The San Francisco call., 1908-04-11
BROWN DENOUNCES
PLOT OF MACHINE
Alameda County District Attor-
ney to Appeal for Election
of Delegates

This is distinctly government by ana
of the people and the state convention
should be made thoroughly representa-
tive of them. Even If there should be
no important issue, l believe that the
primary principle should be carried out
so as to permit Of no false precedent
for scheming politicians to take advan-
tage Of At the coming state conven-
tion a new state committee will be
chosen and the character of that body
is a matter of vital Importance to the
republican party. In fact, its personnel
is about the biggest issue before the
party in California this year. Dis
triot Attorney Everett Brown of Ala
media county.
Alameda county's district attorney
held a two hours conference with w.
r. Davis and Chester Fl. Rowell of the
Lincoln Roosevelt republican league
yesterday on the matter of calling for
general primaries in the third congress
sional district, where the railroad ma
chine IS aiming TO ignore the people
and appoint "a of the rs delegates.
Brown is secretary of the district COM
mittee and active in it's affairs, and 1t
was to make an appeal TO him in the
interests of clean politics that tho two
men from the league sought meeting
with him. As was TO have been ex-
pected, the appeal was not In vain.
OPPOSES DEsPoTIsM
While expressing some hesitancy as
70 the congressional district delegates
the district attorney came out squarely
in opposing the exercise by county
committees of despottc powers. This
is important inasmuch as it has been
proposed that the Alameda county COM
mfttee should also arbitrarily appoint
delegates in order to defeat the Ina
<AAr
of the congressional district delegates
Brown said that he desired an express
sion Of the wishes of the people OF
those places affected by the failure of
the committee to call primaries and
that if they demanded popular choice
of delegates he would gladly grant it
so far as he was concerned
Steps will be taken at once to show
Brown and his fellow committeeman
that the rank and file republicans de-
sire chance 10 vote. State Senator
Charles M. Belshaw said last evening
that representative republicans would
appear with himself from Contra Costa
county to enter their protest against
the action the committee has taken.
Under the call it has issued the people
of that county will have no part what
ever in the selection of their IL dele
gates. Chester RoweIl will communi-
cate with Frank r. Devlin in Solano
county today, explaining that there is
excellent prospect of undoing the ma
chimes plot and urging that the re-
publicans of that county join with the
Contra Costa delegation in the protest
Representatives OF the outlying dis
tricts of Alameda county whence the
committee proposes to name the dele
gates will also be on hand
MAY OBTAIN REVERSAL
Brown did not attempt TO speak for
the congressional committee, but it is
hoped to effect through his energetic
personality a reversal of the commit
tees action. While the district attor-
ney Is affiliated with the machine side
in the republican party, he is of the
high type that figures so largely in
saving the railroad bureau from popu
lar condemnation. Once 1t was demon
strated to- him that his good name was
being used as cloak for crooked poll
tics, he took the side of decency against
the scheme of the organization to steal
the state.
Davis and Rowell were much pleased
with the result of their conference with
the district attorney. While they be-
lieved that il ought not to be necessary
to have the citizens OF Solano, Contra
Costa and Alameda rise UP with a de-
mand for primaries, yet in as much as
this would be so easily accomplished
they were content. Furthermore,
Brown displayed much fairness of spir-
1t, for he said that If the people of a
community were divided he would re-
solve his doubt in favor of those asking
for the use of the ballot.
Again, the district attorneys em-
phatic views against the appointment
of delegates by the county committees
and his warm advocacy of making the
state committee an issue of popular
representation were strongly in accord
with what the league is contending for.
PREPARING ARGUMENTS
The special committee named at
| Thursday nights league meeting in
Berkeley will assemble today to dis
cuss plans to present their arguments
before the third congressional repubii-
can committee. AS preliminary to
the meeting Arthur Elston, a member
of the league committee, held a con-
ference yesterday with District Attor-
ney Brown, secretary of the congress
sional committee. AS a result of that
conference announcement was made
that the league committee would wait
upon Dr. c. l. Tisdale, chairman of the
congressional committee, not later than
Monday and urge the calling together
of the committee at once to rescind the
primary call which included the ma
/ chine program of appointing "a out of
the rs delegates to the district con-
vent;on.
1t is interesting at this time to note
the names of the railroad machine
men who dominate the state commit
tee, among them being General George
Stone, George T. Hatton, Walter Par
ker, James L. Gillis, Jerry Deneen
Jake Steppacher, ]. o. Hayes and 9th
ers who do not appeal happily to the
popular Imagination. These men con-
| troll the machinery Of the republican
party that is recognized by law. The
league is seeking to dislodge them
from their intrenchments, and this is
| regarded as the most important issue
10 be determined at the convention il
May
GROSS ABUSE OF POWER
The league has abundant examples
of how this railroad dominated ma
chine, which ramifes into many coun-
ty committees, grossly abuses its pow
er. They show clearly how the nomi-
nation of Governor Gillett two years
ago was in large measure stolen in ths
most cold blooded fashion. Nevada
county furnished one of several in
stances. The people were not for Gil
lett, in fact they were Overwhelmingly
opposed TO him. Their clamors were