Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-07
MACHINE PRAISES;
MESERVE SMILES
Republican Senatorial Aspirant
Shows Delight Over Com
mandatory Speeches
PUSH PLAN is EASILY SEEN
Many Tools Making Sham Fight
Against League and Demo-
cratic Candidates

Machine Republicans, and others who
appeared to be anxious for a good din
ner, gathered at Levy's cafe last night
at the banquet given in honor of E.
A. Meserve, Republican machine can
didate for the United States senate,
who recently entered the race against
A. G. Spalding, the sporting goods
magnate of San Diego, also regular
Republican, and Judge John D. Works.
the Lincoln Roosevelt Republican
league candidate.
Mr.. Meserve was toasted, extolled,
wined dined and promoted in the most
eulogistic manner, and speeches were
made by number of well known
g. o. D. Southern Pacific war horses"
who joined early in the Meserve chorus
when Walter Parker and w. +. Herrin
began looking around Los Angeles Tor
a candidate to defeat Judge Works.
The theory of many of the Lincoln
Roosevelt league candidates is that the
machine will put still other candidates
into the contest before the legislature
convenes, who, of course, will make a
sham fight and ignore the direct prl-
mary provisions, thus forming a COM
bination similar to that which has
characterized the gubernatorial race OF
Curry, Anderson, Ellery and Stanton.
In other words, it is believed the ma
chine will get as many men as possible
into the senatorial contest, employing
all of them to oppose Judge Works and
the Democratic candidate, and after
they have coducted a prolonged fight
against the Good Government forces
and the Lincoln Roosevelt or Demo-
cratic candidate, they will concentrate
their forces on one most likely candi-
date. The other will step quietly back
from the contest, as Ellery and Stan
ton are now doing, and as Curry is
expected to do if it continues to loom
up large for Anderson.
VOTERS SEE THROUGH PLAN
The voters of California, however,
who are determined that the Southern
Pacific machine shall no longer control
the political and administrative affairs
of Los Angeles. will not be deceived
by these sham contests, and the pres
ence of so many men of one ilk in the
senatorial contest will confirm the sus-
picion that all but one are in the race
to aid 1.-The one."
It's the kind of politics the S. p.
is used to, for in the past it has nomi-
mated dummies at the various conven-
tions and conducted their campaigns
with fictitious issues and STRAW men,"
1t has always, until recently, put up
the candidates on both tickets, so that
no matter which was elected it still
controlled the reins of government. 1t
bossed the caucuses and conventions,
and even managed frequently to ma
nipulate the election boards. 1t ex-
poets this time to control the workings
of the direct primary law, which it
drafted to conform to its own inter-
ests, and thus achieve the desired re-
suits, regardless of the public. II it
can get five or six machine candidates
into the race, it believes this will scare
others out, and that Good Government
men will not consent to run. If
Good Government candidate does have
the courage to run there will be five
or six men in the race to go about the
state denouncing him. thus diverting
public attention from the true issue,
which will help the machine to elect
one of the five or six candidates 1t
may drag out for this purpose.
The speeches at the Meserve banquet
last night reflected this spirit to a con-
degree, and Organization"
and machine politics were about the
sole subject of discussion, except when
now and then one of the speakers let
loose a string of eulogies for the guest
of honor. When not talking, Meserve
sat quietly back in his chair, enjoying
the compliments immensely.
The Meserve committee, which is
composed of about the same men that
John T. Pope organized to boost Phil
Stanton, had been arranging for the
banquet for several weeks, and every
effort was resorted to in order to get
out a large attendance. 1t Is charged