Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-17
e. K. TAYLOR
IS ELECTED
DEAN OF HASTINGS LAW
COLLEGE IS MAYOR
SAN FRANCISCO SUPERVISORS
NAME EXECUTIVE
Is Third Man Seriously Considered by
Lansdon and spreckeIs for
Honor-District Attorney
Makes Statement
By Associated. Press.

San Francisco tonight by the board of
supervisors, and by the open avowal of
the bribery graft prosecution the So
called ''reign of the big stick came to an
end.
DIR. Taylor was the third man to whom
the election was offered by Rudolph
Spreckels and District Attorney William
H. Langdon.
His selection came as a complete sur
prise to the city, for at no time in the
name mentioned outside of the secret
councils of the district attorney and his
half dozen associates.
The office was rendered to DIR. Taylor
few minutes after o'clock this afternoon
and his acceptance was in the hands of
Mr.. Langdon and Mr.. Spreckels before 5.
Following the refusal last Friday of the
labor organizations and some of the COM
mercial bodies to embrace the conven-
ton of thirty plan, submitted by the dis
trict attorney as fair and nonpartisan
method of selecting a clean mayor for
San Francisco Mr. Langdon on Saturday
night went to Santa Barbara and asked
DR.. John G. Gallwey to accept the may
orally.
GaIIwey Refuses Honor
He was spending the week end with his
family in the southern city.
'"Dr. Gallwey is a physician and sur
geon of wide practice said Mr.. Langdon
in discussing him, "a man of fine educa-
tion and character has never been mixed
up in politics, though a Democrat in af-
filiation.
II spent Sunday with him and did my
best to get him to accept; but he de-
clared he abhorred the thought of public
life that all his mature years had been
spent in the ministrations of his profess
sion, and he was loath to entertain the
offer.
He agreed, however, to consider it,
and 1 returned to San Francisco Monday
morning in high, hopes-only to receive
Telegram of rejection.
Last night after another conference
with my associates Robert G. Harrison.
| former justice of the supreme court, was
| asked to accept the election. He is a Re-
publican
Judge Harrison, much to our regret
declined. He is more than 20 years old
and he felt that account of his age
! the duties of the office would be too
heavy for him to carry. He returned his
declination to us today.
Unanimous for Taylor
This afternoon about o'clock we
brought up in conference the name of Dr.
Edward b. Taylor, and instantly we were
unit in his favor-if we could induce
him to sedve.
He is a man between so and 65 years
age, a widower with family a lawyer
of eminence, standing at the head of the
san Francisco bar, became a physician in
order to thoroughly equip himself in the
held of medical Jurisprudence is. dean of
the Hastings law college of the Univer-
sity of California and has been an hon
ored citizen here for forty-five years.
I'VE telephoned to DIR. Taylor's home.
1896 California street. and learned that
he was at a book store in Van Ness ave-
nue., near Pine.
eve nhOOed thare opd oa,,,t,+ ~
made an engagement and ten minutes
later Mr.. Spreckels and 1 were with him
at his home, around the corner from my
office.
II told DR.. Taylor that we were
making an effort to get a mayor who
understood the circumstances and con-
dttions existing and that we thought he
would be the best man for the city and
county of San Francisco.
Il said that 1 thought the time had
come when every man must make some
sacrifice when called upon in the name
of civic duty and we had come to him
to ask him to consider the matter of
accepting the mayoralty.
Familiar with Conditions
CDR. Taylor said that he was familiar
with conditions existing in the city and
felt that this was a time when no man
could fall to respond If called upon to
act. He. however, was dean of the
Hastings law college, and he would first
have to satisfy himself that the duties
of the mayoralty would not interfere
with his lifelong work
when he had satisfied himself as to
that, and when Mr.. Spreckels had set
forth at length the desire to have order
brought out of the chaos that now
exists in San Francisco, and to have a
man as mayor who would, by reason of
h ,ic ioh fati in, ba
confidence at home and abroad, DIR.
Taylor finally consented and agreed to
accept the office"
Then added Mr.. Langdon. with
smile of great satisfaction, I'VE shook
hands all around and Mr.. Spreekels and
/ came away"
The district attorney dictated the
following statement:
1--WE feel that San Francisco is to be
congratulated upon having a public
servant of the character and standing
of DIR. Edward r. Taylor. resident
of San Francisco for forty-five years.
his heart is in the city's future. and
the high services that ne can and will
render this stricken city will, trust, be
fully appreciated by grateful people.
Is Not Politician
"Dr. Taylor is in no sense a politi-
clan but a man of great learning and
fine executive and administrative abil-
ity coupled with unquestioned integ
rity and unselfish devotion to the pub
lie welfare.
"The wide authority that has tenn
porarily been lodged in the district at
torney's office will now be restricted
within the bounds prescribed by law,
and the extraordinary functions hither-
to directed from this department will,
to our great satisfaction, have come to
an end.
"Dr. Taylor has now assumed the
direction of the city's affairs and the
district attorney will confine his duties
to the prosecution Of public crime. +
earnestly hope that all good citizens
will rally around the mayors standard
and that united press will aid him In
his honest efforts to give to San Fran
cisco an Administrations of city affairs
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