USA > California > Alameda County > Past and present of Alameda County, California, Volume I > Part 32
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Why, it was asked, did Oakland elect the existing city administration on a platform of civic improvement and then defeat the means that would enable them to accomplish that result. The two years for which they were elected would expire in March, 1905, and so far they had accomplished nothing of moment in the line or their preelection pledges. As a matter of fact the education of the masses had not progressed far enough to enable them to see the importance of the reforms so earnestly presented for their consideration and for their betterment.
The water question dominated the Oakland municipal election in the spring of 1905. As a whole the former mayor and council had given a satisfactory administration, but Mayor Olney refused a renomination. Second to the water question was that of public improvements, among which was the problem of beautifying the city which had advanced materially in 1904, largely under the influence of the women. In order that all factors of city growth should advance proportionately a progressive and broad minded mayor and council were needed.
The republican municipal convention met at Dewey theater was spirited and enthusiastic and named a full ticket. Dr. Frank L. Adams served as chairman. The platform endorsed the appointment of Victor H. Metcalf for Secretary of Commerce and Labor; commended the course of George C. Perkins in the United States Senate; endorsed the administration of Governor Pardee; expressed appreciation of the efforts of Joseph Knowland to secure an appro- priation of $250,000 for the Oakland harbor; pledged the nominees to do all in their power to bring the water issue to a successful conclusion, to prevent an excessive charge for water rates and to secure the issuance of bonds for the equipment of a municipal water supply; and further pledged an economical administration, the right of way for a sewer along Cemetery creek, the estab- lishment of the boundaries of Lake Merritt, and favored the completion of the boulevard around Lake Merritt and the improvement of the parks between Eight and Twelfth streets at West Oakland and Bushrod park and Independence square. Frank K. Mott was nominated for mayor by Ben. F. Woolner. Then the nomination was closed and the clerk was instructed to cast the ballot of the convention for Mr. Mott, which was done. In a short speech he said, "If I am elected I shall stand for an administration of honesty, of decency and of prog- ress, and an administration in harmony with the principles of the republican party." Later a sensation was caused by the withdrawal of the nominee for city treasurer. On the same day the prohibitionists nominated for mayor, T. H. Montgomery. A striking plank in their platform stated the yearly water rate in Oakland was $578,351, while the cost of liquor consumed here exceeded $1,000,-
Vol. I -16
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000. The socialists nominated Jack London the novelist, for mayor. The plat- form stated that the party favored the interests of the working class in antagonism to the interest of the exploiting class; "that the present municipal ticket is administered solely in the interests of the exploiting class in direct antagonism to the interest of the working class and is therefore administered so as to subserve the interests of the capitalists and the large holders of property." The guiding rule of conduct of the party candidates was-Will the municipal measures under consideration advance the interests of the working class and aid the workers in the class struggle against capitalism ?
The political campaign of 1906 was spirited, befogging and confusedly edu- cational. Tickets were placed in the field by the republicans, democrats, union labor party, independent league, socialists and the army and navy league. In the campaign County Assessor H. P. Dalton filed his petition as an independent candidate for the office of assessor, the document containing 11,321 names when only 827 were required under the law; 1,493 were from Berkeley, where his opponent resided.
The vote of Alameda county for Governor in 1906, was as follows: Gillett (R.), 11,029; Bell (D.), 6,561; Lewis (Soc.), 1,922; Blanchard (Pro.), 561; Langdon (Ind. L.), 7,725; scattering, 10. Joseph R. Knowland, republican can- didate for member of Congress, received 15,503, the next highest being 4,415.
After his defeat at the primary election for the republican nomination for mayor, George E. Randolph accepted a nomination for the same place from the union labor party. The platform of this party favored a new city hall, improve- ments of streets and the sewer system, public ownership of public utilities, par- ticularly the water proposition, inducements for home industries, appointment of a building inspector, employment of home labor to be given the preference with an eight-hour day, arbitration between employers and employes, preference of United States soldiers for public employment, reduction of present tax rate, and approved the acts of the officials nominated by the union labor party at the last municipal election and pledged support to the Polytechnic high school.
