The San Francisco call., 1908-05-01

SHOWS LEAGUE Is
SURE OF MAJORITY

Continued from Page i, Column
nominated and they have never been
divided on so clear a state issue. Neither
were they ever so aroused and inter
ested IN a state primary, with no
Offices or personal interests at stake.
The unprecedented registration was
not an accident. 1t means the people are
interested and are going 10 vote. Our
workers report that practically every
person approached is favorable to the
league. There is vast unorganized
vote in San Francisco, which the poll
ticians rarely reckon with That vote
is with US, and is sufficiently aroused
10 turn out. Nothing could have de-
feated the league but public apathy.
and that is now removed.
In Los Angeles the registration is
the heaviest ever known, and public
interest IS very acute. There, as in
san Francisco, both sides are organ
lied and lighting. and the issue is per-
fectly definite. with the Walter Parker
organization representing the ma
chine, and the Lincoln-Roosevelt league
the people. In Los Angeles, too. all
the newspapers are for US except the
Times. and even II has now ceased
definite hostility For that matter,
C6A + LIdAIAcE0 - lAC NAA4g RAoSS - LII
state where we have any active news
paper opposition, and the ridiculous
straits to which the Chronicle and Ex-
aminer are put here, 10 justify them
selves in trying 10 elect the Herrin
delegates while pretending TO oppose
Herrin rule. sufficiently indicate why
less ingenious papers have not cared
70 undertake the task.
OPPOSITION Is VALUABLE
The Oakland Tribune, which frankly
advocates railroad bossisrn-. and detenos
corruption as preferable TO honesty, is
the only straight out opponent we have,
and its opposition is, OF course, valu-
able asset.
In Oakland and Berkeley. we are
counting on every delegate The Berk-
eiey club has over eight hundred mem
bers, and is supported by the entire
citizenship Of the town. There VIII be
no opposition there. In Oakland, all
four districts have strong organiza-
tions. and while we may have some
opposition there. from the railroad ma
chine. il will be helpless to defeat US
anywhere.
IN the interior we Will win nearly
everywhere where the people have a
chance 10 vote and will have large
part even of the appointed delegates
though personally I hope that all OF
these. friends and foes alike, viii be
thrown out Of the convention. A few
counties in northern California and
one or two IN the San Joaquin valley
have appointed delegates hostile TO US.
We shall lose a small part OF southern
FCaiifornia by the same method And
there are z few districts where we ex-
pect 10 be beaten because the machine
Is well organized there and we are not
But in most Of the places where we are
not organized. neither is the machine,
and the delegates from those districts
will be almost uniformly favorable to
US. This is especially true of a large
part Of the mountain regions in north
ern California, where the delegates,
though not yet elected, are practically
agreed on and their preferences are
known.
STONES ESTIMATE FAULTY
The action Of Santa Clara county is
Significant OF the situation throughout
the state. There viii be primaries
there but the delegates recommended
BY the county committee viii have
practically no opposition. There is
city election on in San Jose a few days
after the primaries and organization Of
the Lincoln Roosevelt league has been
postponed there. owing to the difficulty
OF carrying on two campaigns at once
But the county committee has instruct
ed the 29 delegates for the Lincoln
Roosevelt league and named men near
u all personally favorable to it Cen
eral Stone not long ago predicted that
we would have about 80 votes In the
convention With these % from San
Jose already instructed we only need
one vote from the rest of the state to
reach the generals estimate.
The scheme 10 appoint delegates has
fallen through nearly everywhere. In
Sacramento, where the machine COM
nittee has stubbornly refused 10 let
the people vote, except inside the city,
where the law compels il, there is a
universal protest and the people are
going to hold primaries any way and
demand the seating of their elected
delegates. The same thing will be
done in a number Of other places.
I confidently expect that the prima-
ries viii show a large majority of the
state convention definitely committed
10 our cause. That is something the
machine never had when the delegates
were elected II starts out with a
compact minority and afterwards
gathers in enough OF the unattached
10 make a majority. We could do the
same thing, though by better methods.
this time if the primaries showed less
than a definite majority for US, but L
do not think il viii be necessary. A
definite majority for the machine is
absolutely beyond possibility.