The San Francisco call., 1909-08-17
CAND|DATESARE
CONFIDENT ON
FvEOF ELECTION
Campaign Is Finished and the
First Direct Primary in
Hands of People
Count of Ballots Will Determine
if Public Service Corporation
Greed Is TO Be Checked
By GEORGE A. VAN SMITH

The primary campaign is finished.
factions are deployed. The lines are
drawn. The big battle OF the ballots
VIII be fought and determined today.
Between the hours Of O'Clock this
morning. and this afternoon, the
electors Of San Francisco will. for the
1rst time, actually select their partisan
nominees for public offices.
san Frsncisco's first direct primary
campaign has been like and unlike di-
rect primary campaigns in other states.
1t has been like direct primary cam
psigns in other states in that the pub
lie service corporations have, by their
participation, made todays election a
test Of strength between themselves
and the people. 1t has been unlike
other direct primary campaigns in that
the great majority Of the candidates
seeking partisan nominations have been
Endorsed and are supported by con-
crete organizations and that the can
didates OF the rival organizations have
generally pooled their interests.
ISSUES OF CAMPAIGN
In its fundamentals the first direct
primary campaign in San Francisco has
been very like the old intermediate pri-
mary fights. The issue has been gov
ernment by and for the people versus
government by and for the public serv-
ice corporations. The public service
corporations have by their unlawful
greed, made the Hetch Hetchy water
project gas rates and the MONOPOLY of
the peoples streets by the United Rail-
roads the issues OF the campaign To-
days fight is a pocketbook fight. The
count OF the ballots will determine
whether the people are to have the
lfetch Hetchy water supply. cheap. pure
water and REASONABLE insurance rates
or whether they are to pay higher water
rates without Injunction for water and
eorrespondingly higher rates for fire
insurance.
The count Of the ballots TODAY will
determine whether the people are n
go on with their fight against illegal
gas rates collected under 'Injunction,,
or whether they are to pay 81 or =.
higher rate. fixed b ythe negotiable
instruments" which the gas coupanv
the Spring Valley water company and
the United Railroads want elected to
the board OF supervisors
WHAT BALLOTS WILL DECIDE
The count of the ballots today will
decide whether the republicans of san
Francisco want supervisors who will
nght 10 prevent the United Railroads
from securing its monopoly Of lower
Market street, or the cormorants who
VIII give lower Market street and any-
thing else demanded by the United
Railroads 10 that corporation.
There IS no room for doubt about the
interest and activities of the public
service corporations in the fight for re-
publican nominations today Emploves
and ranIfffro1 ,,F -,
hgured largely in framing the slate in
dorsed by the businessmen's committee
OF 20 Employees. former employees and
political agents Of the gas company
were given places both on the adminis-
trative end and the supervisorial end Of
that slate.
The United Railroads has issued vot-
ing orders TO its employees. The carmen
at all the barns have been instructed
how they must vote today The bosses
in charge OF the barns have explained
TO the men that -the company expects
its employees to vote for the company's
interest" Each man who received those
instructions also received a copy of the
ticket he was expected to vote for the
-compsny's interest" When the barn
bosses who issued the orders concluded.
they gave the men cards on which were
printed the ticket they were ordered to
vote That ticket bore the names Of the
dersed by the businessmen's committee
OF 25.
EXPENSIVE AID FOR FICKERT
Extraordinary and expensive efforts
have been made in behalf of Charles
n Fickert, indorsed by the business
mems committee for the republican
domination for district attorney and
by Mccarthy for the union labor NOM
ination. The businessmen's committee
induced Assemblyman Nathan c.
CoEhlsn TO desist from any active ef-
fort to secure the republican nomina-
ton. Mccarthy's committee issued in
structions TO union labor voters 10
write Fickert's name in on their bal
lot Republican and union labor NOM
instions appear to be Fickert's by what
amounts to default.
But Fickerts friends want the dem
ocrstic nomination for him. To secure
him the coveted place in the bourbon
column on the general election ballot
they have inaugurated and are prose-
cutting a campaign, the expense OF
which will mount into thousands of
dollars. Incidentally their fight to
land the democratic nomination for
Fickert has thrown the McNab organ
ization into frenzied fits and is re-
sponsible for denunciations. denials, ex-
plantations and formal public state
A-CHNS vi bCAcAA u SoAAlEcQ Qtil-
Ocracy.
NAN WHO HOLDS SACK
NJ Oppenheim, an organization DEM
.ocrst, Is the ostensible head OF the
Fickert assault on democracy. Law
renee J. Dolan, formerly a member of
a Ruef-Schmitz board OF education and
a protege OF Garrett McEnerny. is said
10 be the man holding the sack which
has been opened wide
Sunday hundreds of canvassers were
employed TO visit every registered dem
ocrat, to check up democratic senti-
ment and TO urge democrats to write
the name Of Charles NJ. Fickert in the
blank space on the democratic ballot
under the district attorney caption.
From two to four men will be at
each polling place today wearing con-
spicuous Fickert badges and passing
cards urging all democrats to write
in the name Of Fickert. This service
alone involves the employment Of from
800 to 500 men. The compensation is
TO be IS a man.
The results OF the primary election
as regards the union labor ticket have
virtually no interest for the public gen.
orally and veTy little for the electors
who are registered as members Of that
party. The McCarthy-Cas secret con-
ference decided upon slate which in