The National tribune., 1907-02-14
THE SAN 9nANCISCO
DELEGATION.
Personality sfi the Members Interview
With the hesideut-Prcbable Remov.
nj of All Obstacles.

Internationally seyes are upon g fiddler
who Is making his temporary home a
the New Willard, the most fashionable
hotel In the National Capital. He has G
musical aggregation with him, one G
better musiciansthan himself, but none
the less q musician and a trombone
player who takes orders from the fid-
dler.
Eugene Schmitz. Mayor of San Fran
cisco, only few years ago a leader oi
theatrical orchestra, is still fgurative-
ly doing the fiddling. He has been the
agitator OF agitators who has been max
ing the Government all sorts of trouble
because of the exclusion of japanese
children from all San Francisco schools
except the Oriental school. He has been
making the President and Secretary
Root dance to his music. The Presi-
dent has denounced Schmitz and his
cohorts in private speeches. If they
would only stop fiddling the President
and Secretary Root could dance to some
other and more pacific tune. They could
fix up the troublesome japanese exclu-
sion neutrality-suspicious..
And so at last SchmitZ, now indicted
and awaiting trial in San Francisco for
alleged malfeasance in office, has trav-
eled across the continent with his
School Board, including Superintendent
Alfred Roncovieri, who is the star from
bone player on the Pacific Coast. leader
Of the famous Roncovieri Band and in
cidentally, SO unprejudiced persons say.
about as good Superintendent of
Schools as San Francisco ever had. A.
Altman, President of the Board of
Education, is of the company and he
Is also the brother-in-law of Boss Rueff,
the man whose grating and whose mu-
nicipal methods are alleged to have
made the local Government of San
Francisco q stencil in the nostrils of
decent people. All the company are
like SO many pawns on the chessboard; !;
they do what Fiddler Schmitz tells them
to do.
The President, forsooth, is treating
with this man, accused of crime, and
with his satellites. because they seem
to have 1t in their power to greatly af-
feet tho amicable relations between the
Government Of the United States and
the Empire Of Japan. They are not r
particularly interesting party, except
for the power they seem to hold in
their hands. They are nevertheless the
observed Of all observers at the hotel
They stroll in and out of the palatial
structure, for when they are not con-
ferring with the President or members
of his Cabinet they have time upon
their hands. They dine sumptuously,
in the big dining room or in the palm
room, where there is generally good
music for the edification of Fiddler
Schmitz and Trombone Player Romeo
vieri. There is no bassoon in the hotel
orchestra, which Fiddler Schmitz hu-
morously says he does not mind, for it
is not true that he is a bassoon player,
the fact that the Pres
ident was alleged to have said that he
was.
PersonaIity of the Delegation.
But for the important mission they
have the San Franciscans would hardly
be pointed out in any company. Schmitz
is rather striking figure, tall. straight
and aggressive. with hair cut pompa-
dour just as the many photographs of
him show. Californians coming to
in Midwinter after travers-
ing the mountainous regions of ice and
snow, are often afflicted with bad colds,
but these Californians are in good,
healthy condition. Schmitz has been
long enough in politics to know how to
carry his part with dignity. He feels
his importance but is not offensive
about it. OF course, he expects to yield
to the President on the matter of ex-
cluding japanese children from all
schools in San Francisco, but there must
be lot OF parleying about it. Schmita
will try to get quid pro quo, SO that
he can return to San Francisco with
expansive chest and feel that he has
some new capital for his reelection
next Autumn. He wants to