Los Angeles herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1890-1893, 1891-12-24
BOODLERS ROASTED.
San Francisco Grand Jury's
Final Report.
Revelations Concerning the
Legislative Thieyery.
Corrupt County Supervisors Hauled
Over the Goals.
The BanefuI Result of the Railroads'
Participation in Politics "A Po-
litical B oss's Stupend-
Gus Pull.


SAN FRANCISCO. Dec. 23.-The grand
jury made its final report to Judge Wal
lace today. The report opens with a
statement of facts connected with the
legal controversy which resulted in the
declaration by the supreme court that
the impaneling of the jury was illegally
done.
LEGISLATIVE BooDLERs.
Concerning the jury's investigation OF
the legislative Doodle scandals the re-
port goes on to say:
"Those members of the assembly in
tent upon theft do not appear to have
been organized under strict military
discipline, as were those of the senate.
We regret to observe that the statements
made in this report as to the amount of
plunder received by their brethren in
the upper house, may be to them most
painful revelation. They must deplore
that lack of experience which placed
them at the mercy of a few veteran
rogues in their body, who reaped
all the advantages that superior intel
lect admits. For, there were no middle
men, no brokers, to tempt the assembly
neophytes. Brides were paid to the APP
pointed captains, and they settled with
the baser sort, without the intervention
of outside busybodies. Therefore, we
cannot state the sums paid the assembly
bandits with any degree of accuracy.
We may only say that the captains ie-
ceived more and the privates less in the
assembly than the average of $1,000 paid
to the members of the senatorial COM
bine.
DOODLE KNOWS NO PARTIzANsuIP.
"Be it fully understood that in all
this shameful traffic of men in official
station, there was no politics. These
men were neither Republicans, Demo
Gratis nor Americans. They were simply
thieves, as Doodle knows no partizan-
ship.
This grand jury solemnly AYERS that
if the supreme court had not declared it
'an illegal precedent it would have
initiated such measures as would have
resulted in the permanent abatement of
this evil.
CORRUPT SUPERVISORS.
"The board OF supervisors of late
years, at least, has included in part men
untitled for the duties which they as
sumed. The majority of the last board
was designated the solid nine.' Politi-
cal bosses protesting to have control OF
the board, would demand blackmail
from corporations, the penalty OF re-
fusal being threat of an adverse law or
ordinance. The mayor is helpless; he
can do nothing. He is only chief clerk.
He should have the appointment of all
the subordinate municipal officers
whose selection is now vested in the
board OF supervisors"
The report goes on to say if the jury
had continued its labors additional in
di:tments would have been found
against some OF those persons already
indicted.
POLITICAL Boss's BIG PULL.
"A director OF corporation testified
that his company paid one political
manager for about five years, up to the
end of the last month, a stipend aver
aging $500 month, and that in addition
his concern had to pay on the eve of the
elections, i'll one instance, $4,000. 1t is
understood other corporations were un-
der tribute in like manner, 80 this per-
sons annual revenue from that source
may have aggregated 100000. 1t also
appears that from large number,
probably reaching into the hundreds, of
employees of the municipality, he col
lected certain percentages OF their
monthly salaries"
RAILROADS IN POLITICS.
Continuing, the jury says: "Gibbon,
in describing the condition OF Western
Europe before the accession OF Char
lemagne, says that he does not know
whether there was the more vice or the
more virtue. This description would
not be amiss today. The rapacious po-
litical lords ought to be driven out into
the sea, but we are forced into the mel
ancholy conclusion that unless the rail-
roads refrain from participation in poll
tics, there is no remedy"
The grand jury in closing, reviews the
condition OF the departments of the
local municipal government. and espe-
cially condemns the school department.
JUDGE WALLACE DEFENDS HIS COURSE.
In accepting the report, Judge Wal
lace related the proceedings which led
up TO his appointment OF an elisor. He
contended very emphatically that the
very emergency contemplated by the
code did arise in his court in August
last, when sufficient number of per-
sons summoned to act as grand jurors
failed to appear. He spoke of the quib-
bling as to the exact meaning of elisor,
and said: "All this discussion was
merely fanciful. The fact to be known
is whether the sheriff and coroner were
disqualified. This was judicially known
to me, and being judicially known to
me, it could have been judicially known
to the supreme court. Knowing of the
disqualification of these officers, I in
formed you of the facts, and recon-
mended an investigation. Would it
not have been illegal, as well as ridicu-
lous, for me to have an officer choose the
men who were to investigate that very
offjcerP"
The court quoted at great length on
this point, and said: "Tne procedure
was based on information far more &C.
curate than the affidavit of an obscure
individual could possibly be-"
THE CONFLICT OF CODES.
Treating Of the conflict Of the codes