The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-12-18
Lincoln Roosevelt League
Will Look Elsewhere
for Candidate
HERRIN PLOT FAILS
Machine Unable to Lure
Special Prosecutor Into
the Race
BY George Van Smith

by George Van smith
Francis ]. Heney is not candi-
date for the United States senate
to succeed George c. Perkins,
Heney's name will not be pre-
sented to the legislature of 1909 as
the senatorial candidate of the
Lincoln Roosevelt league, Daniel
A. Ryan to the contrary notwith-
standing.
am informed from sources that
may be taken as entirely authori-
tative that not only is Heney not
a candidate for the United States
senate, but that he will not accept
the republican nomination if it is
rendered him That the senatorial
nomination will not be rendered
Heney through the agency of the
Lincoln-Roosevelt league may be
accepted as definite and final.
From the inception of the Lincoln
Roosevelt movement the Herrin ma
chine forces have industriously coupled
the name of Heney with the alleged
senatorial plans Of the antimachine re-
publicans. The bait thrown out by the
machine anglers undoubtedly did tempt
some OF the oyerenthusiastIc people OF
southern California, who seemed to
overlook the fact that California is re-
publican and that it may be relied upon
to elect a republican legislature in a
presidential year. They also appeared
to overlook the further fact that the
Lincoln Roosevelt league is republican
and that Heney is not republican.
HENEY sTDEsTEPs BOOM
That some OF these men did attempt
to interest Heney as a candidate for
Perkins toga may or may not be true.
It probably is true But, If true, it is
also true that Heney exhibited more
political Judgment and infinitely more
OF the sense of partisan fitness than
was shown by the men who fell for the
machines game. Heney was not
tempted.
Heney's departure for Oregon and
Washington was the signal for Hearst's
-o-r1a1or r. @,1ro -, ,@-- ~t,a- - ~ :.
machines game. Heney's alleged can
didacy was ANNOUNCED. The announce
ment was backed up with a wealth of
corroborative inferences drawn from
the well known friendship Of Roosevelt
for Heney. To give the announcement
an authoritative air Ryan. speaking un-
der color of the office which he holds
in the league organization, was quoted
70 the effect that Heney was the only
man for the league to support. The
little play in Herrinle interest was not
unskillful.
LEAGUES ATTITUDE CERTAIN
Even If my assurances that Heney
will not accept the nomination If ten
dered him were less authoritative than
they unquestionably are. still I would
entertain no doubt about the Lincoln
Roosevelt leagues attitude toward
Heney as candidate for the United
states senate. Heney has plainly in-
dicated that he considered the discus
sion Of himself as a republican candi-
date for the senate in the light of a
joke. With an assumption of guile
lessness that he would scarcely be sus-
pected of, Heney has skillfully side
stepped every attempt to shove him in
front of a senatorial boom.
How could Heney. a democrat, accept
a republican nomination to the United
States senate? How could the Lincoln
Roosevelt league. republican organi-
zation, lighting as such, tender its sup
port to democratc The obvious an
swers undoubtedly suggested them
selves to Heney. The unsuccessful at
tempts to make him decIsre himself a
republican furnish the best proof of
this. The most ambitious OF these at
tenpts was made at Sacramento, where
Hehey congratulated tho LINCOLN
Roosevelt league upon its victory. there
and announced that he had enlisted
with the league for fight that should
last until corrupt corporate domination
Of government in California should be
thing OF the past. He did not de-
clare himself republican. On the
contrary he emphatically announced