The San Francisco call., 1908-05-09
MACHINES CLAIM
is UTTERLY FUTILE
Jake SteppacEer Admits Blatant
Statement Is Without
Foundation
so Few Returns" lie Pleads,
but Would Back Up Her
rims Paid Organ

In a desperate effort to break down
the line of So Lincoln Roosevelt league
delegates from this city to the repub-
lican state convention. Jake Step
pacher. faithful secretary OF the rail-
roads state committee. industriously
spread the word yesterday that the
organization" would control the gath
cring at Sacramento with a total of
more than 900 votes How well forti-
ned Jake was in his declarations may
be judged from the fact that when he
was asked for the returns from the
state he said that only a few had
come in, so few that no table could be
made up from them.
Preceding Steppacher's taking day
off from his duties in the FISH conmis-
sion to circulate this claim" among
the delegates a wild estimate" had
been published in the morning paper
which is the organ OF the Herrin ma
chine While the paper had not ven
tnred TO make as ridiculous claims as
Steppacher did. its table" was full Of
rank misrepresentation
makes Widest CLAIMS
1t even claimed the seven delegates
from Yolo and the seven from Ventura
foT the machine Sutter county's three
delegates were counted as waiting to
take orders from the railroad bosses.
The alleged statement of how the dele
gates throughout the state stood for
and gainst the machine was glaringly
untrustworthy throughout The Lin
-ROosevelters can easily count on
1l5 men that the Chronicle says are
going to take orders from George
stone, George Hatton and Walter Par
ber as the Iieutenants Of Herrin-f In
other words the most of positive
+i.or,s
rely on is 80 delegates. and even that
is not to re depended on too implicitly
in the face Of the public sentiment ex
hibit al last Tuesdays primaries.
The purpose of these merry claims
of the machine is apparent. Nothing
has hurt the railroads bureau more
than the drubbing il got in San Fran
cisco. This city has been the key to
the machines grip on the state It is
ia the metropolis where delegations can
be made up that will take orders as a.
soldier from his commander. Trading
with the big dominating representation
from San Francisco is the mainstay of
the railroads power in state conven-
tions.
MACHINE MOURNs STATE
To lose control of the city by so ig-
nominiOus a record as 53 to Il is a seri-
Gus matter for the men the Southern
Pacific employs TO DO politics for it. To
lose the key to the whole state means
TO lose the state itself. and TO lose
political control means the losing of
the jobs Of the hired politicians. for
dividend seeking directors look coidly
for results and viii not listen to ex-
cuses.
Hence the desperate onslaught on the
I-incoln-ROOsevelt delegation from this
city. The. campaign began with claim
rr af La f-f
it and vote with the machine Yester-
day this figure had dwindled to nine in
the printed assertions of Herrin's Off
cisi OF gan.
The Lincoln -Roosevelters are refrain
ing from making claims further than
TO express emphatic confidence that
they VIII control the convention and
that il is they who can feel assured Of
having at least 400 of 629 delegates.
Nor 90 they feel any misgiving as TO
the hrmness OF their strength They
regard the efforts to scare the Lincoln
Roosevelt delegates into the machine
camp as futile and feel that in the
cause of reform such strident assaults
are to be welcomed.
The league leaders point out that
their work will not end with this pri-
mary, nor with the next, nor with the
election. nor until the entire state gov
eminent is cleansed. To lay the founda-
tions firmly is the very best of archi-
tecturaI policy at this time. and the on
slsughts Of the machine are providing
the desired test
MUST ELIMINATE HYPOCRITES
one OF the greatest of the difficulties
that present themselves TO the cause Of
political reform is the elimination Of
the insincere and the political soldiers
Of fortune. Should the activities Of the
Herrin men avail in making men false
to their presentations the good will
be subseryed of finding them out In the
early stages Of the reform movement.
To classify the man who does many
good acts and one bad one politically
IS one of reforms hardest tasks, but
the man who proves treacherous is
easy 10 deal with.
As a matter of Lact there is no dan
ger of serious defections in NE league
ranks. such as the railroads desperate
political workers are trying TO bring
about The Lincoln-R Roosevelt leaders
say they feel absolutely no concern on
this score.
That the Lincoln Roosevelt league
viii be well equipped for the battle on
the convention floor is evident from
the personalities that appear in its dele
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JeweIry for 10 Per Cent Less
Pending removal to Hammersmith