The San Francisco call., 1908-03-10
BLOWS ENLIVEN
THE GATHERING
OF STALWARTS
Tom McGee and Tim Sullivan
Clash Before Republican
County Committee
Lie Is Hurled During Talk on
Alleged Excessive Tele-
phone Charges
appointment of Members to Go
Before Supervisors Causes
a Lively Rumpus
BY George Van Smith

The passing of the lie direct and a
brief and bloodless encounter at hsti-
cuffs enlivened last night what
threatened to be the first peaceful
meeting in the history of the repub-
hcan city and county committee,
which came into existence last Oc-
tober
The gladiators were Committee
men Tom MCGEE of the thirty-ninth
district and Tim Sullivan of the
thirty-seventh. The cause of the bat
tie was a resolution introduced by
McGee authorizing the appointment of
a special committee TO attend the tele-
phone rate hearings before the board
Of supervisors.
The COMMITTEES had completed all the
routine work before it. adopted Sulli-
vans resolution requesting the state
central committee TO authorize the un-
official primaries May instead of
May and. departing entirely from its
usual custom, had. adopted a resolution
introduced by Chairman Dam without
the slightest acrimonious discussion.
DENoUNCEs CORPORATIONS
Jerry Lucey announced that the rec
ord was broken and motion to ad-
journ had been proposed when McGee
demanded the floor. He said:
Il have been in county committees
for a good many years. and every one
knows how they have been run by the
corporations. Now the telephone rates
come UP before the board of super
visors tomorrow night, and I think it
no more than right that we demon
strate that this committee no longer
belongs TO the corporations by sending
q committee there to protest in behalf
of the republican voters of San Fran
cisco against the exorbitant telephone
rates imposed upon them. These bunco
steering corporations have been pull
ing the wool over the peoples eyes long
enough 1t is our duty as representa-
tives Of the republican voters of this
city to stand by the people at the rate
hearing tomorrow, and move that the
chairman be authorized 10 appoint a
committee of five to represent US and
the republicans of San Francisco at
the supervisors hearings"
STRAUSS OBJECTS TO NHowL,
Nanny" Strauss scenting a chance
10 put himself on record again, flew to
the defense Of the corporations. mo
corporation ever owned me-" cried
Strauss, and I want to say a word for
the corporations They have done a
lot for this town"
You bet they have" taunted McGee.
u don't want to be interrupted. .
shouted Strauss. THE corporations
helped build this town UP. The South
ern Pacific carried homeless and desti-
tute people away after the fire. 1 hate
to hear this howl against the corpora
tions. There is something wrong with
the man who makes it. Ingratitude is
the most contemplate trait in man.
Then it dawned on Strauss that 1t
was not the Southern Pacific that was
being attacked He owed no gratitude
70 the Pacific States telephone company
and without taking a long breath he
changed his song. shouting:
..As to the telephone company that's
all right They're a band of thieves"
Nanny" had said the last word and
the resolution was unanimously
adopted. Chairman Dam declared a
five minute recess for the purpose of
selecting Is registration committee
men, and as he dropped his cane gavel
at the end Of the recess. Benny Levy
moved to reconsider the telephone COM
mittee resolution adopted unanimously
only five minutes earlier.
TAKE ISSUE WITH BAUER
Hamilton Bauer in support of Levy's
motion to reconsider argued that tele-
phone rates were none of the county
committees business. and that med
ding as proposed by MCGEE would
serve no other purpose than to bring
ridicule upon the committee
Hazel OF the thirty-ninth and Pete"
Kelly of the twenty-eighth took issue
Continued ON Page 3, Column 4