The San Francisco call., 1909-03-22
Some Willing to Admit Mistake,
but Not Willing to Lead
Break
Sergeant at Arms With Physi-
clan Camping at Blacks
Home
By George A. Van Smith
Especial Dispoich 10 The Call


BER OF COMMERCE BUILDING,
SACRAMENTO. March 2l-The
termination Of the direct primary dead
sock in the senate tonight seems TO be
as remote as it was when Senator
Black left Sacramento for Palo Alto.
Sergeant at Arms Lou Martin made
TO formal report 10 Lieutenant Gov
srnor Porter tonight. but dispatches
that three physicians had declared that
Black could not be moved for week
put an end to the hope that the Palo
Alto senator would be in his seat to-
morrow and also relieved any other
senator from the necessity Of leaving
sacramento TO preserve the deadlock
as has been repeatedly threatened by
senators and others who pretend TO act
as spoIesmen for the minority lighting
for nonconcurrence-
Old Lineup Expected
Presumably when the senate meets
tomorrow morning the old lineup OF
e0-Is viii be in evidence Every at
tempt Of leading democrats to get a
oaYcus OF the bourbons and let go of
an uncomfortable situation has proved
unavailing. some OF the democrats
who are honestly for the bill would like
~ omit. None feels that he is big
enough TO make the break alone. Nor
oo,ld any one Of the seven democrats
standing for noncOncurrence be eX-
pected 10 make a political martyr OF
himself for a republican cause.
Fear Free Conference
with the vote standing 20 to ls. there
IS q double alternative solution OF the
problem. a break in the ranks Of the
minority. surrender by the majority or
= compromise, either Of which means a
eonference committee and the latter Of
which would make a free conference
imperative.
No new matter could be put into the
biu short OF free conference, and II
there is one thing that the friends OF
the bin on both sides Of the present
6ividing line have 10 feal it is free
conference.
on the side of minority fighting for
ronconcurrence the majority is honestly
Tor 4 direct primary bill The votes Of
that majority have proved that. Some of
them are willing TO admit that they
have made a mistake. but none is will
fnr 10 lead the break necessary to cor
rect that mistake. With them are men
who have never been friends Of the bill
and behind them are the newspapers
which have fought the bill, either di-
rectIy or by attacking some Of its fea-
lures from the day it was introduced
and are now hghung it by indirection
through their attacks on the assembly
amendments. which every friend Of the
bin admits are immateriaL
Where Blame Lies
Where would the blame lie If the
minority OF the senate, fighting for non
Concurrence in the assembly amend
naents 10 the direct primary bill, won
taeir first skirmish and upon (the as
<embly's refusal TO recede the bill was
thrown into conference. subsequently 2
free conference, and in that free con-
ference a percentage system were writ
Ten into the bill and all reference &c
Tinted states senators stricken out2
That is the question every senator
6ghung for nonconcurrence must answer
.or himself first. and possibly for his
eonstituenss later. a first answer IS
easy. The blame must lie on 'the re-
publicsas. which so far as numbers go
are Overwhelmingly in control OF The
thfrtv-eighth session. Let it be under
stood once for all that 1 do not wisf
10 accuse democrats OF the Miller and
cartwright stamp OF deliberately play
- ing partisan politics with the direci
. primary bill. They. with Holohan, never
waverad in their support of the direc
primary biIl and Campbell, who refuoec
Ito subscribe 10 al of the work of the
independent conference, took his medi-
inc on the showdown. But il is noi
20 De believed that even Miller anc
cartwright could not find balm for thei'
grief over the defeat Of the primary
. election bill in the more than probable
defeat Of the republican party conse-
quent upon republican failure to pass
the bill
Opinion Not Based on Poll
The fight FOR nonconcurrence in the
district vote for United States sen
ators has been made so far on the
assumption that If the senate refused
70 concur. the assembly would recede
3 That mas been the honest opinion oi
some senators and the alleged opinion
OF others. That opinion was not based
. on an accurate poll of the lower house