The San Francisco call., 1910-07-31
MANUFACTURER WAS.
FORCED into Fight.
Candidate Who Will Arrive Here
Today Refused Three
Times to Run
Accepted Only When Machines
Scheme to Repudiate Pri=
mary Law Was Exposed

A. G. Spalding of San Diego. candi-
date for republican Endorsement for the
United States senate to succeed Frank
Flint, will arrive in San Francisco this
morning to meet the San Francisco re-
-publieans who have volunteered to;
make his campaign.
4 Spalding, who is the head of the
athletic goods concern which bears his
name, is a unique candidate. Old
fashioned convention spellbinders and
factional newspapers used to.revel in
hfghflown phrases about the office
seeking the man. 1t was good stuff as
far as it went. but it never deceived
any considerable number of voters and
it seldom contained anything like a
truthful description of the candidate
upon whom it was shoWered.
It may not be said accurately that
the office of United states senator has
sought Spalding. It may be said that
he was forced into the senatorial pri-
mary race by the republicans of south
ern California after he had refused
three. times to consider their insistent
demand that he permit his name to be.
presented in opposition to Edwin A..
Meserve and John D. Works..
CANDIDACY FORCED
Spa lding was not forced into the race
until after the republicans of - coun-
ties had completed a petition necessary.
to put his name on. the official repub
iican primary ballot and until they
made it clear to him that his failure to.
accept their support might result in: an
attempt to repudiate the SENATORIAL pro-
visions of the direct primary election
law.
riae,, ~. fi,o.. elex5entl, .l,oi,r Sp.Idin E,
gave his consent 10 the use of his name
and his nominating petition was rushed
TO Sacramento barely in time to insure
him place. on the ballot.
The senatorial situation which re-
suited in making Spalding a candidate
is unlike anything that has ever arisen
in a direct primary state. When the
direct primary law was before the leg
islature of 1909 a democratic. element,
demanding the enactment of a nonpar-
tisan law similar to the Oregon statute,
and some machine men, denounced the
senatorial provisions of the primary bill
as designed to insure the recollection of
Frank Flint.
MACHINES SCHEME
Regardless of what Flint's opinion
of the law may have been he refused to
submit his name to the electors. Judge
John p. Works of Los Angeles had
Roosevelt league. His attacks on
former President Roosevelt and Ills
advocacy of state division rose up to
damn his candidacy, and the machine
men evolved a negative scheme de-
signed to nullify the senatorial pro-
visions of the primary law and result
in the reelection of Flint. They knew
that Works could not. hold the united.
support OF the Lincoln Roosevelt league.
and that his anti Roosevelt screeds and
state division proclivities would en-
able them to line up a majority of the
hold over senators against him.
Their scheme was to keep out all
other candidates for the United States
senate permit Works to win the in
dorsement by default and correspond
fngIy small vote. They purposed to go
to the legislature insisting that there
had been no contest and that the. in
Significant vote they expected Works
to poll could not be construed as a
party Endorsement of his. candidacy.
Then Flint's name was to be presented
to the caucus and the republicans in
both branches of the legislature bound
by its vote TO re-elect him.
MEsERvE sPoILs PLAN
The machine mems. plan went with "a
swing until Edwin A. Meserve, an. old
time macnine man of Los Angeles, saw
slight effort. He spoiled the machine
scheme by declaring himself into the
senatorial race and proceeding to make
capital out of Judge Works weak
nesseS.
Then the republicans of southern
California awakened; to the dangers of
their situation. They appreciated the
fact that northern California's conccs-
sion of the souths right to elect Flint's
successor would result In leaving the
race and the scat in: the senate to
Works. and Meserve If they did not be
stir themselves. Prior to Meserve'S
advent both machine men and ihdepend-
ents in Los Angeles had failed that
county for an available man only to
be confronted with conditions that
forced them to- abandon man after man.
Southern Californians, urged on by
northern republicans, formed q south
ern California committee to bring out
a candidate who would be independent
of all factions and cliques,. genuine
republican ana. representative of the
interests of California That committee,
which was headed by G. A.. Davidson,
was unanimous in choosing A. G. :Spald-.
ing, whose name had been mentioned
in connection with the senatorship in
the east and In northern California.
Spalding had treated the mention of
himself as a candidate for the United
SIdteS senate IN the llSHl OF. q Pheasant
compliment, but never seriously. Ee'
had never played politics. He had made
a phenomenal success of his own busi-
ness and was making a success of his.
work for: San Diego: county as: a VOL
unteer commissioner of its great good
roads project
DECLINES THREE TIMES :
Splading thanked the committee for
its offer of support and declined. He
declined second and third time be-
fore he was made to appreciate the ex-
traordinary situation in the republican
party. Then he capitulated, acknowl-
edging duty to the republicans of II
counties who had formally petitioned
him to enter the race. His acceptance
was, however, conditioned on the APP
proval of his personal platform. That
platform was an absolute refusal to
make any prediction promises to any
one or to become committed to any
special interest, organized body or indi-
lviduals. 1t .also definitely fixed the
amount of money that might be ex-
pended on his behalf as a sum equal to
one years pay of a senator, which he
himself was to deposit with a trustee,
to be used only for legitimate cam
paign expenses.
pdid hos 20 lpo hold