The municipal league favored accepting the water proposition offered by the Bay Cities Water Company for $3.750,000; approved the action of the council in submitting to the voters the question of the issuance of such bonds; advocated the formation of a consolidated city and county government includ- ing the adjacent cities if they were willing; invited the entry of new and com- peting railroads and of new industries and commercial enterprises; favored the exclusion of saloons from the residence districts; pledged the nominees to fight to the court of last resort if necessary the Contra Costa Company water suits; approved the action of the council in fixing water rates and in opposing the litigation begun by the water company and ended with the following plank: We still insist on the prosecution to final judgment of the suit begun by the officials nominated by us in which the city had recovered a judgment restoring to it the water front from a corporation which so long controlled it under claim of ownership to the great detriment of the city's commercial growth, and we pledge our nominees for mayor, city attorney and city council to continue the prosecution until the final establishment of the city's rights thereto. The ticket nominated by the league was largely identical with that of the republicans and of the democrats, both naming Mr. Mott for mayor. The campaign was full of
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life and variety. Early in March, 1905, John L. Davie announced himself an independent candidate for mayor and favored particularly a tax that should not exceed $1, the great improvement of the streets and parks and strict economy. At the city election two days later the following was the result. For mayor- Mott (R., D., and M. L.), 5,562; Davie (Indp.), 3,217; Randolph (U. L.) 1,803; London (Soc.), 915; Montgomery (Pro.) 129. A large majority of the successful candidates were republicans. The new administration was pledged to non-partisanship. The large vote for Mr. Davie proved his popularity with the low tax people.
At the republican primaries in August, 1906, the entire delegation-seventy- six-were solid for the renomination of Governor Pardee. The republican county convention in 1906 approved the passage of the rate bill by Congress, commended the action of the Government against trusts, thanked the world for assistance "to our beloved city of San Francisco in her hour of dismay and distress," pledged remedial legislation to help that stricken city, expressed the opinion that the great influx of Japanese and other Asiatic laborers was a greater evil than that which induced the people to demand and secure the passage of the Chinese exclu- sion law and urged a similar law for the exclusion of Japanese and other kinds of Asiatic labor, favored a tenement house law, recognized the rights of both labor and capital, asked for an additional federal judge for this district, favored a direct primary law, insisted upon a law to protect fruit growers and shippers from the exactions of railroads, favored the eight-hour law, and advocated a continuance of the work to improve all dairy products. The labor party in 1906 named a full ticket, favored the eight-hour law and anti-injunction law, favored raising the age limit for working children, endorsed the candidates of the independence league-particularly endorsed W. H. Langdon for Governor and endorsed, also, many nominees of the republican county convention. The democrats in 1906 nominated a full ticket, endorsed the high aims and purposes of organized labor, favored economy in county affairs and endorsed many of the nominees on other tickets. At the primaries January 29, 1907, four municipal league and democratic factions were developed. The primary election showed that the public improvements undertaken were endorsed by the voters and was an assurance of the adequate expansion of all phases of city development. The large issue of bonds sanctioned at the polls proved that at last Oakland could do a little more than pay its officers and keep the wolf from the door. At the primaries the administration of Mayor Mott was emphatically endorsed by the voters who chose delegates favorable to his renomination.
In February, 1907, the voters' league was organized to promote the election to office of honest and able men by means chiefly of the publication of the can- didate's qualifications, with recommendations to voters, and was not designed to make any nomination for office. R. H. Chamberlain was president. In Feb- ruary, the socialists nominated for mayor, Owen H. Philbrick. In this municipal campaign the republicans, democrats, municipal league and labor union parties united in the renomination of Mayor Mott. The era of expansion, enterprise and progress had dawned, it was joyously admitted by all observers. The campaign was without excitement because destitute of contests. The fact was that the Mott administration was approved and the republicans were wise enough to renominate the leading city officials. The other parties could do no better
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than to endorse the republican ticket, because by so doing they favored a satis- factory administration. The vote was as follows : For mayor-Mott ( R.) 7,239; Philbrick (Soc.) 1,234; Daly (Pro.) 211.
