The San Francisco call., 1908-08-19
Politicians Ask Whether Herrin
Has Decided to Double
Cross the Senator
Boss Hand Appears in Fail
ure to Indorse Alameda
Statesman in SOnOma
Turndown May Be Notice That
New Bargain Must Pre-
cede Nomination

Has w. F. Herrin decided to double
cross United States Senator George
c. Perkins?
That is question that has puzzled
political wiseacres for months and
upon which they are still hopelessly
divided. Strong oppositiSh to Perkins
in southern California launched the
senatorial How old is Ann?p Per
sistent rumors of machine indifference
to the fortunes or misfortunes of the
Alameda county statesman have kept
it most aggravatingly alive and unan-
swered.
The rumors of Herrin's Indifference
to Perkins and his alleged preference
for Secretary Metcalf or United States
District Attorney Robert Devlin became
current nearly two years ago. when it
was developed that strong. anti-Per-
machine politicians in southern Califor-
MIA. Perkins fight on Roosevelt, con-
Quoted through his private Washington
press service, served to keep the anti
Perkins talk alive, and after the May
primaries it broke out in greater vol
ume and persistency.
OPPOSITION TAKES SHAPE
While the Metcalf talk, which had ap-
preached almost the stage OF a boom
two years ago, and the persistent men
tion of Devlin a year ago had died
down, mysterious hints of what the
machine would do to Perkins were cur
these primaries the hints were dropped
with increasing frequency. and after
Johnny Lynch resigned from the bank
commission 10 take charge of the Her
rim fight in San Francisco something
like tangible machine opposition to
Perkins began TO take shape.
Machine workers, both in San Fran
cisco and in the interior, cursed "Perk"
for his alleged lack of interest in the
campaign. He was accused of pix
ing," and in San Francisco there were
machine men who were pro-Perkins and
those who were "agfn Perk. In
southern California there was machine
discomfort, and nonpolitical class pub
locations were busily engaged in
knocking the senior senator. One of
the leaders in this movement was the
Fruit World, which handled Perkins
without gloves, and denounced him as
an enemy of Roosevelt and of the best
in the commercial life of California
SONOMA SUPPLIES EVIDENCE
Herrins refusal to permit the Sono-
ma county republican convention to in
struct its legislative nominees for Per-
kins was the first concrete evidence
tending to substantiate the persistent
rumor that the Alameda county states
man was to be disciplined If not turned
down by the chief engineer of the ma
chine
That the refusal to instruct for Per-
kins by the Sonoma county conven-
tion was the result of direct orders
would be difficult to disbelieve. Sono-
ma is one of the banner machine baili-
wicks. The machine forces have every
thing their own way there. The con-
vention was conducted by machine men
of the truest black hue. Senator w. f.
Price, than whom none has more con-
sistent record of loyalty to the cause,
was a power in that convention, as he
is in all republican machine confabs
in Sonoma county. Ex-senator E. T.
Woodward, who, as surveyor of GUS
TOMS holds down good federal job,
which is, theoretically, at least a part
of Perkins patronage, was on the job,
as he always is when political matters
are being settled in Sonoma county.
EMPLOY NEW ARGUMENTS
There have been no rumors of either
Woodward or Price losing their holds
on the Sonoma organization Both
were elected delegates by the conven-
tion. Weske, a good machine assem-
blyman, was renominated, and w. B.
Whitney of Healdsburg was nominated
for the assembly from the thirteenth
district end of Sonoma without strug-
gle. There was nothing to indicate
that the powers of former days were
not the powers of Monday. The ma
chine was in control. but there were
no instructions for Perkins. Price, the
holder of a state job, and Woodward,
the beneficiary of senatorial selec-
tion for a good federal job, who have
handled many a Sonoma convention.
and have voted Sonoma delegates as
they were ordered in state conventions.
declined to fly to the assistance of
"Perk."
There were speeches about leaving
the hands of intelligent men un-
shackled." 1t was a new brand of ora
tory for Sonoma and one that both
Price and Woodward have bitterly re-
sented at other times. They stood for
it on Monday.
Without express orders from the
head OF the machine to the contrary.
ii is a safe bet that Sonoma county
would have instructed for Perkins and
made those instructions iron clad The
manipulators of Sonoma conventions
have not been accustomed to trusting
TO mere chance.
The humping of Perkins in Sonoma
county does not necessarily mean that
Herrin has decided to accede to the de-
mands of Perkins enemies in southern
California or that the Alameda mem
Der of the senate committee on naval
affairs will not get virtually a solid
machine vote when the republicans OF
the assembly and senate are called to-
gether In Joint caucus at Sacramento
1t is notat all improbable that .sPerk,
is being subjected to the kind OF
disciplining that bosses frequently find
most salutary in the cases of offfcials
who have grown old and nrond on