary put forth every exertion to de-
feat the Contra Costa Republican nom
inee and elect a Marin County Demo-
crat. There is talk of feprisal 1t
would not surprise the politicians to
hear that Charles NJ. Belshaw had en-
tered the field as a candidate for re-
election. There is also talk that Mar
tinelli and Chapman will not have
everything their own way in the Re
publican camp of Marin County. Gen
eral John H. Dickinson is in the field
as an aspirant for the Republican nom
ination. General Dickinson represented
the old Tenth district in the State Sen
ate throughout the twenty-third and
twenty-fourth sessions at the Legisla-
ture. Subsequently he represented Con-
ira Costa and Marin in the Senate dur
ing the thirty-second and thirty-third
sessions. He is a popular man and a
campaigner of the first grade.
At the meeting of the State Board
of Harbop Commissioners yesterday
the resignation of Donald de V. Gra-
ham, wharfnger, was reluctantly ac-
cepted. Eugene Cohen was elected to
, succeed Mr.. Graham. There is gossip
in political circles to the effect that
the appointment of Senator Frank
French to the position of Superintend-
ent of Tugs and Dredges is simply the
fulfillment of a promise made at the
last session of the Legislature and does
not signify that he will be expected to
support either Bard or Oxnard for the
United States Senate at the next legis-
lative session.