The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-08-14
Contest Still Lies Between the Secretary of
State and Candidate of the Lincoln
Roosevelt League
Other Three Aspirants for Office May Have
Influence on Result But Can Not
Gain Victory
BY GEORGE A. VAN SMITH

politics on the street corners. This is
the substance of the reasons he gave
for his advocacy of Curry's nomination
and election:
ANSWER Is OBVIOUS
Suppose you were the head of big
business, or a little business, for that
matter. Among your employees was
one who had been with you for a
quarter OF a century. BY his efficiency,
honesty. diligence and comprehensive
grasp of the details of your business he
had been promoted through several
grades of responsibility in your estab-
lishment. For years he had occupied
the post next to your general manager.
He had become master of every in
tricacy of your trade. He had never
failed you in a single instance He
enjoyed your confidence and the re-
spect and trust of your patrons. And
then there was a vacancy in the berth
Of manager Would you give that berth
TO the tried and proved employee. or
would you intrust your business to an
applicant for employment who con-
fessed an entire lack of experience, but
asserted his good intentions? The an
swer is obvious. You would promote
the old time tried employe.
Curry is an old employee He has
worked up from the bottom He has
nlled every position intrusted to him
with credit TO the people and with
honor to himself. After % years of
public service no man can point to a
spot on his private or official record
His every trust has been given by
the people. For nearly Il years he
has been secretary of state. That office
is second in Importance only to that of
governor. In many particulars it is
the most important Office in the gift
OF the people. and largely because
f1a
MODEL and one of the best adjuncts
of government in this country. Under
curry S administration the revenues of
the secretary of states Office have been
multiplied many fold. Thanks to his
extraordinary grasp of governmental
AFFAIRS and upon his initiative. some of
the best revenue laws on the books
OF any state have been enacted for Cali
tornla. And, thanks to his admins
trative and executive abilities, those
laws have been enforced.
NO man in California has such init
mate knowledge of the affairs of the
state as has Curry. For nearly IL years
he has been member of the state
board of examiners That is the
finance committee of the biggest bust
ness concern in the west the state of
California He knows the needs of our
state institutions as no man in Cali
fornia knows them. Better than any
single individual he knows the needs
OF the dependents and unfortunates for
whom those institutions are main
tanned. By temperament and expert
ence he is the best fitted man to be
put at the head of California's bust
ness L believe that is the opinion of
men who have passed sober judgment
upon this situation and 1 believe that
judgment will result in the nomination
of Curry for governor.
FEW VAIL FOR BOSS
That from the standpoint of the
businessman, who, of course must be
rated with conservatives, who in the
best sense are regular republicans and
who abhor party disaster as they do
machine rule. The professional or
practical politicians viewpoint is diff
ferent, If the disposition of his vote
is the same. Out of the scores of poll
tfcians with whom 1 have talked dur
ing the last 80 days, less than a half
a dozen have in any way bewailed the
smashing of the machine. The passing
of one man power is as welcome to
them as to the people generally. Nine
men out of every 10 in public life are
glad to substitute the people for the
boss or his representatives, but they
tense humiliation at the hands of the
boss of his representatives, but they
are partisans. Party means much to a
great majority OIL americans. 1t meant
more to the men who are in the public
service or who hold or seek elective
public office. They want their party
to succeed to the end that they may
retain their appointive places or that
they may be elected to constitutional
Offices they seek.
A party wreck, worked deliberately
to teach an Independent candidate or
the party at large that the boss can not
be ignored, finds no response in the
minds of SO out of every 100 partisans
The candidate for state legislative or
local office wants the best vote getter
at the head of his party's state ticket
He always has relied and probably al
ways will rely for much of his own
strength upon the straight party vote
brought out. by the candidate at the
head of the state ticket.
Undoubtedly that sentiment has
worked to the tremendous advantage
of Curry. It's effect has been most
markedly noticeable since politicians
generally have come to appreciate what
they believe is the machines deliberate
purpose to knife the republican NOM
inee for Bell.
CANDIDATES AID CURRY
know and any student of the stu
alton may have known, had he cared
to investigate, that, barring the Lin
coin Roosevelt leaguers, candidates for
state nominations and republican coun-
ty officers throughout the state have
been pulling for Currys nomination.
The reasons are twofold. Some of the
candidates believe that Curry is sure to
win the nomination and they believe it
to their personal advantage to be on
the side of the strongest candidate.
Others believe that he is the one candi-
date that the machine can not beat at
the general election. And again 9TH
ers are for Curry on straight party
lines.
If my own Investigations and the
statements made to me by scores of
republicans intimately acquainted with
the state situation or the situations
of their respective communities are to
be relied upon. the partisanship ques-
ton is one of Johnson's greatest weak
nesses. IT is idle to deny that his let
ter to the republican state central COM
mittee did him no harm His affront
or alleged affront to the members of
the committee may be dismissed with
scant consideration. There are, how
ever. thousands of republicans who
recognize the state central committee
at its face value. Many republicans
know decent men on that committee.
They do not know the workings of the
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