Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-04
THE HERALD ANDITS LIBEL SUIT.

ing sued for libel because you have had
the nerve to stand up for the people,
and for an honest administration of the
peoples affairs. That is the case with
the HERALD today. Mr.. Jabez Banbury
has rung in bluff libel suit upon us,
which is doubtless intended to last until
after the election. In this respect he is
following the example OF the illustrious
James G. Blaine in his celebrated ante
election libel suit against the Indian
apolis Sentinel. We only hope that the
parallel will cease there, as this journal
is most anxious to face Jabez before a
jury of Angelefios.
At every stage of this matter the
course of the county treasurer has been
sinuous, dsingenuous, evasive and
stepped in chicane. He has framed his
letter and other illusions to the charges
made against him with the deliberate
intention of deceiving the voter. There
is no doubt that he has ascertained a
shipping rate on gold coin, greenbacks
and bonds from Wells. Fargo & Co., but
the fact is that, after ascertaining such
rate, he proceeded to put the money in
his pocket which he charged up to the
county. In yesterdays Express, pur-
euing his usual disingenuous tactics, he
produced a single receipt from Wells,
Fargo & Co. to deliver SOL, 800 of bonds
to D. o. Mills & Co. at Sacramento, and
for this service, which was in the nature
Of commission, Mr.. Banbury paid the
company $16O.65. This receipt is dated
June l5, 1889.
The position of the HERALD admits OF
no misconstruction. The gravamen OF
our charge is that Mr.. Ban bury has
been mulcting the county of Los Ange-
les in large sums of money for express
age and exchange which he has passed
to his own emolument. If this be true,
this brings Mr.. Banbury under the oper-
alton of section 72, OF the penal code,
which pronounces such acts felony.
The attempt of this person to bluster
himself out of the dilemma into which
his greed has brought him will act as
boomerang when he stands in court of
justice. Mr.. Butler of Wells, Fargo &
Co.'s express Office, assured a reporter
of the HERALD that Mr. Banbury has
never done a dollars worth of business
with the company since he has had
charge of its city department. If Mr..
Banbury had desired to set himself right
he could have done go, as this journal
offered him the fullest use OF its col
umns. We have had no desire to take
snap judgment upon him. We would
far rather lean to the side of good nature
than of malice. We found an abuse
against the rights of the taxpayer and
we fearlessly assailed it, and 80 shall we
ever.
IL involves matchless impudence on
the part of this official to bring suit
against the HERALD for daring to at
tempt the correction of glaring abuse.
1t is matter OF common notoriety that
the bulk of the county funds have been
used for purposes of private gain. What
OF this usance has gone to
Mr.. Banbury, if any, We are not ad-
vised. We desire to concentrate our
selves on his enormous charges for the
transmission of money to Sacramento in
settlement with the state for our sha re
of the state taxes. None of these large
sums have found their way into the
Golfers of Wells, Fargo & Co.. although,
as a general thing, Mr.. Banbury pre-
tends to base his charges on the sched
ules of that company. He uses the
vague and general terms of "transmis-
mission, exchange" and Of "eXpress
age" only rarely. We have every reason
to believe that, where he resorted to ex-
change, it cost him not single dollar.
the banks he favored being glad to ac-
commodate him with this privilege
But, even in his s'transmissions" OF the
county moneys, by whatsoever medium
be employed, he was capricious in his
charges. Thus, after having ascertained
rate from Wells, Fargo & Co. of
$175 per thousand in gold COIN, we
find that, on February 5, 1890, he
claims to have shipped, in gold coin, for
settlement with the state treasurer,
1922, ,256. Sc, for which he charged the
county $1305.64, less exchange on rail.
road taxes of $24, ,529 26, leaving a net
sum of $1244.32. Why on this large
transaction were the rates arbitrarily
raised from $1.75 per thousand to So 50?
What medium except Wells, Fargo &
Co. could have transmitted such a
large sum in gold coin to Sacramento,
a distance of over five hundred miles.
The officials OF Wells, Fargo & Co. in
formed representative of the HERALD
yesterday that, while their open rate to
Sacramento was 81 IS per thousand for
gold coin, and 81 25 for currency, they
would gladly have made a special rate
for 80 large a sum. Why does not Mr..
Banbury show receipt for the chip.
ment of this sum? After he has done
this, let him explain why he made
rate OF 50 80 thousand against the
county, just rs cents thousand more
than Wells, Fargo & Co. open rate.
1t will be observed that the only re-
ceipt produced by Mr.. Jabez Banbury
is in the nature of commission. In
this document occurs the following:
Mr.. Banbury wishes the money held
(the money to be received from the
bonds and coupons) until he completes
his report" Eighteen days later, viz
on July B, 1889, Mr.. Banbury charges