Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-19
DEMOCRATS AT
FRESNO SPURN
YOKE OF S. P.
RAILROAD COHORTS ARE COM
PLETELY ROUTED
HARPER WITHDRAWs FROM RACE
FOR DELEGATE
Probable Ticket Includes Theodore
A. Bell, r. M. Fitzgerald, Edward
Bush and Nathan Cole.
Strong Opposition
BY W. X. WILLIAMS

BY W. TX. WILLIAMS
Special to The Herald.
FRESNO, May 1S.-Theodore A. Bell
is dominating the Democracy of Cali
fornia just as Bryan is dominating the
Democracy of the nation, and in the
state convention here today was in alb
solute control.
His control means uncompromising
declaration against corporate domina-
ton and machine politics, an in
structed delegation to Denver and
new state organization secure from
manipulation from either Gavin Nc
Nab or corporate influences. 1t was an
inspiring personal victory for the young
advocate of political cleanliness.
The defeat of Gavin McNab, the San
Francisco boss" who threatened the
night before to drive Bell from the con-
vention, proved to be utter rout. Nc
Nab's last stand was with the Los An
geles push" delegation, with Mayor
Harper as his candidate for chairman
of the convention.
At noon McNab threw up the sponge
and Harper declared himself out of the
race.
McNab Plays Last Card
When conferences failed to move
Bell from his support of Senator Sam
ford of Ukiah for chairman, McNab
played his last card by threatening to
drive Bell out of the convention and
keep him off the list of delegates at
large. He was then led to believe by
Nathan Cole, Mayor Harper and
others, it is said, that the southern
Democracy would be a practical unit
behind the mayor.
At midnight he had full confidence
or at least asserted it, but when the
il t.N.,1 ,1.A
ing all Southern California except Los
Angeles county, met and voted to de-
liver it's solid vote, seventy-eight, to
Sanford, and when the same votes
were pledged to j. H. West of Needles
as a candidate for delegate at large
and against Harper or Cole, McNab
saw the end and quit.
He found additional reason in the
delegates from the interior who arrived
this morning. Nearly all came loaded
with support for Bell and Sanford, and
they could not be induced to join the
Harper forces.
Los Angeles Revots
One of the biggest causes of the rout
were the Los Angeles delegates them
selves. When 1t became certain that
Harper and Cole We're helping McNab
hold his grip on the state, there was
revolt
Not only the delegates elected by the
Democratic league, but many others
revolted. Martin Betkouski and
County Chairman Schwamm pleaded
to get Harper out of candidacy so long
as McNab was his supporter.
Betkouski openly worked against
him on the ground that no alliance Of
any kind with McNab was tolerable.
While this was going OIL among the
delegates, Judge A. M. Stephens, who
NIA 4 IL. Loo
ticket in the Seventy-fifth district, was
organizing and pleading with the dele
gates to elect Harper. Stephens de-
feated Eddie" Morris.
BY strange contrast, Morris reached
Fresno this morning. and learning the
state of things went to work vigorously,
for Bell. He held that the delegation
from Los Angeles could not align itself
with any other than Bell. His work
told Shortly before noon it was found
that twenty-three of the Los Angeles
delegates would not support the Nc
Nab Harper program. But even If they
had, the country districts were so over
whelmingly for Bell and his anti
Southern Pacific that the battle was
ended.
At noon friends of Mayor Harper
were asking that he be permitted TO
nominate Sanford. When Harper was
withdrawn from the fight nothing was
said, and Bell did not find it out until
just before the convention met. He
verified it by a personal visit to Har-
per'S room.
Harper WlthdraWs
Few of the delegates who were pres
ent when Chairman Spellacy called the
convention to order this evening were
informed that Harper had withdrawn
and they expected a roll call but after
lo1y tnd
Senator A. Caminetti of Napa and A.
d. Warner of Los Angeles had seconded
it a motion to make the nomination by
acclamation was carried with wild
cheering.
Chairman Spellacy, always with the
Bell anti-Southern Pacific element
spoke boldly in calling the convention
to order. He alluded to three Demo-
cratic candidates for governor, of whom
the party might be proud. He first
named former Congressman James Nc
CURE of San Francisco, then FRANKLIN
K. Lane. whom he said was recognized
by Roosevelt for his exceptional ability.
and Theodore A. Bell. This was the
first mention of Bell, and it was the sig
nal for demonstration. The delegates
and spectators joined in tremendous
cheering and then followed with threa
mighty cheers for the young leader who
sat with the Napa delegation. The en-
thusiasm was equaled only when
Bryan's name was first mentioned by
Mr.. Spellacy. Senator George Cart
wright of Fresno, who welcomed the
delegates of the county organization,
was also cheered. He is one of the
most aggressive antagonists of the
Southern Pacific and is to be the candi-
date in the Sixth district against Con-
gresham Needham this fall His dis
trict was solid behind Bell.
The convention crowd that had been
keyed up for fierce battle was dis
appointed. The McNab Waterloo was
a bloodless one. an evacuation without
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