The San Francisco call., 1908-08-06
'CUTTL[FISH TRICK
TRIED BY MACHINE
Herrin Organization Makes
Futile Effort to Deceive
Voters at Primaries
Lincoln-Roosevelt League Gives
Unqualified Statement of Its
Position in County Matters

G~AAA-~<AAN11, aug. - 4AoS SAAA-S y - =
political dodge known as the cuttle-
flsh trick has been resorted to by the
Herrin machine in Alameda county IN
sadly futile effort to deceive the Vot-
ers who are thoroughly imbued with
the real merits of the primary cam
paign. The cuttlefish is known to natu-
ralists for it's ability to secrete an
inky fluid which darkens the water.
tending to blind pursuing foes.
These political cuttlefshes are resort
ing in Oakland and throughout the
county to that sort of a last stand fight
in the columns of the Oakland Tribune.
The object is evident. 1t is intended
that the political waters shall be mud
died so that the voter will lose his
bearings. No better evidence of the
demoraiized condition of the Herrin or
ganization is needed than that which
is offered by the Oakland Tribune and
other machine organs. Driven into the
last ditch, the play is being made that
Congressman ]. r. Knowland is being
attacked, that the friends of good gov
ernment are concentrating fight on
him. AS a matter of fact the contrary
is the truth. The campaign has thus
far not produced single reference to
Knowland from anti-machine quarters,
except such as has been necessary to
meet the maliciously untrue statements
which have emanated from Herrin
agents headquarters.
Congressman Knowland has not been
disturbed by the Lincoln-Rooseyelt re-
publican league, or by any other agency
which is working with the league to
drive Herrinism, Dargieism and the al
lied corruption out of the republican
party in Alameda county. The machine
for several days has persisted in drag
ging Knowland into the fight. Just
exactly as they have dragged Superior
Judge Henry A. Melvin into the lime
light of ward politics, when he stands
today indorsed for denomination by the
executive committee of the league. AS
an exponent of civic decency, of clean
politics, of better methods in such mat
ters, the league, without qualification,
went on record as opposed to the ju-
dietary being dragged into politics. This
was a straightforward. clean cut, de-
cent move, which would and does ap-
peal to the best thought of every voter,
regardless of his partisan Affiliations.
LEAVE JUDICIARY ALONE
The league republicans argued that
IT was a fundamental of the American
peoples belief that the judicial noni-
nees should not be brought into the
whirlpool. And being on record on
that point the league in Congressman
Knowland's city of Alameda also went
on record as indorsing him. Yet the
Oakland Tribune, mouthpiece of Her
rim and every other corrupt political
force in California. continues to put
Knowland and Melvin up as being at
tackled.
The purpose of the Tribunes pub
lications is found in the cuttlefish
trick. It is done only to befuddIe the
voters and in an attempt to confuse
the voter upon the real and only
issue-the destruction of the Alameda
county republican machine, which is
the county agency through which Will
liam +. Herrin does his corrupt politics
in this political division of California
The good government forces are allied
on that basis to smash the machine
and to accomplish that they will offer
the voters on Tuesday August II,
tickets of delegates to nominating con-
ventions who will be pledged to vote
for the crushing of the county ring
and all that pertains to the machine.
Dummy candidates for various offices
are being thrown into the contest by
the machine. This is notably the case
ia the fourth and fifth supervisorial
districts. The plot of the Herrinites to
capture 10 delegates in North Oakland
and the Ashby district of Berkeley by
using Walter p. Woolsey as catspaw
has been thoroughly exposed and
Woolsey's candidacy has been thor
OuBnly QlScreQlteQ.
The same applies to Ed Griffith, who
permitted the Herrin crowd to put his
name into another section of the fourth
supervisorial district. This contest,
which runs into the seventh ward,
County Clerk Jack Cooks bailiwick.
carries with it the fight of Superin-
tendent Harrison d. Rowe for renomi-
nation from the fourth district.
MACHINE MAN OPPOSES ROWE
Rowe's opponent in the seventh ward
is City Councilman Aitken. The gang
wants Aitken on the board of s1per-
visorss because he will take machine
Aitken is a political creation of Cook
and County Auditor George Pierce.
He has been plant and seryiceable at
all times to the Cook Pierce organiza-
tion. He is one of the props of the
machine which has so long dominated
seventh ward politics.
Rowe is a fighter from the ground up.
He has resisted the gang in the board
OF supervisors and has battled against
the many outrages which that crowd
has enacted at the orders of the ma
chine. So far as the seventh ward is
concerned, Rowe's victory means the
doom of the combination which has
made politics in Alameda county a
stencil in the nostrils of the people.
JOunk w. SL6ISOnS campaign IN the
fifteenth senatorial district has pro-
gressed so favorably that his nomina-
tion is virtually a certainty. AS in all
other districts the popular sentiment
has been so strongly shaped that the
Herrin forces see Inevitable defeat. The
nominal candidacy of State Senator G.
r. Lukens for reelection cuts little
If any figure in the campaign, owing
to his continued absence from the city,
and the fact that even his closest
friends are i'll advised as to his move
ments. 1t was reported that he intended
to return here Saturday. but the re-
port has not been verified. Stetson
has made an unqualified declaration
in favor of a direct primary law and
his legislative record places him
among those who are deaf to the whis-
tie and refuse to listen to Herrin's
commands.
Absolutely no doubt exists in the
minds OF the good government allies
of success in the forty-ninth assembly
district. The railroad push Is out, but
notoriously disjointed under the pres
sure OF the demand for a cleanup in
the political situation. In the forty
eighth James T. Feeley, the good gov
ernnent candidate for assemblyman
will walk away with the nomination.
rally in his behalf will be held
Thursday evening at Hovey's hall in
Eleventh street near Broadway. Mayor
Mott and other prominent men will