The San Francisco call., 1910-07-26
PRESTON PUTS
SANFORD IN AN
AWKWARD HOLE
Ukiah Assemblyman SpOils the
Scheme TO Make Trouble
in Republican Camp
Interesting Political Tale Re-
veaIed by Straightforward
Statement
By GEORGE A. VAN SMITH


BY his formal refusal to permit the
use of his name as a legislative can
tidate. Assemblyman J. w. Preston of
Ukiah has not only spoiled a pretty
scheme to make trouble in the repub-
lican camp but has put Senator John
Bunyan Sanford. inventor and promoter
Of the scheme, in an awkward hole
In an open letter to the voters of
Mendocino county Preston announced
that he respectfully declined TO enter
the race for nomination to the assembly
by either the republican or democratic
parties and requested that his friends
permit the matter Of forcing nomlna-
tions upon him TO be forgotten There
bv hangs an interesting political tale.
Preston was elected to the assembly
two years ago as an independent and
democrat. His strongest and most
earnest supporter was Assemblyman
BILLY Held, the republican incumbent,
who had managed to get himself en-
broiled with the machine through his
advocacy Of the direct primary con-
stftutional amendment, his desire to
serve on the Joint bank investigation
commission and q few other things.
one Of the other things grew out of
the fact that the machine wanted an
other man in the assembly.
SOME FORGOTTEN VOLCANO
Held made no fight for denomination
TO the assembly. but helped bring
Preston out as n independent Preston
was given the democratic nomination
and elected by a vote which in COM
parison with the returns for assembly
man two years previous convinced some
political sharps that some forgotten
volcano had broken out in the Men
docino hills.
Preston made good in the assembly. |
He quickly demonstrated that he was
one of the biggest young men in Cali
fornia politics. He fiocked with the
minority because there was no other
place for him, but he lost few oppor- |
tunities TO inform his political friends |
that he was not a democrat It was an
b. open secret that he had opposed Bryan |
twice The partisan affidavit feature |
of the direct primary law and the fact !
that the republicans of Mendocino /
county wanted 10 promote him 10 a |
higher Office, brought up the question /
Of partisan affiliations and Of his cam
didacy in 1910, long before the 1909 |
legislature had adjourned.
Preston said that while he could |
make the affidavit that would give him |
z place on the republican ticket, the |
democrats Of his district had helped elect |
him and he would not put himself in
the position of turning a f1ipfop for
drop out OF politics for two years and
then return. if at all. a republican.
SANFORD WAS LUKEWARM
The manhood behind this decision on
Preston's part may be appreciated
more fully when ii is known that it
was made at a time when the repub- |
1icsns Of the fourth senatorial district |
were openly avowing their intention
10 support Preston for John Bunyan |
In
undoubtedly remembered then, as he
does yet, that when he was running as
an independent and democrat in 1908, |
Sanford, the democratic boss of Men |
docino county, did not tear his cloth |
ing nor make the welkin ring on be- |
half Of Preston. AS a matter of fact, |
it took Sanford a long time to come
TO q full realization of the worth of
Preston He never fully appreciated
the splendid qualities Of the young as
ssmblyman until he was assured that |
Preston would not be a candidate
against Sanford. gray eagle of the
senate.
Sanford began boosting Preston for
congress and TO worrying about Billy |
Held's probable senatorial ambitions. |
When Preston discovered that the gray
eagle and the managers of the state
democracy did not want to write his
name in their congressional ballot
while he made a fight for the republi-
can nomination Preston dropped the
congressional game, adhering to his
previously announced decision not to
run as a democrat.
Apparently there was an understand
ing between Preston and Held, since
Held could not in decency go into a
fight against the man he had helped
put in his own seat Held cleared up
the senatorial fog for Sanford by an
nouncing himself as candidate for re-
publican nomination to the assembly,
and when the filing lists closed had the
republican field to himself
SEEKING TO MAKE TROUBLE
Then came John Bunyan Sanford. his
personal fears allayed and fired with
burning desire to make trouble in the
republican camp, and at the same time
put Preston in so bad that he would
be compelled to play democratic poll
tics or quit the game. Sanford adopted
scheme on which the copyright ex-
pired many years ago. He informed
the Mendocino public that il was clam
oring for Preston. and that it would
never be content until it had written
his name in both the republican
and democratic ballots in sufficient
numbers to make him the nominee of
both parties.
That it was a 10 to ! bet that Pres
ton could not win the republican nomi-
nation by the writing in process over
man whose name was printed on the
ballot was not mentioned by Sanford
He was out to push democratic nomi-
nation on unwilling candidate and
drive him into the field against the re-
publican who helped put him in the
assembly. and who would have staid
out Of the field had Preston desired to
succeed himself. 1t was a nice game
Its best feature was its failure to land
the high grade man it was put up to
trap.