The San Francisco call., 1909-07-30
Women and "Drys' Give
Battle to Martinez Boss
Contra Costa Politics All Torn Up
Over McNamara'S Saloon License
Especial Dispatch 10 The Call

MARTINEZ. July 2s-The fight over
the renewal of the saloon license at
Bay View park is developing not only
into general campaign for prohibi-
tion in Contra Costa county. but for a
reform in politics as we'll Already
the Woman's Christian temperance
union has engaged James H. Weorten-
dyke, national organizer of the prohi-
bition party, and DR.. W. NJ Burke Of
the Anti-Saloon league of northern CAL
ifornia. as campaigners to begin work
Immediately. year in advance of cleo
tion. An effort viii also be made by
the temperance people to drive j. J.
Mcnamara, boss of Martinez, out of the
town council
The fight against the park licenses
was inspired by the street riot of June
6, in which 13 arrests were made, with
three men bound over for felonious as
sault on Constable Palmer, who suf-
fered broken nose. The county su-
pervisors took the renewal of the IL
cense under advisement two weeks ago.
Yesterday the supervisors We're guests
Of honor and speakers at the banquet
of the local liquor dealers association.
decision public. But the Woman's
Christian temperance union is not look
ing for a victory.
WOMEN MAKE FIGHT
In Martinez the businessmen have
let a few militant Woman's Christian.
temperance union women make the
fight alone. The merchants are not
inclined TO incur the enmity of Nc
Namara, who has already boycotted one
firm The Office holders have kept even
further aloof
Mcnamara has been Is years in Mar
tineZ, where he controls two groceries.
A meat shop, a saloon and a wholesale
liquor house and has a hand in many
other enterprises. His Bay View park
is leased from w E Thomas, presi-
dent of the Telegraph Avenue savings
bank of Oakland The park is a dry
and rusty piece of land with a barn
like a dancehall, some beer arbors. a
bar and lunch rooms and baseball
grounds. Being just over the county
line the liquor license is 500 a year.
For this reason it comes under the su-
pervisors and not the town council of
which Mcnamara himself is a member
The bar is open only Sundays. 1t gets
its bad name among the temperance
people, says Mcnamara. from the fact
country wineries near by and returns to
town to celebrate.
Mcnamara came into power in Mar
tinez as a reformer. He never presses
the poor in his debt and has done favors
among a certain class that have given
him considerable leverage. But his
success is due mainly to the "sorehead"
movement of four years ago.
The -soreheads" rose in revolt
threw out many of the old time repub-
Treasurer Wiley, s17, 200 short in his
accounts, and the s2S.0O0 shortage Of
Harry Raap, county clerk, later made
up by his family made the movement
popular. Mcnamara was associated
with A. B. Coleman, George Meese, At
torney A. B. Mckenzie, Assessor Henry
Jones and ]. E. Cotton No prosecu-
tions. however, followed the exposures.
Meanwhile Mcnamara has been in a
position of peculiar power. He and
four friends on the council have been
able to manage the licenses to suit
themselves When there were no rivals
trying to enter the business, the license
was made as low as $3.50 a year. 1t
is now at $500. Two years ago ii was
raised for a short time TO $500. This
provoked one saloonman, named Wool
bert. into attacking Councilman III. j.
Curry with a pistol, with the result
that Woolbert was sent up for two
years in Folsom.
GANG OF ROUGHs
A gang of roughs, now more or less
disorganized. fairly ran things in the
county at the time Woolbert was tried,
and attempted to force Curry to drop
the, prosecution. The same gang short