Early in July, 1908, Taft and Sherman republican clubs were organized in all parts of the county and the national candidates were endorsed. An enthusias- tic rally in Alameda was addressed by Governor Gillett, Congressman Knowland, Senator Bates and Representative Otis. As a result of the primaries, the repub- licans placed two Senatorial and seven Assembly candidates in the field, all presumably pledged to aid in returning George C. Perkins to the United States Senate. The Lincoln-Roosevelt League was signally successful in this county, electing 135 out of 225 delegates to the republican county convention, but the regulars captured a majority of the delegates to the state and congressional con- ventions. The league endorsed Perkins, Knowland and the three superior judge candidates. In September, Eugene V. Debs, socialist candidate for President, addressed 3,000 people at the Greek theatre, Berkeley, on the principles of socialism. He divided the people into two classes: (1) capitalists; (2) thirty million workers. "We stand first for the overthrow of wage slavery; all other issues are minor," he declared. The university authorities permitted a free dis- cussion of socialism at this time. The Dean ballot machine was used throughout Alameda county in 1908-in all 143 machines were used. The county owned 150 of the machines, having a number on hand for emergencies. As a whole they were satisfactory. The republican county convention of August, 1908, was presided over by A. P. Leach. Judges Melvin, Waste and Harris were renomi- nated by acclamation. Harmony and enthusiasm prevailed. The official conduct of Senator Perkins and Congressman Knowland was endorsed amid prolonged cheering. The platform favored liberal appropriations for the state university, asked for a modern reformatory institution, advocated the prohibition of race- track and other gambling, favored the continued development and control of the water front by Oakland, pledged that the nominees for superior judges should refrain from active political work while in office; favored the election of United States Senators by direct vote, denounced the control of the political parties of the state by corporate interests, pledged that party candidates should refrain from seeking or accepting corporate favor or influence, and favored striking out the five-mile limit of the constitution and other legislation so that the people of any section might vote on the question of city and county consolidation. The con- vention named a full county ticket.
The democratic county convention of 1908 met in Germania hall and Clyde Abbott served as chairman. The platform adopted as the party slogan, "The People shall Rule!"; pledged the overthrow of boss rule and corporate domi- nation; favored legislation by direct vote of the people through the instrumen- tality of the initiative, referendum and recall; pledged action against a United States Senator from this state who was dominated by corporate interests ; favored the election of such official by direct vote; demanded that the judicial ermine should be uncontaminated by partisan politics ; insisted that school management should be non-partisan ; favored a modern reformatory ; called upon the voters to overturn the existing administration of county affairs, which for several years had been wasteful, extravagant, and inefficient, the prey of spoilsmen, political manipulators and petty bosses, wholly discreditable to an enlightened and pro-
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gressive community ; opposed race-track and other gambling devices; favored a law permitting county and city consolidation and deprecated the entrance of the state university into petty politics. A full ticket was nominated. Four or five subordinate conventions were held on the same day-for supervisors, Congress- men, etc.
The republican 'state convention assembled here on August 27, 1908, and nominated ten electors for the national ticket. At the same time hundreds of women from all portions of the state also met here to ask the convention for the insertion of a suffrage plank in the republican platform. In 1908 the vote of Alameda county for president was as follows: republican 21,392; democrat 7,II0; independence league 723; socialist 3,462; prohibition 608; total county vote 37,915. It was a sweeping success for the republican national ticket; and the success was equally pronounced for Knowland, Representative in Congress, and for the three superior judges, Brown, Harris and Waste. Of the seventeen constitutional amendments voted on all except two were carried in this county.
