The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-06-17
HARRON FAILS TO
MAKE GOOD CLAIM
Election Commissioner Gator
Testifies That Attorney Did
Not State the Full Facts
Judge Sturtevant Finds Work
for Ballot Machine Company
Was Worth Only $3.50

Judge Sturtevant did not have to
leave the bench yesterday afternoon to
decide the suit brought by Attorney
Howard Harron against the Federal
ballot machine company for $4,000 for
services rendered the voting machine
people in delicately getting contract
accepted and then abrogated, as Har-
ron stated the case. The court de-
cided that Harron's services were worth
$3.50, which happened to be $50 less
than the sum for which the Federal
company agreed to compromise the lit
! igation-
Thomas V. Gator, election commits
! sioner, was on the stand for some time
! yesterday and gave a different aspect
| of the case from that which Harron
! had presented the previous day The
personal pronoun eve" Harron had at
| tributed to Gator in such a way as to
/ infer that the election commissioner
| frankly avowed himself part of the
Federal ballot machine company. Ca
! tor took the same I'VE" and applied il
to quite different antecedent noun.
"WE" REFERRED TO COMMISSION
Some eminent authorities on Eng
lish grammar will go into court and
declare that there is no such thing as
a pronoun, that is, a word which stands
| for a noun These iIIuminaries have
had no experience with the verbal con-
ficts of Harron, the politician, and Ca
tor, the election commissioner, and the
nouns which we" might have repre-
sented
In Harron's testimony he endeavored
to make out that Gator was bracketing
/ himself with the machine company, and
when he found that the company could
not fulfill its contract, said, I'VE are
in a devil of a fix"
| II said We are in the devil of a
! fix" Gator testified yesterday re
ferring by we to the board of cleo
ton commissioners, who had to con-
duct the election"
GATOR TESTIFIES AT LENGTH
Most of Gators testimony was given
freely without the attorneys for the
voting machine company suggesting
| questions. He repeated long talk he
had with Harron in a saloon. He also
testified that the voting machines were
not used because the commissioners
| thought it a risky thing to employ
! them. He declared that he told Har-
ron that he had decided on an cleo
tion by ballot. Il never heard" said
Gator, that Mr.. Harron or any one
connected with the company did any
thing in the matter of the cancellation
| of the contract"
| Gator testified that he had talked
over the matter with Adam Andrew,
manager of the Federal company, at
the Pacific Union club, the Sunday pre-
ceding August %, 1908, and that while
| Thomas II. Williams was in an adjoin-
ing room he did not know that Will
liams, who was president of the COM
pany, had heard the conversation.
During cross examination by Har-
ron's counsel, ID. w. Burchard, Gator
| took occasion to express his opinion
that HarrOn had attempted to insinu-
ate that the contract had been can
celed without stating the facts in full"
Gator said the machine would not meet
! local conditions.
VALUE OF SERVICES DISPUTED
Adam Andrew, vice president and
general manager of the company, de-
MED that he had told Harron not to
go near Commissioners Gator or Ma
guire, but to go for the vote of Com
missioners Voorsanger, Gallagher and
| Jewell. Andrew thought that Harron
was entitled to about $3.50 for his serv-
ices, in addition to the 500 already
paid him He denied that he had ever
employed" Harron, but said that a
mutual friend had suggested that he
might be able to help out To ques-
lions by Harron Andrew admitted that
the machine might not stand the
roughhouse'' of rivals who might seek
to injure it by voting for 10 super
/ visors.
George w. Reed, the company's at
torney, testified that Harrons services
might be worth $500
Judge Sturtevant, in summing up the
case, figured that If Harron had han
died the deal alone he might have been
entitled to s1,10O, as Is per cent com
mission on $1,000, the leading price,
but since it had heen shown that Har-
ron was aided, he was entitled to
only $3.50.
FIVE BIDS RECEIVED