The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-07-31
BATTLE IN SOUTHLAND
CAUSES SOME LIVELY SKIRMISHING
Three Cornered Fight
for Toga Grows
Interesting.

4-
LOS ANGELES, July 30-The three
cornered fight now being waged by
Bard, Oxnard and Frank Flint. in
which seat in the United States Sen
ate is the prize, is not unlike the mem
orable campaign of two years ago,
when Henry T. Gage was endeavoring
to secure Endorsement of his political
acts and methods by asking the people
to return him to Sacramento as Gov
ernor of the State. There is not in the
present contest that personal and po-
litical bitterness which characterized
the Gage campaign, but in many other
respects the fight is being waged along
the same lines and with practically the
same division of the party. This is
particularly true Of Los Angeles Coun-
ty. but 1t applies also. but in lesser de-
gree, to the other sections Of Southern
California.
Believing that the political leaders in
the north are honest in their reputed
statements that they concede to the
south one Of the United States Sen
ators and that they will support any
candidate upon whom the south agrees,
the Republicans of this part Of the
State are paying little If any attention
to political happenings in the north,
but each candidate is seeking to secure
a majority Of the Southern California
delegation to the next Legislature.
There has been no agreement that the
unit rule will be applied to this dele
cation and that a majority will carry
with 1t the votes OF all, but some such
agreement is more than possible. and
anticipating it the several candidates
are devoting their energies to the home
counties.
Despite the fact that several county
conventions have instructed" one way
or another, IL cannot be said that they
are straws which show the direction of
the wind. The contest has not been lost
or won by any Of the candidates. Up
to the present time there have been
only skirmishes, and they will be fol-
lowed later by general engagement.
Whatever advantage has accrued from
the earlier conventions is possessed by
Senator Bard, and to just the extent of
that advantage his opponents are
handicapped.
Will INtNeIStuG OOullSt
which really began the campaign and
removed the then existing doubt as to
whether Bard's name would go before
the Legislature, the other counties that
have declared themselves have an
nounced for him. Orange County was
hardly less emphatic in her declaration
for Bard than was Riverside. and from
the two counties Bard can count upon
three votes, those Of one Senator and
two Assemblymen. Following closely
upon the Orange County convention
came the primaries in Ventura County,
in which in a clear-cut test Of strength
between Bard and Oxnard the county
declared for Bard. Meantime Kern
County had tacitly declared for Bard,
but Kern has been known to elect
Democratic Assemblymen-she now has
a Democratic Senator.
1t is reasonable to suppose that Santa
Barbara County will follow Ventura,
and, going farther up the coast, San
Luis Obispo County probably will also
fall into line. There Assemblyman War
rem NJ. John is certain Of denomination,
and he has declared himself for Bard,
and so has Tom Flint, who will be the
Senator from that new district
In San Bernardino County General F.
c. Prescott is not doing any talking.
He wants the Republican nomination
without having to make fight for it,
and probably will get it. If he has any
preference in the Senatorial fight he
isn't telling anybody. If the county
convention instructs him he will vote
according to his instructions, like the
excellent soldier that he is. San Ber-
nardino and Inyo counties form Sen
atorial district, in which a Senator is
to be chosen to fill out the unexpired
term of the late Senator Hubbell, and
for this office there are several as
pirants. 1t makes not so much differ
ence who is successful as it does
whether the nominating convention ex-
pIicitly directs its nominee to vote for
this or that candidate, and in this dis
trict, as in others, the real fight is over
the question of instructions or no in
structions. The two votes here will
mean much in the way of determining
the final result, and in this district a
quiet but terribly earnest fight is being