The San Francisco call., 1910-07-29
CANDIDATE TO
SEEK AUTHORS
OF VILE ATTACK
Will Make Search, Despite In
jurieS That Prevent Per-
sOnaI Campaign
Politicians BusiIy Passing the
Buck" and ''POstaI Pri="
mary" Is Recalled

mary" Is Recalled
Although suffering from injuries
which his physicians say must result in
the abandonment of his personal can
vass, Secretary of State Charles f.
Curry will arrive in San Francisco to-
morrow night to take a personal part
in the unit for the person or persons
responsible for the scurriIous attack on
hi mthat was mailed under the frank
Of United States Marshal Leo V. Young
worth to a number of newspapers sup
porting Hiram W. Johnson.
While public Indignation generally
grows, the politicians are trying TO
clear the skirts of their respective
friends and supporters and indulging
themselves in speculation based on sus-
picion as TO the authorship of the vile
circular and the felonious use of the
official frank Of the United States de-
partment of justice.
CURRY WAS SUSPICIOUS
Curry said last night that he and his
immediate supporters had a well defined
suspicion as 10 the identity of the per-
son who had DETAINED him and COM
mitted a crime against a federal stat
ute. He declined to disclose the iden-
tity Of the persons under suspicion or
10 discuss any cleW that he had re-
ceived. He declared that he believed
the culDrit could be speedily run down
Curry said that he would arrive in San
Francisco tomorrow night in company
with Senator Mckee his physician, who
has forbidden the secretary of state TO
attempt TO complete his personal can
Vass Of the state.
Many theories and suspicious were
discussed yesterday by the San Fran
cisco politicians and those from the
interior who were at the san Francisco
hotels. With the riscussiOn of the at
tack on Curry came a revival of dis
cussion OF the unofficial postal prim-
ary' conducted in san Francisco last
wear, which. while lacking the element
of personal vileness that was dominant
IN the attack on Curry. disgusted the
decent men Of San Francisco and Cali
fornia. and resulted in disrupting and
virtually destroying the local good
government league.
POSTAL PRIMARY FRAUD
The postal primary was ostensibly
an attempt to secure an expression of
popular choice for public officers. with
out reference to the partisan affiliations
Of the voters. stamped return envelopes
and a ballot form were mailed to some
$1,000 San Francisco voters. The voters
addressed were led TO believe that they
could express their preference without
the possibility Of disclosing their iden-
tity. Almost before the first batch had
been delivered by the postoffice depart
n1ent. il was discovered that under the
stamps on the return envelopes were
sets of KEY figures that served as an
infallible index TO the name of the per-
son who had received the ballot
amused. The elective officers of the
good government league, or some of
them. promptly disclaimed any knoWl-
edge OF the postal primary and any
responsibility for it. Good government
league stationary had been used. but
the protesting officers Of the league de-
clsred that il was not done with their
cooperation nor prepared in their reg
ulsr headquarters. George Baker An
derson. who was the hired director of
the good government leagues local af-
fairs. discontinued his relations with
the league shortly after the postal pri-
mary expose. He is now in Los An
geles and in charge of the work of the
good government organization that is
making Johnson's campaign in the
south.
POLITICIANS PUZZLED
Local politicians theorizing over the
puzzled by the statements made by E.
A Dickson of Los Angeles, who said
that his good government organization
associates had a well defined suspicion
that might lead TO important disclos-
ures in a few days. That statement
coupled with the Los Angeles good gov
ernment organization mems declaration
that SO copies of the circular had been
sent out, inclined some politicians to the
belief that there was something tan
gible in the suspicion admitted by Dick
son That belief was based on the as
sumption that il would be next to inn
possible for the southern leaguers to
learn the number of circulars sent out
without getting some clew to the iden-
tity of the sender. since only a small
fraction Of that number has been ac-
counted for as delivered through the
mails
President Rowell OF the Lincoln
Roosevelt league said on Wednesday
night that his statement as to the num-
ber Of circulars attacking Curry that
had been sent out was based on in
formation given him by Los Angeles
representatives Of the good government
organization and the Lincoln Roosevelt
leagues campaign in southern CaIifor-
MIA. Rowell had no personal knowledge
Of the nasty affair except that CLEANED
from his own receipt Of circular in a
franked envelope and he was unable to
explain how the Los Angeles Ieaguers
had learned the number of circulars
mailed. The fact that only a few so far
come TO light deepens the mystery sur
rounding the statement that so copies
were sent out.
SUSPECT ANDERSON MEN
President Rowell's suspicion that the
circular was sent out by some one in
terested in the success of Alden Ander-
, son was shared by many local leaguers.
who were Of the opinion that the sour
Tilous attack was designed to embroiI /
Curry and johnson and injure both. A I
few leaguers were disposed to SUSPECT 1
that some supporter of Stanton was be- (
hind an attack on Curry, which had no
other purpose than injury of the secre- |
tary Of state.
number of Curry's suporpters Wis |
fted him yesterday at his home in Sac |
ramento and last night Curry said that
he had a well defined suspicion and
was on the opinion that the libel could I
be run down in a comparatively short I
time.
The injuries I received in Mendo- |
cino county," said Curry, will compel |
me TO give up my plans for the re-
mainder of my personal campaign.
hope to get 10 San Francisco with |