The San Francisco call., 1910-05-10
PRESTON DECLINES
MCKINLAY'S SCALP
Erstwhile Democrat Announces
His Retirement From the
Political Arena
BY GEORGE A. VAN SMITH

There is only one nemesis on the trail
of Duncan McKinlay. William Kent,
the Marin county millionaire, has at
least temporary exclusive rights to the
job of avenging Pinchot and the Payne
Aldrich tariff atrocities. Democracy's
plans for the annihilation of McKinlay
and the good of the cause generally by
running John w. Preston of Ukiah for
congress in the second district have
gone awry.
Preston declines the democratic COM
mission to lift the hair of McKinlay
and thereby show President Taft how
the people of California feel about his
exemplification of the Roosevelt poll
cies- McKinlay may breathe easier
when he learns that Preston will not
unsheath the war knife, but it is not
good news for democracy. Preston was
one of democracy's big cards. Through
him the bourbons hoped TO corral many
republican votes for their state ticket
PRESTON QUITS GAME
Preston does not stop with declining
to accept democratic nomination for
congress. He declares that he will not
seek or accept democratic nomination
to any office, and that he is out of
politics. Preston's retirement from the
political field was announced to The
Call yesterday by an authorized repre-
sentative of the Ukiah man.
Preston's refusal to run for congress
will be a severe blow to democracy's
plans, in that it will involve an entire
rearran cement and the necessity of
bringing out new man. The demo-
cratic leaders never had Preston's
promise to run, but they believed that
the chances of defeating McKinlay
| .
to Preston that he would take up the
gage of battle.
The candidacy of Preston meant much
to democracy. The party leaders looked
upon him as a magnet that would at
tract large number of republican in
surgent voters to the democratic col
umn Preston is finished orator and
a vigorous fighter and it was believed
| that he would add materially to the
| gayety and effectiveness of the demo-
cratic canvass.
| His refusal to hunt McKinley's hair
means more to democracy than the loss
| OF valuable candidate In this cam
paign- 1t undoubtedly means the final
| decree in the pending divorce of Pres
ton and the democratic party Pres
tons friends construe his action to
mean that he has determined to take
the step he has long considered-drop-
ping out of politics. temporarily to
| start again as republican.
| ONLY A NEAR DEMOCRAT
Preston is hereditary democrat. He
has not worked at his inheritance for a
long time. He opposed Bryan always
and once upon the stump. He was
elected to the legislature two years go
as an independent. He was forced to
flock with the democrats by the ma
chine republicans, but he refused to
admit that he was democrat Before
the last legislature adjourned he had
| assurances of republican support for
legislative honors. These offers he de-
clined, saying that while he was not a
democrat he did not care to expose
himself to the charge of political
ground and lofty tumbling for the sake
of Office
Another announcement from Mendo-
cino county will be the cause of more
cheer in the camp of the bourbons.
Billy Held, Prestons republican pre-
| decessor in the assembly and Preston's
chief supporter, is out for the republi-
can nomination to the lower house
Held is one of the busiest little cups
of tea in the California political gar
den. He was suspected of a yearnine
for John Sanford's senatorial toga,
wherefore the gray eagle of democracy
was perturbed With Held running for
| seat In the lower house. Sanford will
prosecute his own campaign with
greater enjoyment if not with less
| vigor.
And now 1t is declared that John
ID. Works, venerable jurist and Lin
coin Roosevelt league candidate for
the United States senate, is to be let
in for more trouble as the result of
oratorical and literary activities at a
time when he did not contemplate run
| ming for Frank Flint's lob Works.
| literary appraisal of Roosevelt is be-
| ing worked overtime. Now 1T is de-
clared that he is not only an enemy of
Roosevelt but of united California
AK PREPARED FOR WORKS
| 1t is alleged that Works advocated
| the partition of southern California
and the erection9 of new state as Wig
orously as he lanmed Roosevelt for
bullying the judiciary and defaming
| the characters of men who refused to
agree with the Roosevelt policies. The
| organization men say that the Native
| Sons are preparing to put Works over
| the jumps In a manner calculated to
deter any other adopted son of Califor-
MIA from advocating state division If
| he purposes to seek Office from the
bounty of Californias people By the
time the Los Angeles anti free lunch
ordinance finds its way into the pri-
mary campaign, Works should be con-
vinced that strong convictions, if com
mitted to paper, will come home for
| filing.
There appears to be conflict between
| the San Francisco and Los Angeles
| managers of Johnson's campaign as to
| the platform activities of the Lincoln
| Roosevelt leagues standard bearer.
Johnson will finish this weeks tour at
| Coalinga on Saturday night At the
| San Francisco headquarters it is ten
| tatively announced that he will spend
next week in and around San Fran
| cisco. AT the Los Angeles Headquarters
| it is declared that Johnson will spend
next week in the southern metropolis.
The Johnson party is scheduled to
visit 15 towns this week. The evening
mass meetings began last night at
| Hanford Johnson and his party will
be at Tulare tonight; Porterville.
Wednesday night; visalia, Thursday
night; Bakersfield, Friday and Coalinga
on Saturday night. Saturday is the
only day without day meeting
schedule.
To Start Auto Tour
| Especial Dispatch TO The Call
| LOS ANGELES, May 9.-Phil A.
| Stanton will start on his invasion of
| f~D