The San Francisco call., 1904-03-22
MEN aualMAaTERS IN
THE FOR@z lie WORLD
MOVIES

handing about OF offices to aspirants
is still matter of regretful discussion
with the members. At the meeting
held in Senator Bard's Office there was
a very frank discussion or the merits
OF the case. Senator Bard, who had
proposed the plan by which the MEM
bers of the House were to have a voice
in the distribution of patronage, was
cited by McLachlan as offering most
horrible example of the evils Of the
present system. McLachlan said that
Bard had in a number of instances
selected his most inveterate and out
spoken enemies for appointment to Of
fees OF great dignity and influence.
He declared that he had not only not
been consulted, but that in at least one
case where he had protested the APP
pointment had been made notwith-
standing This had worked injury to
his political interests besides offering
a slight to him as a Representative
and he was very much of the opinion
therefore that the proposal offered by
Mr. Bard himself, by which nothing
Of the kind could occur again, should
be adopted. The instances he named
were the appointment of L. H. Valen
tine to the Office of United States Dis
t-ict Attorney for the Southern Dis
trict, the appointment of George L.
Keeby as Assistant United States At
torney, a. w. Kinney as Receiver
Of the Land Office and ]. C.
Cline Collector of the Port at
Los Angeles; Brown, brother-in-law of
IT. u
and Fickert, Assistant United States
Attorney at San Francisco. None Of
these were political friends of his, said
McLachlan. One of them had attacked
him with insulting epithets/ in the
streets of Los Angeles and Brown, the
Forest Reserve Supervisor, had lined
up forty rangers in his employ to fight
him at the polls. He said he had pro-
posed his friend, Luther Brown, for the
Assistant United States Attorneyship
at San Francisco and Mr.. Bard had
recommended Fickert because some one
else had asked him to.
Bard disclaimed any intention of ap-
pointing men Objectionable to McLach-
Ian or any member of the delegation.
He had, he said, set for himself a rule
when he came to the Senate to recon-
mend for reappointment all officers ap-
pointed under the Mckinley admins
tration who had conducted their offices
properly. He had steadfastly observed
this rule save in the case of Frank
Flint. The appointment of Valentine
in his place was in response to the
urgent request of a group Of men to
whose support he was largely indebted
for the honor of a seat in the Senate
and who had urged his nomination as
a recognition Of large element Of the
Republican party in California. With
regard to Fickert, Bard said that he
and Perkins had agreed to leave the
appointment Of his assistant to Wood
worth Woodwork had recommended
the promotion of McKinlay and the ap-
pointment of Fickert, and he, with
Perkins, had simply passed the recon-
mendatiOn along. With regard to the
postmastership at Sacramento, which
involved another infraction of his rule,
Senator Bard said he had been in
fiuenced to recommend r. NJ. Richard
son for the place by very strong in
dorsements Of Republican leaders. Bard
said he had notified Coleman a loEg
time ago that a change was contem-
plated and had given him time to pre-
sent counter Endorsements. These had
come very tardily and had not weighed
with those Of Richardson.
The offer of $1,000 for the production
of a letter written by Representative
Victor Metcalf, wherein he asks any
body to line up anybody for him for the
United States Senatorship, which was
made by Mr.. Metcalf at this same
meeting. still stands. The offer was
called out by declaration of Senator
Perkins that the story of the letter
had come TO him, but he said he did
not believe it and he would pay no
more attention to it than he would to
the other story which Metcalf had said
had come to him to the effect that he,
Perkins, was asking his influence il
behalf Of Oxnard for Senator. Metcalf
declared that he had assured Senator
Bard that he. Metcalf, would not enter
the lists against him should he be a
candidate and he would so reiterate
The meeting, therefore, was not with
out interest though it failed of it's pur-
pose. The tart interchange has not
in itself done harm, for the failure of
the proposal must necessarily have left
some bitterness, and perhaps the frank
expression from both sides has served
to clear the atmosphere and effect a
better understanding.
Representative. Metcalf has been be-
fore the Sundry Civil Appropriation
Committee during the week urging an
appropriation for the purchase of the
toll roads of Yosemite Park, for which
there is such urgent demand in Cali
fornia. The appropriation asked for is
S20S. T50 Representative Needham makes
a special plea for the Merced Valley
read and $4,000 appropriation. Warren
B. English Of Oakland is in the city In
behalf of the appropriation.
Il EViSe Cat.