“Ryan,” said The Call through its political representative, Mr. George Van Smith, “has not sought and is not seeking the Republican nomination for Mayor. He may have it forced upon him and find himself the recipient of similar endorsement of his powers as a boss-buster, from the Democratic organization.”
The Call, in the same issue, hinted that the Democrats might not nominate Taylor. Without a Democratic nomination, Taylor could not expect nomination at the hands of the Republicans.
“That the Democrats will nominate Mayor Taylor,” said The Call, “is more than doubtful. Mayor Taylor was drafted into the city’s service. He has not given any indication of a desire to serve the city as the head of its government after the time when a popularly selected successor could be qualified. If the Democrats do not nominate Dr. Taylor, the Republicans would scarcely be expected to do so. The fact that the men who will make up an almost exclusive majority of the Republican convention seem to be committed to the idea of nominating Ryan appears to preclude the nomination of Taylor by either party.”
The source of The Call’s information is not apparent. Up to the time of the publication of its article, August 15, there was no sentiment in San Francisco for the election of Mr. Ryan to the Mayoralty. On the contrary, the understanding was that Mr. Ryan had entered the contest from motives of good citizenship only, and that he was in no sense a seeker of office for himself.[323] Such had been the understanding during the primary campaign; such was the sense of the community after the primary vote had been cast.
All recognized, however, that Mr. Ryan was in a position of great power. He had been trusted implicitly. The selection of anti-Herrin candidates for delegates had been left largely in his hands. Few thought, however, that he had selected delegates for the purpose of giving himself the Republican nomination for the Mayoralty. Then, again, aside from the confusion his candidacy would work in the ranks of the anti-Herrin, pro-prosecution element, Mr. Ryan, while a pleasing young man and clever politician, it was generally recognized had few qualities usually looked for in the Mayor of a community of half a million people.
To add to the confusion, The Examiner, which was now in active opposition to the prosecution, came out strongly against Mr. Ryan’s candidacy, denouncing it as “a grotesque piece of effrontery.” “For the primary leader,” said The Examiner, “to appropriate the office to himself, is like the agent of a charity fund determining that he is the most worthy object of the charity, and putting[324] the money in his own pocket.”
But Ryan’s candidacy was not to be defeated by adverse criticism. Mr. Ryan had been largely instrumental in selecting the Republican delegates who were to name the candidates. Besides, he had the clever support, in its local columns at least, of the San Francisco Call. He had about him a number of enthusiastic young men who were ambitiously active in urging his candidacy.
“Every time the Taylor boomers gain a man they lose one,” announced Perry Newberry, Secretary of Mr. Ryan’s organization, and Ryan’s right-hand man. “As far as the Republicans are concerned Daniel A. Ryan is as good as named. It will be Ryan, not Taylor, who will sweep the city.”
With the advocacy of Ryan’s candidacy, came quiet, systematic opposition to the nomination of Langdon.
With Mr. Ryan and his associates in control of the convention that was to nominate, it began to look as though the victory which the pro-prosecution Republicans, under Mr. Ryan’s leadership, had won at the primaries, was barren indeed.