The San Francisco call., 1906-08-26


sumed greater proportions than that of
County Assessor Henry p. Dalton to
gain place on the Republican ticket.
Dalton has had a career in county
politics that is unique. He was fought
for years by the old guard and he re-
turned blow for blow until his oppo-
nents were glad to cry quits. He de-
RED organization and individual alike
until IL seemed as though he must give
way under the efforts of his political
assailants TO down him. But for eight
years he has managed TO hold his own
lines so well'in hand that. with or with
out party nomination, Dalton kept his
head above the political seas which
had so often threatened TO swamp him.
-Four wears ago he ran against the
regular Republican nominee and de-
:fested him. Four wears before that
Dalton ran on an independent footing
and won Now the time has come for
him 70 look for the Republican nomina-
tioa and he finds a programme against
him that is causing as lively an ante
campaign fight as ever kept the Ala
media County Republicans in a turmoil.
FIGHT STARTED IN BERKELEY.
This contest crystaliZed in Berkeley.
SOME OF the leaders in the college town
decided TO take up q new man for
County Assessor and they selected
Charles z. Thomas, formerly Town
Clerk and more or less active in the To-
cal politics of that community. Having
chosen Thomas. they decided to make
hot campaign for the Union Labor NOM
iaation as well. Friends of Dalton were
sn control of the Labor party machin-
cry, holding the county committee
through A. S. Ormsby. its chairman.
Shortly before the primaries new Ia
bor organization suddenly sprang into
being. Il was formed of an alliance
Of - T.oh
Council and the Building Trades Coun-
ell. The combination fought it out at
the polls on primary day and elected
enough delegates to control the county
convention. 1t was not long before the
new organization showed It's hand by
caucusing in favor Of Thomas for As
SCISSOR.
That move set matters humming. Dali
ton started for the Republican nomina-
tlon hard. And the fight has tended to
overshadow all else that has been in
evidence since the primaries were held
Dalton asserts that the nomination is
his He declares that he will stand on
his record as Assessor for recognition
in the convention. This has brought
forth an answering cry that Dalton viii
be sharply attacked should the cam
psign go to q race between himself and
Thomas.
FIGURES ON I7O VOTES.
The Thomas forces are figuring on
10 votes in the convention outside Of
the Forty-sixth District, where they
claim enough votes to more than make
the I9z necessary to a choice. In this
district are thtTty-one votes controlled
By Superior Judge 7. W. Harris. FIVE
that ongr,ssman Knowland is credit
ed with handling and twenty-five that
were named by Public Administrator
George Gray. These twenty-five are
said to be ready to act on the wishes of
H w Meek and Egbert Stone. Neither
Meek nor Stone has shown actively in
the contest as yet. But If the situation
becomes more involved ii is far from
. unlikely that they may be called upon
TO express q preference as to the As
SCISSOR.
Dalton's friends will not admit that
Thomas has any such lead as he claims
The Dalton figures are the Forty
eighth, Forty-ninth and Fiftieth dis
tricts with 15S votes. 81 Harris men
from the Forty-sixth. with enough from
the Cray end Of the same district to
nominate. This total does not include
a vote from Berkeley. Alameda or East
Os kland (the Fifty-hrst district.
Next in Importance comes the fight
for District Attorney. Here is con-
dition quite unique in itself. On one
end is Clarence Crowell, who has been
Assistant City Attorney, Court Com
missioner, chairman of the Republican
county committee for six years and an
attorney in this city for twelve or more
years. Crowell reached a point where
he desires to step into the chair of
District Attorney. With the prestige
resulting from much activity in polit-
ical and professional life he began his
camrsiEn. crowell's friends put
ticket in the Fgftieth District favorable
to himself. Everett Brown. Deputy
District Attorney, a resident OF the
same district. anTiounced his candidacy
for the nomination, but failed 10 place
a ticket in that district. leaving the
way clear, so far as that political di-
vision ofthe county was concerned, to
Grow ell So Crowell will go into the
convention with the sixty-five delegates
from the Fiftieth pledged to himself
His opponent has nothing 10 depend
upon except that. II the organization of
the convention should be on lines op-
posed to Crowell. Brown might be
placed in nomination from some dis
tIIet other than that in which he re-
sides It is this situation that adds in
tcrcst to the contest
WILLING TO FIGHT 1T OUT.
crowelrs friends claim that he has
earned the nomination on professional
and political grounds. They assert
that he has the delegation from his
own district, and Is therefore enlitleo
tc political recognition Then they
point TO his services as an attorney in
and out of public life as evidence Of
his standing and worth Browns ad-
herents say that they do not care for
the politics Of the situation; that they
will go into the convention and fight
It out unless the preiiminaries should
show that he has no chance to win. In
such event Brown probably viii try to
get the Union Labor nomination or will
ruIs independent
Brown is well known on account of
his interest in university football. He
was for some time secretary to Con-
gresham Metcalf and took part in that
Eentleman's campaigns before he went
into the Presidents Cabinet. Brown
has been a deputy under District At
torney Allen for several years
Both the Assessors Office and the
District Attorneys Office are considered
superior from a political standpoint in
that they carry with them not little
patronage as well as considerable po-
i.ticai and personal prestige. The last
cf the big fights on the card is that for
the coronership. DIR. II. 3. Mehrmann,
the Incumbent, and DR.. c. l. Tisdaie of
Alameda are the rivals. Tisdale pins
I'd ff,f