The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-07
TIE EE-JLIs OF THE MEETING

The uass-meetug on Tuesday had two
lae--- FIST, ID make i clearto all that the
recent effort 10 rgrly politics lad The SYM
p--Hy respectable citizens. and second, TO
remind The .Ierar Court Judges that it
may not be- good policy to swap horses in
crossing q stream. FIT the attainment Of
those ujeet5 It was not essential that the
lec-he quest # the meeting should be
complied with. a cUutemptu0us refusal TO
listen 10 the popular demands will not con-
vince people that tie middle Of a stream is
q good place 10 swap horses, nor viii it
smooth tie path Of a Judge who is entrusted
with power in defiance Of public protest.
The Judges Of the Su eriOr Court have not
seen III % comply with the demand of the
meeting. Tie election Of Judge Trout as
Presiding Judge viii probably have about
the SAME effect on the public mind that the
BruDer decision had. The people who have
engaged in the work Of purifying politics
VIII not give up the fight on the strength Of
one OF even two defeats.
L seems amazing that there should be
two opinions on the great issue that is
pending. Judge Wallace, the Grand Jury
and the mass-meeting demand that the sale
Of votes ia the Legislature, the sale Of fran
chises in the Board of Supervisors, the
yenality Of municipal officers, the black
mailing Of corporations, the packing Of
grand and trial juries. the corruption Of
. Judges, the traffic IN Office among the
bosses. shall cease, and that some Of those
who have engaged in these pra tees in de-
fanCe Of law shall be punished as an exam
. pie TO others. When this demand is re-
Z sisted by lawyers, and politicians, and
: ;JQdges, with the Southern Pacific Railroad
at t0eir back, we are bound to infer that
:Jh.. lawyers. and politicians, and Judges,
and railroad managers, actually favor the
= continuance Of corruption in tho Legisla-
tu{a, in the Board Of Supervisors, in the
mJlHlCiDal departments, in the jury-b0x, on
the bench and in the conventions Of either
party, Was ever so m0nstr6us a position
taken by men claiming to be intelligent
citizens? Reforms have often been re-
sisted by conservatives; but history may be
Eansacked in vain Tor a previous instance
in which responsible men have actually
placed themselves on record as ohiecting to
reforms which have no other object than to
stop corruption. bribery AMI venality
That the man in whose interests BledsOe
Of Humboldt was offered $1,000 for his vote
for Senator should display covert hostility
10 the reform movement eXctes no surprise
The fire was getting unc0mfortably near his
e. own quarters, and his sympathies always
incline to the base side. But why should
any one who is not boodIer object 30 meas
tires that are aimed at restoring honest poll
tics? How can there he two parties on such
aqueston? THE CALL believes that there
aren0t: unless the brneiciaries Of bribery
aud corruption and o1ice-boiders under the
control Of the railroad may be said 10 con-
stilute a party. The honest people Of San
Francisco, to whatever party they belong
are all Of one mind on the present agitation.
They insist that it shall go On. Every at
tempt to defeat it by technical chicanery, or
judicial subseryiency to the corporation
which is the source and fountain Of our cor
rupt politics, only confirms them in the reso-
= Lutte purpose to fight the fight out if it takes
all winter and all summer too. Doodle can
be crushed if the right minds take charge Of
the effort.
No confidence is felt in the proposed
scheme Of the Superior Court Judges to i'm
prove the selection OF grand and trial juries.
The machinery will stnl remain in the hands
Of adrOit manipulators, who are manifestly
kept 10 place for this purpose. 1t is under
stood that the number Of grand jurors is TO
remain as at DreseHt-144, and that the num-
Der Of trial jurors will be fixed at 5000.
Thus each Of the twelve Judges will choose
twelve grand jurymeu and 300 trial jury
men. 1t is morally certain that not one Of
the twelve knows 800 citizens intimately
enough to determine their fitness to sit on
juries, but the vast number to be chosen
will enable the boodling judges TO get all
their friends on the list. As to the grand
Jurors, what the public would like would be
10 see the list prepared by each Judge. The
names Of the dozen chosen by certain Judges,
who may for the present be nameless, will
be interesting reading.