The San Francisco call., 1909-01-05
DEMOCRATSCRY
FOR NAMING OF
AN INDEPENDENT
Minority Party Leaders Work
All Night for Honorary
SenatOrship Vote
Attempt, Partly Sincere, Is Eff
fort to Make Capital of
Impossible Situation
Weakness of Absolute Machine
Programmes Shown in
Lineup of Senate
CALL HEADQUARTERS, CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE BUILDING, SACRA-

CALL HEADQUARTERS, CHAMBER
or COMMERCE BUILDING, SACRA-
MENTO, Jan. democratic indorse-
ment Of an Independent republican
candidate for the United States senate
and a coalition with those republican
senators and assemblymen who might
be induced 10 bolt the republican joint
caucus and Perkins is the scheme on
which the minority leaders in both
houses are industriOusly working to-
night
80 l4arassed with a mighty difficulty in
agreeing upon a bourbon as the re-
cipient of their complimentary vote for
United States senator, the democrats
are trying tonight TO organize what
some of them call a strike for lib
.erty and independence" They do not
hope 20 defeat Senator Perkins. but
they DO hope to pull half a dozen re-
publicans out OF the joint senatorial
caucus. indorse some anti-machine re-
publican for United States senator
show a fine non-partisan spirit and
add TO the gayety OF nations generally.
NOT ALL SINCERE
With some OF the democrats the
scheme is undoubtedly sincere. With
others il may be described as an at
tempt TO get some easy capital out of
g an impossible situation. While in the
p cases Of a few more it promises relief
frem the necessity Of choosing between
James d Phelan and Harry Flannery,
The san Francisco bourbons who have
been placed in lsughable rivalry for the
role Of the democratic Joseph
Senator J. b Sanford of Ukiah, chair
man Of the democratic caucus is engi-
neering the strike for liberty in the
upper house, and Assemblyman J. w
Preston. also Of Ukiah. is the man at
the strike for liberty is in the nature
of redemption Of his ante-election
pledges. He defeated Handy, republi-
can. in a district which gave Held, re-
publican a majority Of 1,200 two years
ago. And he got many OF those re-
: publican votes away from Handy be-
o.. cause he agreed to vote for any inde-
pendent republican candidate for the
81 United States senate.
d. The democrats are Of the opiuiou that
) they could induce a dozen republicans
to join with them for either Chester
Rowen Of Fresno or former Mayor w
r Davis Of Oakland II their mathe-
matics could be reduced to facts so far
As the republicans are concerned. and
70 If they could get all the democrats to
participate in the strike for liberty
Davis or ROweu or some other repub-
lcan might receive a complimentary
.vote Of a out Of the total Of Ilg. which
will probably be cast on the Joint
ballot
FACE TWO DIFFICULTIES
They confront two difficulties. The
p. first and least Of their troubles lies
within their own ranks, where some
of the more conservative and infuen-
tial democrats are opposed to a de-
parture from precedent and partisan
ship In a hopeless cause. Their sec
ond difficulty is the seduction Of re-
publicsns away from the joint caucus
some OF the best of the anti-machine
republicans are bound by pledges run
hing to their own constituencies to vote
for Perkins. Some others not bound
by such pledges viii not forsake the
caucus and flesh pots to vindic ate a
. hopeless Independence in the matter of
the United States senatorship.
=. J. Callan Of San Francisco is
against Perkins on principle; c. c.
%. Young OF Berkeley drew instructions
70 vote against Perkins with his nomi-
= lation: Bell. the republican, who was
:. refused admission TO the party caucus
is not bound In any way and his sup
port OF an independent republican
would add nothing TO the minority 80
: n which they include him.
A casual personal canvass OF repub-
.-i3can senators and assemblymen indf-
. Gates tonight that If the democrats
2. could line up their own forces soIidly
they could add thereto less than eiRht
republicans and four of that eight
must be classed as doubtful until after
they have definitely given their pledges
ind finally the inclinations of the re-
publican selected as the complimentary
=. beneficiary Of the strike for independ-
.ence must be considered. That repub-
lican might object strenuously to a.
move which might easily enough be
= f-cr
sitiOn to party wrecking and which
would be so construed, for public con-
sumption, at least, by machine work
-.ers.
-: It is a fine scheme for the democrats
: but possibly would prove mighty awk-
ward for some Of the republicans.
While the democrats are figuring on
their. strike for liberty a new leader
has come out of the mist on the repub-
:.Iican side Of the senate. A E Boynton,
the. clever little senator from OroviIle
who did most Of his fighting single
handed in his first session, came TO the
front yesterday when he marshaled a
force which failed by only two votes
- controlling the republican caucus.
d: With Boynton are Cutten of Humboldt.
: 93irdsan Of Auburn, Stetson of Oak
'9snd. new senators, and Black and
Walker Of Santa Clara of the hold
overs. There viii be no question of
':} eadefship among these men. They are
big enough TO be above anything like
petty jealOusies.
::ElIIs SENATE LINEUP
Their efforts yesterday furnished a
T.ririY accurate IL not an exact lineup
.of the senate. The Il senators who
lined up for Bells admission might all
:Ecte together on other matters, but
among those who voted against Bell
are several who VIII not take raw ma
chine program IN q matter Of legislsL-
ti0n. Conceding the machine re-
cfufts on the democratic side, the line
fp today indicates that not more than
z total Of Is out of 40 senators can
re relied upon TO go the whole dis
tance for program.
Questions Of legislation have been
generally lost to view in the mad
chase for jobs by the small army of
the faithful in attendance either in
flesh or spirit. When the cruel words
have been spoken or written to the
several hundred patriots who will not
get Jobs a lot Of important legislation
viii be gotten under way Some of 1t
will get through with small difficulty.
The road viii be rougher for more and