In 1909 the citizens party put a full ticket in the field headed by Dr. F. F. Jackson for mayor. This was an independent movement which aimed to secure the support of the union labor party and of certain leading political leaders who desired a change in city administration for personal reasons. An event of the campaign was the public debate of city issues by Mayor Mott and F. F. Jackson. Much personality was injected into the campaign. The result of the election was the success of all the regular republican nominees-the continuance of the old administration in power. Mott (R.) received 8,352 votes; Jackson (Ind. C.) 6,045; Barney (Soc.) 542. The Citizens' Municipal League which had been in existence for eighteen years heartily approved the platform of the repub- lican party in 1909 and favored the reelection of Mayor Mott.
Never before had the voters and the city administration been in such perfect accord as in the years from 1905 to 1909. All problems were solved without friction or discord and municipal progress was steady and unexampled. In view of this state of affairs the republicans warmly renominated Mayor Mott for reelec- tion at the convention held on February 2d. The platform approved the efforts of the administration to compel the Southern Pacific Company and all other claimants to acknowledge the paramount rights of the city to control and regulate the water front and the building of wharves, docks and warehouses thereon; pledged the nominees to grant no franchise to the Southern Pacific without binding that coin- pany to comply with the terms of the "Memorandum of proposed agreement with the Southern Pacific Company and the Western Pacific Railway Company ;" promised certain improvements on the water front and an election to determine as to the issuance of bonds for water front improvement ; pledged to reserve at least 1,000 feet of water front adjoining the grant to the Western Pacific for the use of the city; favored other transcontinental lines ; pledged to do everything possible to effect a consolidation of city and county governments; favored the initiative, referendum and recall; promised a new charter under certain condi- tions ; endorsed the course of the administration to prevent the outbreak of bubonic plague and other epidemics ; asked for a line of steamships between Pacific coast ports and the Isthmus of Panama to overcome the extortion of transportation companies ; pledged a new city hall, garbage incinerators, a manual training school building, the improvement of parks, the dredging of Lake Merritt, a salt
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water pumping plant, and the establishment as soon as convenient of a municipal water supply; called attention to the fact that notwithstanding the large extra expense for improvements, the tax rate for 1908-09 was the lowest for over ten years, and approved the improvement of the leading streets.
In its platform the republican county convention in August, 1910, pledged support to Hiram Johnson for Governor, congratulated the party upon the enact- ment of the direct primary law, advised a state-wide advisory vote on United States Senator, pledged better court procedures, favored the segregation of first offenders and young prisoners from the old and hardened criminals and declared for a reduced county tax rate. The democratic county convention met in Ger- mania hall late in August, and named a full ticket. The platform denounced the so-called revision of the tariff, called attention to the statements of Hiram Johnson that the republican party had been the corrupt and willing instrument of predatory corporations; declared that county taxes were unnecessarily high and that extravagance marked every department of the county government ; demanded therefore a change of administration and recommended Theodore A. Bell for Governor. At the November election the entire republican senatorial and assembly ticket was reelected; all of the county officials were reelected by hand- some majorities. Johnson was chosen Governor by a large majority, the vote on gubernatorial candidates in this county being as follows: Johnson (R.), 15,826; Bell (D.), 9,821; Wilson (Soc.), 5,743; Meads (Pro.), 610. Joseph R. Knowland was reelected to Congress by a majority of over 20,000 votes. The total vote in the county was 35,692. The total vote at the previous August pri- maries was 33,352. The vote in November, 1908, was 37,915.
