Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-19
MR.. MEsERVE's BETRAYAL

q INCE the betrayal of DIT Lindley
~ in his race for mayor by the local
~ Southern Pacific machine that or
ganization has had no opportunity of
distinguishing itself by another treaoh-
erous act until the candidacy of Mr..
Meserve for Endorsement at the recent
primaries for United States senator Of
fered it the opportunity, which it
promptly took advantage Of.
Mr., Meserve as native son of Cali
fornia, a long time citizen of this
county a lawyer of standing at the
bar and a member of the state Repub-
lican party who has at all times affil-
lated with Its regular" organization
and has in a number of instances made
himself very valuable to it, had every
right to aspire to the United States
senatorship and to request the indorse-
ment of the regular" element of his
party for that great office
When his candidacy was announced
it was understood that it was not OBJ
jectionable to the regular" element of
his party-in other words, to the ma
chine. And we have reason to believe
that this understanding was conveyed
to Mr. Meserve. However, it is also
pretty well known that some time ago
in a matter connected with interests
in Imperial valley which Mr.. Meserve
represented there came a time when
his duty as attorney to his client re-
Quired him to do certain things which
the head of the Southern Pacific po-
litical bureau objected to.
Be that as it may, for that or some
other reason, it is evident that the
head of the Southern Pacific political
machine issued orders that the can
didacy of Mr.: Meserve was not to be
favored by that machine and that the
candidacy of Mr. Spalding of San Diego
county was to be favored.
The same considerations which gave
Mr.. Meserve the tight to be a can
didate for the Endorsement of his party
for United States senator should have
barred Mr.. Spalding from such cam
didacy. He is at most a sojourner in
California and that of somewhat
brief period. His interests are not in
the state of California, but in the state
of Illinois He has done nothing to en-
title him to the support of the Repub-
lican party or the citizens and voters
of California for the very responsible
position for which he sought the in
dorsement of that party.
1t is stated. however, and apparently
upon very good authority, that Mr..
Spalding sought to secure title to this
Endorsement by sending his check for
$4,000 to San Francisco to be expended
by the Alden Anderson campaign COM
mittee and by sending sundry checks
to swell the campaign funds of various
candidates for the state legislature 1t
is very certain that Herrin, the head
of the Southern Pacific political ma
chine, gave the word that Mr.. Me-
serves candidacy should be frowned
upon and Mr.. Spalding's candidacy
promoted by that machine.
The results are shown in the very
large vote which Mr.. Spalding received
in the northern part of the state-a
vote to which he was not in any sense
entitled, and which, so far as it rep
resented the regular" Republican
strength, should have gone to Mr.. Me-
serve.
The Herald feels the same sympathy
for Mr.. Meserve in the matter that it
would feel for any man who had been
betrayed in the house of his friends.
1t also ventures to suggest that this,
along with other occurrences Of a sim
liar nature, should show to Mr.. Me
serve, Mr.. Stanton and every other
Republican in the state who is not the
chattel of the Southern Pacific political
machine, that the only position that
can be occupied by an honest Repub-
lican in this state is one of opposition
to that machine.