The San Francisco call., 1910-01-08
BOURBONS FIRE
FIRST GUN OF
191OCAMP PAIGN
Senator Sanford Turns Loose in
DenunciatiOn of Judiciary
of the State
Hot Debate Ensues True to the
Time HOnOred Traditions
of the Party
~ GEoReE A ~ sM1rH

BY GEORGE A VAN SMITH
Condemnation of the judiciary by
Senator John B. Sanford of Ukiah, and
the advocacy. of a railroad rate consti-
tutional amendment by Seth Mann of
san Francisco. plunged the first session
Of the democratic state conference into
3 three hours debate, which was all
the time vigorous and frequently both
personal and pointed.
senator E o. Miller of Visalia, AS
senblyman JuIliard of Santa Rosa,
chairman Of the democratic assembly
caucus, and Charles ]. Gildes Of San
Francisco. took up the cudgels for
tho judiciary and against sweeping de-
nuuciations of the states government
he great majority of the cOnferees,
numbering over $50, were against them,
but they made their fight so vigorous
that Sanford finally closed the debate
by declaring that his structures were
only democratic campaign speech max
ing anyhow, and a committee of i've
was agreed upon TO draft an address to
the people, which should be q his
tory of the work done by the demo-
cratic legislators.
BELL LEADS THE ATTACK
Theodore Bsu led the attack on the
railroad commission. the San Fran
cisco traffic association and San Fran
cisco's attitude on the rate situation
He was ably seconded by Senator A
Caminetti Of Jackson. Between them
they furnished Mann a busy hour and
with Mann they furnished for the con-
ference as pretty a give and take scrap
as ever enlivened a democratic peace
conference
The hrst session Of the conference
was held under the auspices Of the
democratic editors and the democratic
members of the legislatures of 1907
and 1909 When it was formally con-
vened by Senator John B. Sanford Of
Ulziah, $50 representative democrats
from all parts OF California had assem-
bled in the colonial ball room of the
St Francis.
The debate was on within IS min
utes after the first gavel fell and i'm
mediately at the conclusion Of san
ford's address, which he said was
report for the democratic legislators.
Sanford eulogized the work of the
democratic members of both the 1907
AMI 1903 legislatures and ascribed to
tetm the credit for the enactment of
virtually all the remedial legislation
secured by the people
murrage bill was the only effective
railroad legislation the state had ever
secured and that ii was the ac-
complishment Of a democrat He re-
Terred to Senator Millers fight of four
years for the bill but did not name
Miller.
THE CARTWRIGHT LAW
He said that Cartwrights antitrust
law was the only measure enacted in
this state TO curb the predatory cor
porations and that if California had
an Andrew Jackson in the attorney
generals Office to enforce the law en-
acted by a democrat the people would
be getting relief from it,
Sanford vigorously denounced the
railroad rate bill as a bungling make
shift passed TO deceive the people and
give them no relief. The direct pri-
mary law. he said. was emasculated
by the machine. He pleaded for a
union Of the anti-ma chine republicans
and democrats and declared that if the
anti chine republicans and demo-
Gratis had understood each other as
well during the campaign of 1903 as
they did at the close of the legislative
session Of 1903 the Legislature would
have been a different body. 1t was
the introduction Of Sanford's address
or report that stirred UP the trouble
SEES BRIGHT PROSPECT
THE chances Of democratic sue
cess" said Sanford. never seemed
brighter than they do at the beginning
Of this year. Victory is in the very
air. The insolence of Cannonism. the
iniquities Of the Payne -AIdrich tariff
bill. the reckless appropriations of the
recent congresses and the scandals in
the public service and repubIicanism in
general viii certainly meet a signal
rebuke at the hands of the people next
November.
In California the situation is still
even more hopeful The revolt against
machine rule comes from every nook
and corner in the state. and the people
fully realize that they can not expect
any remedial legislation from the re-
publican party They must look to the
democratic party for relief. The re-
publican party can not reform itself
The corporate interests in that party
outvote the people, so the independent
republicans and the people in general
who wish q change in conditions must
work with the democratic party. It
is with this idea in view that a. con-
ference of democrats hosts will be
held, so that all may become thor
oughly advised as TO the situation; so
that our party may be prepared to
give battle to the machine power that
has dominated the politics OF this state
for the last decade or more.
PIONEERS OF REFORM
The democratic legislators have
been the pioneers in the work of re-
FORM and what little remedial legis-
lation has been had was forced
through by democrats and independ-
ent republicans. And If the democratic
party meets the issue fairly ana
squarely there viii be no doubt about
the result The legislature OF 1907
was the most abject in its subservi-
ency to boss rule and corporation con-
trol that the state has ever known.
Never before had the railroad such
complete control. There were 30 SEN
ators and so assemblymen always
ready to serve the corporation 10
which they owed their political alle-
glance. The railroad has a firm grasp
on California now, having captured all
three departments-the legislative, ex-
ecutive and judicial
Let us sheath the knife pick up a
club and work on the enemy for a
while. Let US stand for something and
not against everything"
MILLER DEFENDS JUDICIARY
AS Sanford concluded Senator Z. o.