The San Francisco call., 1897-08-21
HEARST EVEN
EVADBS RILEY
The Millionaire's Love for a
Poor Man Is Strangely
Shown.
Another Suit, Out of Which the
Slippery Journalist Would
Sneak.
Billy the Slinker" Laughs in His
Sleeve When His California
Victims Seek Justice.

Now comes John Riley lifting up his
voice to swell the chorus, willie, We
Have Missed You" In other words, Mr..
Riley is of the mum Der who would like to
see Mr.. Hearst, and who would go about
the streets mourning more or less because
be is not where the process of The court
can readily disturb HIM.
Mr.. Riley is workingman, and as such
belongs to the class for whom MIR. Hearst
entertains so high regard that he pub
fishes plans and specifications of it at regu-
lar intervals. But Mr.. Riley is practical.
The elusive sentiment of affection. even
when bruited to the world by the Yellow
Twins of journalism, does not, so the mat
ter appears to him, create any fat that he
can notice adhering to his ribs. He does
not care for fattery nor tlngle with pride
at being loved by Mr.. Hearst. What he
wants is $67S in cash. This may seem
sordid, it may affect the benign Hearst to
tears as an instance of gratitude, but it
is business.
From an examination of documents
duly filed by Mr.. Riley in May it would
seem that he had contracted to supply the
people of a certain district with pa pers, or
so-called papers-in fact with Examiners;
that he also ontracted with the paper to
permit itself to be supplied, but that the
contract with the pu bile could not be car
red out, because the contract with tho
paper was not carried out, a circumstance
for which Riley blames the paper alone
He wants $678 estimated to be the profit
that he would have wrested from the
route had the route not been wrested from
him, and he prays also that costs be sad
died upon the Examiner, hoping probably
that these shall not be small.
There does not shine forth any particu-
lar reason why Mr. Riley should have
been surprised at an exhibition OF bad
faith, such as he cites as his ground for
suit. Students of moral ethics might even |
discuss whether or not Mr. Riley in his |
effort to disseminate pernicious literature
was no: properly rebuked by Providence. |
However, these questions are clearly side |
issues and irrelevant, possibly inmate |
rial, but not pertinent, only natural.
Mr.. Riley, realizing too late that pro-
fessional regard for workIngmen did not
always go 10 the extent of keeping bar
gain made with one of them, turned 10
the courts for relief. He had no diff
Guilty in finding a lawyer, in filing papers,
but Hearst was away, chronically distant,
evasive, fitting. The long arm of the
courts could not at once reach him in |
simple civil case where only small |
amount was involved. Mr.. Hearst's habit !
of being somewhere else has checked and |
annoyed Mr.. Riley. The suit, like others !
brought by people who consider that they |
have peen in some manner damaged, |
hoe RI nia
of helping in its modest fashion to keep |
Hearst out of California. Hence the |
Riley suit is subject of common interest, |
and citizens perhaps wholly unacquainted |
with Mr.. Riley cannot refrain from wish
ing it we'll.
They would like to see Mr.. Riley win
mis- suit, but if he can't get chance to
win it a moderate delight would be eI-
cited and sustained by the spectacle of the
case remaining in court ready and alert,
prepared to welcome Willie at the State
line if ever he wander back again. Mr..
Riley's lawyer explains that in the con-
tinued absence OF Hearst, after certain
default may be entered re-
gardless OF the whereabo of the de-
fendant.
Moreover the suit brought by Mr.,
Riley, presumably man of Moderate cir
against Mr.. Hearst, presuma-
bly, man of immoderate circumstances, |
possesses peculiar significance. 1t shows
how deep is this love for labor which Mr..
admiring co-workers and workers
laud so feelingly as a passion almost holy, |
and one which Hearst is believed, by
them exclusively, to have cornered and |
Yet even they have been
known to doubt. As for Riley, he would |
scoff at the proposition. He deposes that
a route he had purchased was lost to him
through the unjust and arbitrary action
of the Examiner people, and if he has the
slightest notion that tine institution is |
permeated by warm Yearning to pro- |
mote the interests and cheer the heart of |
the toiler nothing IN his allegations gives |
hint of it.