The San Francisco call., 1908-10-13

ASHE WIRES BRYAN
TO BOUNCE RAkFR
Says Democratic State Chair
man Has Avoided Headquar-
ters Since Campaign Begun
Declares California Can Be Car
ried by BOurbons if Active
Manager Is Installed

Disguised with the manner in Whlch
the state central committee is conduct
Ing the campaign for Bryan, and act
ing with the appreciation of old line
democrats. VIII Ashe OF Sonoma coun-
". one of the democratic stalwarts In
this state has sent a telegram to Will
liam j. Bryan, advising radical changes
at headquarters.
Ashes telegram informs Bryan that
Judge John E. Raker of Modocs chair
man of the state central committee, has
not put in-an appearance at headquar-
ters since the beginning of the cam
paign. 1t declares that California can
be. carried for Bryan with, an active
chairman managing the campaign.
Democrats who have dropped into
the headquarters In the Monadnock
building in the last few weeks have
said some uncomplimentary things
about the absent chairman and have
refused to be satisfied with the excuse
invariably offered, which is that Raker
is running for superior judge In Modoc
county and can not spare the time to
sit on the lid" in San Francisco.
Why did not Raker refuse the chair
manship if he realized that he could
not fulfill it's duties? He knew he was
going to be a candidate in his own
county?" Is the way the disgruntled
bourbons come back
MURMURING GROWS LOUD
The murmuring grew SO loud that
Secretary John +. Murray and those
members of the state central commit
tee who have his confidence went into
executive. conference and, resolved that
it would be necessary to bring Senator
j. b. Sanford of Ukiah down to the
city to take Rakers place. Sanford is
vice chairman of the committee and
was given that position with the under
standing that he would attend to the
duties of chairman whenever Raker
was away from headquarters.
So Sanford was sent for and spent
part of several days around headquar-
ters; then he disappeared. Inquiry for
him ELECTED the information that he
had gone back to Ukiah TO superintend
the printing of the official ballots and
other election supplies for Mendocino
county. Sanford has a newspaper In
Ukiah and does job printing as well,
and when he gets big county con-
tract he feels that its proper execution
is of more Importance than the conduct
of the Bryan campaign. 1t is said that
Sanford will return to headquarters
when the printing job is finished.
These conditions aroused the wrath
of many of the old line democrats,
most of whom are none too friendly to
bell, Rakef, SANFORD and the rest or
the "antis." They all felt that some
thing ought TO be done, but nothing
was done until Will Ashe blew in
from Glen Ellen several days ago to
attend the Trans Mississippi congress.
AsHE OPTIMISTIC
Ashe is an optimistic Bryan man and
when he found the way things We're
going at headquarters, with no chair
man or vice chairman on the job, he
went up in the air Several conferences
with Democratic leaders followed and
then he sent telegram to Bryan at
Lincoln, telling him that Raker had
never been on the job, that an active
chairman was needed and that there
was chance to carry California for
the democratic ticket.
So far no answer has been received.
but one is expected hourly and when
il comes there may be a. revolution at
headquarters. If there Is one it will
be a severe jolt to Theodore A. Bell.
who is responsible for Raker and Sam
ford and who at the present time is in
far away Milwaukee, but 1t is not ex-
pected to cause undue sorrow to Gavin
MeNab or Nathan Cole Jr., the national
committeeman who came up from Los
Angeles Sunday to see for himself how
things were going at headquarters.