The San Francisco call., 1909-10-26
INDEPENDENTS
BALLOTS KEY
TO SITUATION
Democratic Managers Strive
Desperately TO Start STAN
pede to Leland
McCarthy's Hopes Hinge on
a Division of the Republi=
can Vote
Bv GEORGE A. VAN SMITH


claiming everything in sight and more
the last week of San Francisco's most
momentous municipal campaign opened
upon a situation which conservative
and well informed students Of San
Francisco's politics frankly admitted
would be determined by the disposition
OF the independent republican vote
Naturally enough. when they talk
FOR publication the managers of the
several mayoralty fights try TO con
vince their auditors by the volume OF
their lead pipe cinch" protestations-
Pinned down TO an attempt TO show
ANYTHING like proof Of their optimistic
conventions their situation becomes
painful-fuu OF embarrassment And
they are all worrying most about the
one thing. That one thing is the man
ner in which the independent repuo-
lfcans OF san Francisco viii vote
week from today Driven into corners
the campaign mathemaucians are
forced to admit that their hopes ana
their fears are centered IN the lnde-
pendent republican vote
Secure in the belief that they nave
The push" tenderloin and worst OF the
machine republican vote nailed down.
McCarthy-s supporters are banking on
the theory that an Independent repuo-
1ican slump Of 5000 TO 5000 70 Leland
will enable Mccarthy TO nose Croeker
out al the finish. To help the slump
along the betting ring has been bulled
with Mccarthy money during the last
three davs. with instructions 10 place
ii on Mccarthy at 10 TO against the
field. instead Of al evens on Mccarthy
against the field. which had been the
prevailing public price for several
weeks.
TIE democratic managers bolster UP
their, claims with the hope that they
can frighten al least $500 Independent
republican votes into the Leland col
arnn. and the more conservative men
behind Leland admit that Leland mas
NOT 3 chance 10 win unless he can get
s 500 to 5000 republican votes and that
10000 republican votes are required to
make Leland loom up with anything
like the strength shown by Taylor two
wears ago.
PUSH FOR MCCARTHY
The republican managers admit, as
they must. that the push the tender
aoin and a big slice Of the machine
vote has gone to Mccarthy under or
siers. They also admit that il 1000 or
800 republicans could be frightened
into the democratic column the chances
NJ AIcCarthy's nosing out Crocker would
be more than an even money bet. They
do not admit however, that there are
any present indications of AN independ-
ent slump Of any such proportions.
They contend that the meeting held
IN the thirty-ninth district by Hiram
w. Johnson Max Kuhi and other Le-
land republicans proved cOnclusively
= enough that the democratic reports of
tdfsa nected republican landslides TO Le-
: land were more than exaggerated. The
1rkfd a =
Esuffcieutly remote from the election TO
enable the public generally to check
M both the attendance at the meeting
and its character as representative of
the sentiments Of the independent re-
4 publicans.
Thst the after effects Of the meet
ing were disappointing TO the demo-
cratic managers is not open to doubt
and that the attempt to start stam-
pede was made too early is admitted
bv some Of them. They are hopeful of
better results from the meeting to be
beld at the Y. NJ H. A. hall tonight.
hut offer no convincing explanation for
their failure to hold the republican
Leland meeting in one of the downtown
halls or theaters. big enough to accom-
nodate One-third or a half of the re-
pubIicans. who they insist are working
night and day for the democratic can
didate.
The republican managers point TO the
1,reparations for and the preliminaries
10 the Leland republican meeting to-
night as proving their contention that
the great majority Of the independent
republicans are going to vote for
Croker to prevent the election of Nc
Carthy. if for no other reason. And
naturally enough, they present other
reasons.
1t was announced more than a week
ago that this week would be ushered in
.
republican vice presidents for the Lc-
land meeting, which list would be made
up Of the men who had led the inde-
pendent republican forces to victory and
TO defeat in the memorable battles OF
the last two years. The list was given
out yesterday. 1t contained quite or
nearly 200 names. Some of the names
have been more intimately associated
with other brands Of politics than anti
machine republicanism. There were but
few of that kind Of names, but, on the
other hand, with half dozen -eXcep-
tions, the names of the men whip have
been leaders in the fight for an inde-
pendent republican party were conspic-
uous by their absence.
INDEPENDENT LEADERS ABSENT
The promoters of the meeting worked
night and day for more than a week in
an attempt to secure permission to use
the names Of leaders in the Lincoln
Roosevelt league and municipal league
of independent republican clubs move
. ment- They failed. The names of such
independent republicans as Byron
Mauzy, Marshall Hale, w. d. Fenni-
more, Hugh Lagan, Thomas f. Haven,
F. il. Dam, Harry McKannay. J. W. Nc
callum. Rolla V. Watt, William HAZEL,
George A. Turner, Alexander Russell,
AlonzO MacFarland, Joseph +. Cutten,
George Center James Rolph Jr and
George Uhl did not appear in their list,
and it was not because those repubii-
cans were not importuned to permit
the use Of heir names.
The talk about the Independent re-
publican slump to Leland has affected
the betting prices, which, by the way,
are not being made by the book makers,
who arc acting only as commissioners
Lelands price has advanced "a point.
but he is still the betting public's third
choice. The prices arc. Mccarthy. 10
10 against Croker, 10 to against
Leland and yesterday the Mccarthy
price was boosted up from even money
against the field TO 10 tos9 against the
field. while Crocker was favored by the
presence Of the most money offered
even that he would beat Leland.
Tom Corbett received instructions
yesterday to place some Eickcrt money