Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-18
BELL REFUSES
TO GIVE UP TO
M'NAB MACHINE
SAN FRANCISCO BOSS WANTS
MAYOR HARPER
OFFERS NAPA MAN HoNORS
GALORE
Fierce Struggle Promised When DeIe-
gates to Democratic Convention
at Fresno Get on Floor
. Today
BY w. r. WILLIAMS

BY w. r. WILLIAMS
Special to The Herald.
FRESNO, May 17.-The struggle for
control of the Democratic convention
will be fought out on the floor to-
morrow.
This was the result of conferences
covering several hours today between
Theodore A. Bell of Napa and Gavin
McNab of San Francisco.
Senator Sanford will have the sup
port of Bell. Chairman Spellacy, Judge
James Mcguire and other anti-railroad
leaders. Mayor Harper is the McNab
candidate and will attempt to hold his
push" delegations from Los Angeles
for the San Francisco boss, who is be-
lieved to be in touch with the Herrin
machine.
The last offer of the boss and Harper
and Cole was to let Bell name two dele
gates at large, send him at the head of
an instructed delegation to Denver. in
dorSe him for temporary chairman OF
the national convention and send
twenty men to help make him chair
man. This offer was rejected, and me-
gotiationS ended.
Harper men say he is not McNab's
candidate, but that he forced McNab
to abandon his fight for Tom Geary
Anti-McNab delegates say Herper is
the product of McNab's plan to control
the convention and that Harper knows
what he is doing. 1t is understood Nc
Nab is prepared to spring many proxies
at the first roll call ,and bases his
hopes of control on them.
Delegates In Suspense
The delegates to the Democratic state
convention are in suspense tonight.
With over 200 in the city, many of them
carrying the proxies of their colleagues.
the hotels were crowded and the SuS-
pense was occasioned by the confer
ences that were continued during the
afternoon and night between the Bell
and McNab forces, as to the arrange
ment Of the convention organization.
Bell seemed the most dominant per-
sonality in the array of delegates, but
the whispering boss of San Francisco
seemed to be confident that he would
be able to control enough votes to carry
out his program The Bell element
stood for the election of Senator j. B.
Sanford of Ukiah for chairman. and the
| McNab forces finally concentrated on
Mayor Harper of Los Angeles. because
| of the claim that he controlled ninety
votes from Southern California. Har-
per was used >as the McNab buffer in
the negotiations with Bell, but the con-
ferences up to midnight were not pro-
ductive of a result.
Bell Will Not Yield
MT. Bell, WHO Is COlIillittCU " Gan
ford's candidacy, was asked to yield
the Craftsmanship to Harper and he
could name all the delegates to Dem
yer except Nathan Cole, who is the Los
Angeles delegation's choice. Bell de-
clined to yield an inch as long as San
ford was candidate, ana SANFORD
would not withdraw. Bell also insists
that the convention be organized clean
from top to bottom and that no man
having any taint of railroad politics be
agreed upon for any place.
McNab insisted that Harper be chair
man. This, of course, means that Har-
per would name the executive commit
tee which will control the state or
ganization until 1910. To this propo-
sition Bell turned a deaf ear, saying
that he would not yield in his support
of Sanford until Sanford Quit, and that
then he would demand that the chair
man must be a man absolutely free
from railroad influences. The infer
ence is that McNab has insisted on
Harper because of an understanding
with that official and Nathan Cole ten
days ago when they visited San Fran
cisco.
at the Hughes hotel, McNab had as his
counselors former Congressman Tom
Geary of Santa Rosa, Frank III. Gould
of San Francisco, Nathan Cole, Mattl-
son B. Jones and Mayor Harper OF Los
Angeles. Mr.. Bells chief counselor
was Judge Raker of Alturas, who was
chosen head of the ODD FelloWS iast
week at Sacramento.
Wants New Man
At midnight Mr.. Bell said: II Will
not yield an inch in my position unless
all candidates withdraw and new man.
acceptable from the standpoint of rail-
road freedom, is found. There are
scores of good men here who would
be Just as acceptable to me as Senator
Sanford, but he Is q candidate; ne is
right on the vital question before the
Democratic convention, and he is de-
serving of support. There Will be no
compromise with railroad influence i'll
any way, and If necessary l will go ON
the floor and fight it till hell freezes
over"
McNab would not discuss the situa-
ton.
1t is understood that McNab offered
to let Bell name the temporary chair
man and he the permanent one. rms
would give McNab the committees.
and Bell refused. McNab also offered
to let Bell name three of the four dele
gates. The proposal of McNab was not
reassuring to the antis and they stub
bornly declined to yield the chairman
ship. They declared they would meet
defeat on the floor of the convention
first.
Chairman Schwamm and Martin Bet
houski declared early in the evening
that the Los Angeles delegates would
follow Bell and his choice wherever he
went, then came the Harper men COW
ering what is regarded as q clever
strategy on the part of McNab to get
Harper out of the was as a. delegate
at large and let Tom Geary through.
His whole program also prepares the
way for an Endorsement of Bryan with
out instructing the delegates for him.
No Contests Filed
There have been no contests filed
with Secretary Walsh of the state
committee, although several have been
talked of. Los Angeles county will
have none, 1t is said. Notice of con-
test was required yesterday. and any
thing filed now would be ineffective.
1t is not believed that more than 300
of the 594 delegates Will be present.
None of the delegates remembers just
such chaotic condition as prevails to-
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