The San Francisco call., 1910-02-04
MACHINE HAS MAN
FOR WEBB'S PLACE
Frank McGOwan to Have Sup=
port of Herrin Organization
for Attorney General
incumbent to Be "DitChed" to
Carry Out Compact With
Mccarthy
By GEORGE A. VAN SMITH


from Humboldt and the candidate sup
ported by the Calhoun and kindred in
terests for district attorney in 1907,
has been promised the support of the
Horrin machine for attorney general
Attorney General L. 5. Webb who
said that he would announce his can
di6acy when the time comes" is
slated for the machine hook. The
-ditching Of Webb and the espousal OF
MCGOWAN b ythe organization is one
OF the considerations Of the bargain
with the machine which resulted IN the
election of Mayor p. II. Mccarthy
o.. The ostensibIe reason for the ma
chimes reIegation of Attorney General
Webb is that he ran out" on the or
ganization. Translated, this means that
the attorney general is accused Of too
great activity in the matter Of rail-
road rates and regulating legislation.
PRICE OF LABOR VOTES
Many persons viii consider that an
Unfair accusation. In any event 1t viii
not be given public prominence by the
organization manipulators. Few men
at all familiar with the inside of Cal
ifornia's politics viii believe that
Webb's alleged running OUT on the
organization has even a remote con-
nection with his nomination for ma
chine slaughter
The ditcning of Webb and the pre-
Ierment OF McGowan is one of the in
stsllments OF the agreed price for
Mayor McCarthy's delivery of the union
labor party vote TO the republican or
ganization ticket. It was agreed upon
even before the agreement which re-
suited in the appointment of Percy
Henderson "a q pplirq commission bV
Mayor Mccarthy.
.RUNNINB OUT A MYTH
As far as the rate bill jointly fathered
by Governor Gillett and Attorney Gen
eral Webb is concerned the running
out" of Webb is a myth. The passage
of a rate bill was agreed TO by the
Southern Pacific's political powers. If
there be logic in the contention that
webb ran out in that matter, the same
charge would lie against Governor Gill
lett No organization man has sug-
eested that. They some times talk
about their inability II handle Gillett,
=: Int. they never complain about any
1iroken bones and Gillett has never
posed as an enemy OF the organization
even in the sense that organization"
means the Southern Pacific political
bureau.
This is susceptible Of cerifcation.
Months before the last legislature con-
vened Governor Gillett had frank talks
with the political powers that be. He
told them that sane, proper rate leg
isgation must be enacted by the ensuing
legislature. He told them. and they
agreed with him, that failure to enact
such legislation meant something more
than hard shedding for the republican
party. 1t was also agreed that the rail
road company had no objection to
proper regulation.
RATE BILL WAS APPROVED
The administration bill was prepared
by Webb and the governor. l am not
prepared TO state that Webb talked
over the provisions of the bill with the
railroad representatives. They were
discussed, however, and when the bill
was introduced it was understood that
its provisions were satisfactory to all
concerned
Z: Webb loomed up large in the prose-
'eUtion of the campaign for the bill.
The newspapers gave considerable
space TO the Webb bill The governor
was boosting it along and was in daily
conference with Senator Stetson and
the attorney general. Suddenly the
Wright bill appeared.
There was no attempt to amend the
administration bill, which was sup
posed TO differ from the Wright bin in
only one feature. The administration
or Webb bin was killed. The Wright
bill was passed. This implies no ad-
verse criticism of the Wright bill
WRIGHT LAW COMMENDED
The federal authorities and no less
an authority than Franklin x. Lane
have declared that the Wright law is
an excellent enactment and one of the
best statutes of the kind in existence
It is probably quite as good as the ad-
ministration bill, but its enactment
pulled substantial peg out of Webb's s
campaign board. The San Francisco
municipal deal was on then and Webb
wss slated for the AK, even if at that
time there was no promise running to
MCGOWAN.
% The promise to support MCGOWAN may
not involve his formal Endorsement by
the state central committee. There is a
hot tip out now that the state central
committee viii be expected to name a
ticket from top to bottom, but that was
not the original arrangement touching
McGewan. And at that it may be that
the original plan had not received the
sanction Of the head of the organiza-
'-Jiop.
- DOUBLE CROSS FOR WEBB
; The original plan for McGowan's
domination involved a double cross
for Webb that should be an exact du-
plicate Of that given to William Crock
er. recently republican candidate for
mayor Of San Francisco. MCGOWAN was
TO have the aggressive and active sup
port Of Mccarthy. The organization
was 10 declare a hands of" policy for
public consumption. Webb, If he chose
might delude himself as did Croker
with the idea that he had the support
of the organization, but the word
would be passed for MCGOWAN, as il
was passed for Mccarthy.
There are no surface indications OF
; any change in that plan. Mayor Nc
Carthy formally espoused the Nc
Gowan candidacy. Indeed, he launched
it at the state building trades conven-
tion at Monterey. 1t is blushingly ad-
mftted by those close to the throne that
the political resolutions adopted by the
Monterey convention leave the disposi-
tion Of the union labor party vote In
the hands OF Mayor Mccarthy, and
Mayor Mccarthy emphatically declares
that in state and national politics he is
a republican.
JUST SIMPLE RECIPROCITY
The republican organization candi-
date for governor will be Mayor Nc
Carthys candidate. Mayor Mccarthy S
candidate for attorney general rs the
republican organization candidate for
attorney general 1t is just simple
matter ~ that racfnrorffu