Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-05
cooks LIKE A FLASH IN THE PAN.


San Francisco is famous for her spas
modic fits of virtuous Indignation. She
was always so from the beginning. In
1910 her people let band of roughs who
were dubbed the Hounds terrorize the
city when the event showed that it only
needed one resolute man to take the lead
to put them down in short order. In
1851 the city had been infested with
SYDNEY thieves and with a band OF land
pirates and murderers, at the head OF
which was Boston puglist. The repu-
table citizens were too busy making
money to serve on juries, and the result
was that the Sydney reign OF terror went
on until one OF the leading merchants,
named Jansen, was knocked down in
his store and his safe boldly carried
away. This led to the formation of the
first vigilance committee, and after it
had come within an ace of hanging an
innocent man and had swung off two or
three guilty ones, the evil abated and
the city became once more safe.
Then came the great uprising OF 1856;
this time principally against class OF
men, such as are on top in San Fran
cisco today, who subverted politics to
corrupt and boodling purposes. The
ends that are now accomplished by the
bosses, through their organized bench
men, in controlling primaries and the
conventions, and holding the nomina-
tions in their hands, were then accom-
plished in a more direct manner, by
seizing the polls and stuffing the ballot
boxes. 1t is to be noted that all this
was possible then, as it is possible now,
because your average respectable citi-
zen would avoid his political duties and
leave the whole machinery of elections
in the hands of men who used it for
their own purposes. The respectable
citizens then as now shirked their other
public duties, and left the professional
.iuryman to take his place in the jury
box and in the body of the grand in
quest. The killing of James King of VIM.
by James P. Casey, aconspicuous leader
of the roughs, brought on crisis which
resulted in the organization OF the sec
.ond vigilance committee.
For a few years local politics was
purged of fraud and Irregularities and
Z San francisco enjoyed model admins
tration. But things gradually drifted
into their old channels. The average
citizen became tired of public duties
which taxed his time and interfered
with his money-getting. OF course,
when he retired his place was filed by
q class Of men who were not in politics
for their health. A succession OF bosses
arose in both parties. 1t made but lit
tie difference whether the Republican
or Democratic ticket succeeded. 1t was
Zeke Wilson on one side or Jim Brady
on the other, and they both played into
each others hands. Through a long
dynasty of small-fry bosses the system
was gradually seized by men ofllarger
calibre, who brought it to infamous per-
lection. Bill Higgins was man of
brains; Chute was shrewd and far-see-
ing; Jimmy Cannon was fearless and
enterprising. Against these bosses
who appeared off and on at the front
in the Republican party, there was a
number of smart but superficial fellows
on the Democratic side, all of whom,
however, finally merged their secondary
capacity into the Napoleonic aptitude
of Chris Buckley for manipulating poll
tics and controlling elections.
But it made no difference which party
won, there was division OF the spoils
between the bosses, and the same type
4
after session to the legislature.
1t is perhaps useless to repeat what
has been SO often said before, that it
was always in the hands of the reputable
citizens of San Francisco to wrest politi-
cal power from the boodlers. All they
had to do at any time to send the bosses
into exile and disgrace was to exhibit a
determination to rule. The force ex-
pended in any one OF their spasmodic
exhibitions of public virtue would have
purified the conventions and have cap
atured the polls.
Now mark the conduct of these same
foremost citizens in the present So
called crisis. Judge Wallace creates
the opportunity for that element to
come forward and by its courage, char
acter and countenance bring to light
through the grand jury the methods by
which cinch bills were passed and cor
rupt legislation rendered successful in
the last legislature, and perhaps lead up
to the way in which that body was
packed to elect United States senator.
One would think that now the best
element would show itself and lead in
the work OF reform so auspiciously
carved out for it. Not bit OF it. A
great mass meeting is called to give vent
to the public feeling. Outside Of the
gentleman induced to preside, what
prominent man shows himself in
that meeting? Where, amongst the