The San Francisco call., 1897-10-07
YELLOW
JOURNAL
FALSEHOOD
Mayor Phelan Directly Con-
tradicts the Examiners
Lying Defense.
THAT BASEBALL COMMITTEE.
More Evidence That Hearst's
Paper Worked the Charity
Dodge for Profit.
SIXTY PER CENT WAS HIDDEN.
An Editorial Squirm, With Three
Prevarications and Something
for Horses to Laugh At.

The Examiner has again exhibited its
speed at prevarication.
On Monday it took occasion to deny
with editorial vigor the widely made and
generally believed charge that it has been
pocketing large share of the profits Of its
own baseba tournament while mas
querading under the charity dodge"
That the yellow journal was forced to
have recourse to falsfication in order 10
make out defensive showing is evidence
OF the painful pinch of the shoe. In its
editorial the Examiner made the folio W.
ing statements:
The receipts of the baseball tournament
have been handled by committee of gentle
men consisting OF Mayor James d. Phelan :;
Henry J. Crocker, sos California street;
George 4. NewhaL, 800 Sdnsome street, and
W. B. Pringle, Mills building.
These gentlemen divided the funds in the
manner agreed upon, viz: 20 per cent to
charity, 20 per cent TO the players and 60 per
cent ior The rent and expenses OF the ground s
and the proft Of the manager of the games,
D. K. McNelll. The Examiner has received no
money from the games excepting the sum OF
SI642 for the Childrens Hospital Such a
charge as made by D. n. Knowles could not be
true without the dishonest colluslon of
Messrs. Phelan, NewhalI. Crocker and Pringle
and that IS TOO preposterouS for considera-
ton.
There! That sounds mighty well. 1t
would sound better if there was a little
more truth in it. The statements of
Mayor Phelan ana Attorney w. B. Pringle
snow, however, that the Examiner has
deliberately misstated the functions and
responsibility Of this com mittee of re-
pected citizens behind which it seeks to
hide.
These gentlemen have not ''divided the
funds in the manner agreed upon" All
the committee has had to do with the
funds has been to receive and care for the
20 per cent apportioned to charity when it
was turned over Here is Mayor Phelan's
statement of The jurisdiction of the COM
mittee:
The committee is represented at each
game by Philip S. Fay, VINO works in tn
License Collectors Office and who receives
at the box office the 20 per cent going TO
charity, turning it over to me. as act as
treasurer. / have received so far $4947 26,
OF which $1642 has been given to the Chill.
dren's Hospital
mo, the books have not been
particularly inspected by the COM
mittee. All we have been inter-
ested in has been the 20 per cent
b longing to charity, and we have
not cared what they did with the
balance"
Lie ptOAlS VI tHS games, amounting 10
many thousands, have gone wholly into
the hands OF Manager Mcneil, and the
committee has neither inquired nor cared
what proportion of them may have gone
into the pockets of the thrifty Examiner
people, VINO have chiefly run the tourna-
ment from the start.
1t is an old dodge to play sweet
Charity" for profit and to get the use of
names OF distinguished people to win
public contld ence and patronage when
dollars are to be made out of schemes. In
this case the Examiner has got up and
whoopeu along Tor months a baseball
tournament, giving one-fifth of the re-
celptS 10 charity, another fifth 10 the
players and keeping three fifths for rent
OF grounds incidental expenses and
profits. Charity's fifth has Justly been
sufficient TO induce four honorable men to
let the Examiner use their names as spon-
sors for the tournament and to cloak the
money making job cleverly concealed in
that dig three-hfths of the gross receipts.
This committee has performed it's office
In the perfunctory way natural to such
com mIttees, created merely to inspire
confidence. 1t has received and safely
kept charity's 90 per cent, and the com
mlltee mas been got together three or four
times 10 ratlfy something the Examiner
and Manager McNeill wanted done. but it
has naturally not concerned itself a bout
the details OF management 1t has done
little more than collect a tax from a pri-
vaie business enterprise that was run on
business principles.
There is an interesting thing about tha
committee which the Examiner sun
presses in its editorial defense. It de-
c!ares that it consists Of Messrs. PheIan
Crocker, Newnall and Pringle. 1t did not
say that long IL had Manager McNeiIl
added to the committee, OF which be is a
recognized member now. Mr.. Prinple
gives this explanation:
Thomas Magee Jr. was at first named
in the committee, but resigned. and Mr.
Mcneil was made mem Der in his place
which was quite proper, as he was man,
ager of the affair and was taking the
ri ks"
Mr.. Mcneil is nice man If he is in
partnership with the yellow journal in
the baseball business, and the Examiner
should not be ashamed to let it be known
thar is partner is on its good-laith com.
mittee.
The committee handled no
money except that which was ap-