The San Francisco call., 1909-10-14
UNLIMITED FUND
BEHIND MCCARTHY
Extraordinary Size of Campaign
Sack Stiffens Republican
Support of CrOcker
Remarkable Change of Front OF
Men Who Urged Ticket of
Businessmen
By GEORGE A. VAN SMITH

That the voters of San Francisco are
awakening to the significance Of the
noise Of P. H. McCarthy's 100000 cam
paign is evidenced by the manner In
which the lines Of the republican rank
and file have stinened up for William
Crocker in the last three days.
That the awakened sense of alarm
on the part Of the genuine republicans
has not been lost on the men who study
political conditions, quite apart from
any partisan sentiment and on strict
ly speculative basis, was demonstrated
yesterday by the appearance OF the
first large betting offer on Crocker 1t
was announced yesterday afternoon that
a fund of $4,000 had been left at the
stock and bond exchange, 324 Bush
street 10 bet on Crocker at even money.
The extraordinary opulence OF the
Mccarthy committee, SURPRISING any
thing in the history OF San Francisco,
has served to arouse the people and
more especially the republicans TO an
appreciation of the value Of the prize
at stake and their own responsibility
TO San Francisco Coupled with an
awakened appreciation OF the fact that
an unlimited campaign fund has been
placed at the disposal OF Mccarthy Is
an awakening appreciation of the
sources from which that fund is how-
ing and the incentive for the unparal-
leled flow.
FINANCES ARE SHY
Immediately after the primary ticket
was completed and before the primary
election was held the managers Of
Crocker's campaign received a bump
ing. the force Of which they did not
fully appreciate until several weeks
later when they began the work OF
financing and prosecuting a campaign
for Crocl5er's election.
Several weeks before the primary
the businessmen's movement was
launched at a mass meeting of fnan-
ciers. capitalists, merchants and pro-
fessional men. Resolutions providing
for the appointment Of an advisory
committee to pick a ticket and a finance
committee to prosecute campaign for
the nomination and election Of that
ticket were adopted.
The ticket was picked after several
meetings and no little bitterness over
the selections for supervisorial and
other administrative Endorsements. With
the ticket completed and with more
than half OF the supervisorial candi-
dates forced on the slate over the pro-
tests Of some Of Crocker's genuine sup
porters the movement languished.
No finance committee was appointed.
The campaign committee which sue
Ct6uEQ LHG aQNlSOIY GOmHllLG6 TGpU-
dated the claims of the men employed
TO get up the petitions for the candi-
dates iudorsed- Possibly by way Of
emphasizing its interest in Crocker the
campaign committee refused TO permit
the county committeeman genuinely
with Crocker TO direct even the mailing
of delegate stickers and in several dis
tricts no stickers were sent out or
stickers bearing the names OF delegate
candidates hostile to Crocker's support
ers were sent out
REFUSE TO CONTRIBUTE
That finance committee has not vet
been named. The only businessmen's
movement in audible existence now is
the P. H McCarthy's businessmen's
club. and incredible as it may seem,
members of the regular republican
campaign finance committee complain.
not without bitterness, that some Of
the big businessmen who insisted on
debating the work of the disbursements
committee have refused absolutely. TO
contribute TO the Crocker campaign
fund. One member of the business
mems advisory committee, who was and
IS for Croker has been heard 10 de-
clare that the interests behind the
bUsinessmen's committee had no in
terest in a CrOcker ticket except TO
load it, II possible, in a manner that
would help elect p. H Mccarthy by
precipitating an independent repub-
ncan slump to Leland Such a deduc-
ton, of course, does scant justice to
men who have hired and helped Herrin
machine understrappers to knife and
defeat republican candidates for many
years.
The situation is different in the Nc
Carthy camp. There the modest con-
tributions ranging from 10 cents to
30 cents and occasionally 81 have to-
tailed up a campaign fund such as San
Francisco had never seen before. Out
OF that campaign fund came settle
ment OF claims for several thousands
of dollars for bill posting and adver-
tising done two years ago. which had
70 be wiped out before the record
breaking publicity campaign OF 1909
could be opened. Then the ball was
open in earnest. In one night Vn-
lencia street was plastered with more
Mccarthy signs and banners than were
used altogether by the fusionists two
years ago for Taylor and his ticket.
Incidentally, that Taylor campaign cost
something like $4,000.
WHOLE CITY PLAsTFcRED
Valencia street was only an insignia
cant unit In the peace and prosperity"
publicity. The good work was pushed
throughout the city from North beach
TO the county line; from the ferry to
the beach. The most advantageous and
necessarily the most expensive loca-
tions for signs were secured. The best
signs that money could buy with no
hard and fast limit as to number were
ordered and hurried into position They
ranged from the big cloth pictorial
banner to enormous electrical display
signs for which $500 would be cut
price.
Businessmen whose services come
high are employed IS canvassers for
Mccarthy. Professional men accus-
toned to more than comfortable fees
are Mccarthy campaign employees.
working as hard on the peace and
prosperity end OF the Mccarthy cam
paign Is are Jerome Bassity Jimmy
Lestrange. Mitchell. Maestretti and
Others whose efforts are directed to
the spread OF the wide open propa-
ganda. The people OF San Francisco
have learned to think and they are
thinking uncomfortably about what a
H7n0 o0n a ion ~