Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-21
SAN FRANcIsco's PERIL

|
a San Francisco politics, under th
lead of p. II. Mccarthy, is no longe
in doubt since the refusal Of that fol
lowing to appoint delegates to fusioi
convention, and the power Of th'
Schmitz interests must be reckonet
with in the coming election.
| Schrnitz came into power as an ex
preston of labor union opposition t
the open shop idea in San Francisco
and every man of every organization
that lived by labor became his sup
porter ION the common plea Of sell
defense, giving the force of ma.
jority OF the voters to support any
thing and everything which could COM
bat the powers of capital.
Through the years of his ascendancy
] whatever of crime or selfishness
Schmitz was guilty of, he never for
, got the interests of those who made
] him, and but for the treachery OF
Ruef he might yet be in the mayors
chair. With Schmitz in power the
labor element always felt secure, and
it's personnel gladly withdrew from
other political allegiances to strength
en- his position, utterly regardless of
moral or legal lines, and always that
they might have-right or wrong-a
friend at court. The downfall of
Schmitz wrecked all this, but the
things Schmitz stood for are dear to
his former followers, and they know
;,, oil hn ocf T1li
cation of interests which seek to oust
them can they look for a friend to
them or their desires, and SO they
have united to perfect and protect
their so-called rights, and that union
bodies trouble to San Francisco.
1t is idle-suicidal-to underrate the
powers or resources of this element,
or to combat them with ridicule or
sarcasm. They are a legitimate out
come of criminal negligence on the
part of leaders in San Francisco's
municipal life, and are the fruits of
long-continued policy of making en-
emies rather than friends of working
men.
November will witness partisan
tickets in the field, opposed by this
great aggregation of workingmen who
have been largely out of employment
for many months, and who are in no
mood to consider moral or legal
phases of the case, and who will rally
to the defense of their kind and their
interests, against all the world be-
side; and the hot-headed, intemperate
manipulators of the civic diplomacy
of the city will have but themselves
to blame for possible revolutionary re-
suits The Schmitz element includes
all who labor, on land or sea, and
all who depend upon the wages of
that labor for business, and, numer-
ically, these largely outnumber the
voters of any other political organi-
cation likely to put ticket in the
field.
When one stops to consider the
power of the hmitz-Ruef-Dinan-
O'Neil crowd, and that the great mid
die class of dealers are inseparably
linked with it's fortunes, it Is not diff
ficult to forecast victory for them in
the coming election, especially as the
present policy of partisan dalliance
maintained by the regular tickets is
almost certain to defeat fusion for the
welfare Of the city.
The possible results Of the success
of the forces led by p. H. Mccarthy
are SO charged with defeat and humil-
iation to all concerned in the rejuve-
nation of San Francisco that good men
everywhere cannot but hope that the
curse of partisanship may yet be lift
ed from the adherents of the regular
political organizations, and that their
membership may be led to see that
only self abnegation and sacrifice on
their part can save San Francisco
from her meaner self. If ever the
men who give color and form to life
in that city faced a crucial time 1t
is now, and their work of rescue to
be effective must be at once, and at
the sacrifice of all personal feeling.