The San Francisco call., 1909-02-14
PRIMARY
NOW HINGES ON
SOLONS' STAMINA
Herrin's Last Hope Lies in
Breaking Down at Least
Two Senators
Machine Making Desperate Ef-
= forts TO NuIIify Wright
Stanton Measure
: Seeks to Force Legislators to
Violate Pledges Made for
Honest Election Law
By George A. Van Smith
peoial Dispatch 10 The Call

lSpeoial Dispatch 10 The Call
=. CALL HEADQUARTERS. CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE BUILDING. SAcRA-
-AENTO. Feb. l3.-Herrin's hope of
qualifying the Wright stanton direct
primary election bill by jamming into
st Wolfe's proposition for majority
nominations and taking out OF it all
reference 10 the nomination of United
states senators hinges upon the ability
. Of his strikers TO pull down at least
two OF the senators who went into the
Independent caucus. and the possibility
that Caminetti may play into the hands
OF the enemies of direct primaries by
hanging out for the inclusion of the
Oregon system OF electing United
States senators.
Herrin's sub bosses Walter Parker.
Jere Burke and Johnny Lynch, have
moved heaven and earth to break
. through the defenses that were erected
= 7oy the friends Of honest direct pri-
r lNaries when in rump caucus they
pledged themselves TO the original
policE OF the Wright-Stanton bill and
rsle preservation Of it's original form,
except for purely mocha nical amend
ments and the saving Of conventions to
lNake party platforms.
FORMED CLEAR MAJORITY
There were 2I senator's. or a clear
majority OF the upper house. in that
independent caucus. 1t was not pro-
Erammed. IL fought out every Ques-
.fion and decided every question
through man by man vote It in
: :structed Senator Wright to take his
bin TO the floor OF the senate with a
minority report. In addition 10 the q
senators who were in the caucus, three
others are absolutely pledged 10 sup
port the minority report and the bill
p In order 10 defeat the people the ma
chine must pull down at least three
men who were parties TO the caucus.
or one Of those who caucused, and all
or the three who We're pledged but
WHO were not in the caucus
The men on whom the machine strik-
-ers have labored most diligently are
senator Miguel Estudillo, chairman of
the committee on elections, and Senator
Hurd OF Los Angeles. who was one of
The leaders IN the organization Of the
FIRST independent caucus on direct pri-
maries. Estudillo was marked down
Tor easy pichngs by the machine ma
nipulators or he would not have been
pAshed into the craftsmanship Of the
committee on elections The machine
strikers evidently thought that Estu-
dillo's advocacy Of the direct primary
amendment two years ago and his cam
paign pledges last fall were intended
merely as vote catching molasses. At the
first meeting Of the committee on cleo
tions EstudillO served notice Of his in
-tention to play square with the people
who had trusted him by hosting his
cOlOrs for the Wright-Stanton bill
gllt.
EsTUDLLLO DEFIED MACHINE
Not until Estudillo declared himself
.uneQuivocaIly against the emascuIation
Of the policy i'm the original bill did
the machine managers begin to take
him seriously. They believed they could
drive him down with their threats at
any time. Walter Parker spent an hour
'lsboring with the senator from River
siGe. who went straight from that sit
ting 10 sn independent caucus. where
he again declared himself squarely for
the bin and for an honest redemption
OF his pledges None is prepared TO be-
leve that either threats or promises
would induce Estudillo to execute
complete change Of front now.
The machines reliance upon Hurd
was based on the fact that he received
an organization nomination and a be-
lief in his legislative innocence. Hurd
cut his eye teeth promptly. 1t did not
take him long 10 tumble TO the fact
that the organization was double cross
Ing him on the Los Angeles consolida-
tion matter. which was the one big 10
cal task. or TO see the bottom of the d.
rect primary job lurking behind Wolfes
majority nomination scheme. The sup
-posed legislative innocent took stock
of the fact that in this legislature
every man is bound to stand on his
own record on public questions. and as
promptly he declared himself in on the
side OF right and q square deal.
HURD STANDS BY WORD
The machine has slipped him several
little favors in the way of iunket as
signments and its agents have done
him the honor TO sit up until midnight
with him in attempt TO win him away
from an honest direct primary, but no
one IS ready TO believe that those at
tentions or arguments will make Hurd
a confessed traitor or cause him TO
repudiate his pledged word
There is just one way that the ma
chine can prevent the adoption Of the
minority report on the Wright Stanton
bill. That one way involves compelling
at. least four senator's TO break their
pledges TO the people and their lat
pledges to their colleagues.
The agreement Tor the showdown
provides for the test being made as a
special order Wednesday All the Jun
keting parties and special trippers viii
be back not later than Tuesday, unless
they violate their schedules There
VIII be no excuse for the absence OF
any senator. The motion to substitute
the minority report for the majority
VIII put every man on record. The
failure Of that motion will prove that
there are not q senators brave enough
10 stand up for the people for their
personal pledges against the machine
and il viii mean the defeat OF the peo-
pie IN their fight for an honest direct