In March, 1911, the various republican leagues throughout the city endorsed the candidacy of Mayor Mott for reelection. The business men organized a Mott Club, passed favorable resolutions and entered upon the campaign with great enthusiasm. The socialists met in convention and nominated Thomas Booth for mayor. Miss Anna F. Brown was endorsed for school director in District No. 5. F. F. Jackson was again a candidate for the mayoralty chair. In a strong speech he declared that the present administration had vigorously opposed the adoption of the new charter and that therefore they were not the ones to be given the power to determine its success or failure. But there was a prevailing sentiment that the charter was in reality secondary in importance to the campaign of municipal improvement which had been inaugurated and made thus far so splen- didly successful by the administration of Mayor Mott. Many saw that the election of either Mr. Jackson or Mr. Booth would mean retrogression from the progressive influences and stimuli that the people had endorsed and already had learned to admire and love. The real issue of the election was, should the progressive policy be abandoned? Herbert C. Chivers was an independent candidate for mayor. His platform was "for all the people all the time." He did not believe that the existing administration should be given another four-year hold on the city. There was intense interest in the election in May. All felt there was a chance that Mayor Mott would not be reelected. The heavy vote for Booth and Jackson at the primaries proved that his return to power was by no means certain. The heavy vote polled early in the day showed the great interest that prevailed. For mayor, Mott received 11,722 votes and Booth, 9,837. A total of 22,023 votes was polled-the heaviest ever cast at a municipal election. The great strength of
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the socialists was shown by the returns. However, many votes for Mr. Booth were cast by persons disaffected with the Mott administration and not by social- ists altogether. The Seventh ward gave Booth a majority. The first nominating election under the new charter was held on April 18, 1911, with the following result : For mayor : Mott, 8,944; Booth, 5,937; Jackson, 5,497; Chivers, 153; Miller, 57; Leidecker, 52. Miss Brown was chosen director by a large majority. At this time Mrs. Elinor Carlisle was reelected a member of the Berkeley board of education.
At the Alameda election in 1911, Mayor W. H. Noy was reelected over G. H. Fox and S. Miller by a substantial plurality. At the primaries in April, 1911, J. Stitt Wilson was chosen the socialist mayor of Berkeley against B. L. Hodg- head by the vote of 2,749 to 2,468. Mr. Hodghead was the first mayor under the new charter and was thus signally defeated by one who stood on the platform of constructive municipal socialism. During the campaign he advocated the public ownership of public utilities, and in addition other socialistic measures. The charter of Berkeley, as well as that of Oakland, was largely socialistic, or at least, revolutionary and unique in municipal procedure. Mr. Wilson had the support of the university which was broad enough and progressive enough to accept the changes in civic affairs demanded by culture and advancement. Colonel Roose- vent in his recent speech at the Greek theater had emitted his views on modern progressive problems and contentions and added much to the already strong spirit of iconoclasm in municipal and other public affairs that prevailed in that city and that university. This course did not mean anarchy nor even disorder, but meant new views and broader principles in the promotion of public welfare. Many persons could see little short of ruin and anarchy in the Berkeley program.
The primary election of September, 1912, gave the Roosevelt-Johnson combi- nation control of the republican state convention and assured the progressive electors a place on the November ticket and forced the Taft electors to petition for that privilege. At the primaries the vote for congressman was: Knowland (R.), 23,621; Stetson (Prog.), 11,685; Luttrell (D), 1,951; Wilson (Soc.), 2,528. Judges Donahue and Ogden were selected by large majorities for reelec- tion to the bench. Crosby and Strobridge were returned to the Senate. Super- visors Mullins, Foss and Murphy were also successful.
At the republican county convention in September, the progressives had a majority of the delegates and hence controlled the proceedings. Dr. H. B. Mehr- mann was elected chairman. The committee on resolutions were C. E. Snook. W. C. Clark and Mrs. J. N. Porter, chairman of the Woman's Good Government League. Upon motion of Mr. Snook the following resolution was adopted by acclamation: "That this convention recognizes Theodore Roosevelt and Hiram W. Johnson as the rightful republican nominees for President and Vice President respectively and urges the republican nominees for the Assembly, the State Senate and the hold over State Senators from this county as members of the republican state convention to support republican electors who will if elected, vote for Theodore Roosevelt for President and Hiram W. Johnson for Vice President." The convention ratified all of the nominees of the primaries. Many citizens of the county went to San Francisco to hear Theodore Roosevelt speak September 14th. The democratic county convention was held in Berkeley with J. J. McDon- ald in the chair. By decision of the state supreme court in October, the Taft elect-
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