The San Francisco call., 1909-06-10
Striking Testimonial to
Worth of RoZph and Hale
THEIR R[FUSALS
CONSIDERED FINAL
For Six Months But Two Names
Mentioned in the Mayor
atty Fight
Contained From Page i

Continued From Page
months the republicans of San Fran
cisco who wanted good government
as well as party success have been
. insistent that either Marshall Hale or
James Rolph Jr. should be forced to
enter the race as the republican stand
ard bearer.I
Two Names Considered
Some republicans went to Hale first
with the request that he make the race.
Others sought out Rolph first. Met
with refusal on the one hand. they
turned always between the two. When
Hale said mo- the individual or dele
cation went to Rolph, and when Rolph
said mo-" back they went to Hale. The
name of no other was given serious
consideration. And naturally enough
the alternative insistence of the men
who were trying to work out the saliva
ton OF San Francisco and the republi-
can party only served to increase the
proportions of the popular demand for
Hale or Rolph. The fitness of the men
appealed to the citizen who takes no
active part in practical politics. Their
natural strength sas candidates appealed
TO the politicians.
among the politicians clever enough
to appreciate the necessity for a big
candidate the only differences touching
the two have been those arising from
the efforts of centending factions to
be first to push one or the other into
the race. Either Hale or Rolph would
win. That was agreed. Which was to
reap the prestige and subsequent bene-
fits of meeting the popular demand for
one of them.
HALE'S GREAT STRENGTH
Hale possesses elements of natural
strength difficult to overestimate and
which are generally admitted by the
politicians who hoped that he would
not be induced to enter the race would
make his election foregone conclusion
If he could be prevailed upon to run
Hale would start with the entire
confidence of both the business inter-
ests of the community, the men who
work and the people generally who,
quite aside from any tendencies to par
tisanship, want good and stable gov
ernment.
Hale's connection with the CONNER
been conspicuous. With his brothers
he has built up the enormous business
which bears their name and which Is
household word, not alone in San Fran
cisco, but throughout the state. His
personality, as well asS his achieve
ments, accounts in no small degree for
his hold on the confidence of the busi-
nessmen of the community. AS quiet
and unassuming as he is energetic,
Halo rxyffH ha h,c
men of San Francisco and to good pur-
pose in every movement with which
he has been associated. He is recog-
nized as a conservative Of the type
that does not mean retrogression..
RELATIONS WITH THE ToILERs
His relations with the people who
work have been most fortunate, both
as employer and as merchant, and
those fortunate relations have been
sustained without any fuss or feath-
ers on Hale's part.
q Viewed purely from the political
standpoint, Hale's strength is twofoId.
First, he has never been considered a
rabid partisan, although always promi-
nently Identified with the politics of
his party, and s a partisan his stand
ing with the conflicting elements in
the republican party is unique.
The republican county committee
represents pretty we'll all the elements
in the party from the most slavish fol-
lowers of the Herrin machine to the
most radical reformer, and they are all
Hales friends. While he always stood
consistently for the good government
end of all fights in the committee he
has at the same time maintained his
position without incurring either the
enmity or suspicion of any of the fac
tions. He was one Of the leaders of
the big minority which walked out OF
the Ryan convention two years ago,
but he was one of the first men chosen
by the Ryanites for their county COM
mittee of 36, and after the election row
was over he was the first to advocate
a burying of the hatchet and a pull
all together for the reuniting of the
party.
ADVOCATE OF HARMONY
When the Lincoln Roosevelt organ
ization came into San Francisco, Hale
worked night and day to bring all the
reform forces together and accepted
one of the highest offices in that or
ganization. The advent of the Lincoln
Roosevelt league did little to heal up
the breach in the county committee,
but Hale,s standing was unimpaired on
both sides of the fence.
Some of the county committeeman
Interested in the ambitions of an
avowed candidate admitted freely
enough that if he did give his consent
to the use of his name the republican
problem as we'll as the mayoralty ques-
tion would be settled. They insisted
that he could not be forced in. and
the municipal league conference has
apparently given UP hope.