Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-23
S. P. RUMP


MeGarvin will say, Ha, ha, have
thee-on the rump: and all the
hungry, thirsty, yearning starving will
mass themselves upon the s. P. dump
and call themselves a convention. What
matters it to the hungry horde that
the convention method of nomination
is as obsolete in the state of Califor-
mia as the pterodactyl? The Bumpers
have obviated that difficulty. They
won't nominate. They will merely
suggest They will pick out the
names of real nice men for whom the
free and enlightened citizens must vote
at the primaries. The name of one
Smith will be mentioned with cheers,
but according to the latest report
of the frameup, there will be a stam-
pede for Mushet. The people will be
at liberty to choose their own candi-
dates but the s. P. will prevent con-
fusion by naming the candidates who
are to be freely chosen. According TO
the s. P. mode of political reasoning,
the primary is a paradoxical instltu-
tion, and it must be simplifed into
terms suitable for the reasoning facul-
ties of the citizen who would feel lone
some and left If he were asked to do
his own political thinking. We don't
believe there are many citizens of this
type. but the S. P. machine will take
no chances, and, anyway, 1t wants to
nominate candidates of the right sort.
Now, what is 1.-The right sort? The
political expert of Los Angeles Herald
mas reported: "The Endorsement of
the consolidation plans was so strong
by Los Angeles that If the Republican
convention is to be representative of
the best sentiment of the city, It should
follow naturally the harbor delegation
will indicate the Republican sem
timent on the harbor question. For
good politics, II not for support of the
settled policy of the city, the delegates
from San Pedro should sit IN the con-
vention as representing a settled pol
icy on the harbor question. It is evil
dent from a survey of the list of dele
gates that they do represent settled
policy. No stronger evidence that the
policy of convention managers is that
of Southern Pacific politics could be
found than the roster of delegates
from San Pedro precincts to the Rump
convention.
Instead Of standing for continuation
of the harbor plans, matured by the
best thought of the three cities repre-
sented and eliminating as the result
of two decades of the hardest kind of
fighting for a great harbor of the peo-
pie, the delegation for the harbor rep
resents to the fullest extent those in
fluences which have opposed this fight,
which have thrown in its way the most
sinister and underhanded defamation of
San Pedro harbor, and which have
sought at the polls, before the legis-
lature and in the national capital to
sew up the harbor for private interests"
The Rump rebel convention, there
fore. may be regarded as part and par
eel Of the Southern Pacific machine. It
is not even a fair convention in the
ordinary sense of the word. There will
assemble tonight at the Shrine audi
torium pack of hirelings who care
naught for Americanism, and heelers
and down-at- t-heelers WHO are eager to
sell their freemen's birthright for sorne-
thing equivalent to the mess of pottage
with which the first political cor,
ruptionist bribed his way to power and
preference.
1t is needless to say all decent Re-
publicans will stay away from the dis
honorable, disgraceful, disreputable,
traitorous and unlawful assemblage of
conspirators against the common veal
and plotters against the primaries that
will steal the name Republican" and
lay futile plans for theft Of the rights
Of the people.