The San Francisco call., 1910-08-07

general campaign. The politicians be-
gan last week to exhibit a unanimity
of opinion shown at no time prior to
last week. Men who had been over the
state. either in their own interest or
on behalf of other candidates. changed
| their expressions of doubt as between
Curry and Johnson to positive asser-
tions OF their belief that Curry would
be nominated. Here is poll of opin-
ions based on personal observation that
covers California from north to south.
Last week I talked with six candi-
! dates for republican nomination TO
state Office; four candidates for nomi-
nations in districts. comprising sew
eral counties; the managers of cam
paigns for three candidates seeking
state nomination and one of the clev-
crest men associated with the machine.
whose reputation for political useful
ness is in part based upon the accuracy
of his field Investigations. Neither
Curry nor any of his campaign direct
ors is included in this list. Only one
Of them was directly associated with
Anderson's campaign.
Five of the six candidates for state
nomination were unqualified in their
belief that Curry would win. They were
agreed that Anderson would be third
in the race. The sixth candidate said
that while IN his judgm Curry had
a slight lead, the apparent division of
the vote in northern California seemed
to be SO completely between Curry and
Johnson that he was not prepared to
choose as between Anderson and Stan
ton for third place. None of these men
was willing to concede that Anderson
would make even a respectable show
, ing in Los Angeles.
The four candidates for district NOM
nations were all from northern and
.a.ar erruI III nHr7fo
calities in his particular district where
Johnson was stronger than Curry. Each
declared that in his opinion Curry
would carry his district. One of the
four designated a single county in his
district in which he said Anderson had
| a f1ghting chance for an even break.
| The three managers, each of whom had
been through southern California,
picked Curry TO win. The one man who
was associated with the Anderson cam
paign declined to express an opinion
as between Johnson and Curry, but, like
one of the state candidates, declared
that Anderson would be fortunate to
run third.
REASONS GIVEN
asked these men to give me some
of the reasons they found behind the
popular alignment which they were
generally agreed upon. Their reasons
ranged from republican resentment of
what is considered a democratic plot to
control the republican nomination down
to bad blood engendered in the repub-
lican ranks four years ago.
These men almost without exception
referred to Johnson's letter TO the state
central committee in connection with
the enrolment of large numbers of
democrats as republicans. They de-
clared that in the interior as well as
in the centers of population republicans
associated the enrolment of democrats
on the republican register with John
sons letter, in which in effect he in
formed the state central committee
that he would support the republican
nominee for governor If that nominee
were Johnson. The first big fight the
Lincoln Roosevelt leaguers were COM
PEELED to make three years ago was the
fight against the charge that they were
party boilers. The presence in the
league organization of men who had
run out on the party ticket for Bell in
1906 made the boiling charge difficult
to meet. The republicanism of such
men as Chester Rowell and Frank
Devlin could not be questioned. but the
party wrecking. bolting charge was at
all times serious stumbling block.
Less than a year ago Johnson him
self attracted state wide attention by
cratic nominee for mayor of San Fran
cisco. He had supported the unsuc-
cessful candidate for republican NOM
ination at San Francisco's first direct
primary election. When that candidate
was defeated he espoused the cause OF
the democratic nominee, while Mauzy,
whom he had supported for the NOM
ination, stayed with the man who had
been chosen over him by the popular
vote.
When the republican state central
committee sent letters to the several
candidates for governor asking them
to inform the public that they would
or would not support their successful
opponent in the event of their defeat
Johnson was the only candidate who
returned an evasive answer. His an
swer has been construed by thousands
of republicans as denial of allegiance
to the republican party and notice that
he would not feel himself bound by the
will of the party as expressed at the
polls
IT is an open secret that some of the
men most prominently associated with
men most prominently associated with