The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-01-09
Declares That the Examiners
Owner Has Debauched the
State of California.
ONE SPEECH ON REFUNDING
CREATES q SENSATION,
Compares the Assaults Of the De.
PRAYED journalist to the Yelp.
ing of Coyotes.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. s.-During
debate on the Pacific road refunding bill
in the House of Representatives this after
noon occurred one of the most sensational
episodes ever witnessed in that body.
Grove L. Johnson, in the course of speech
in support of the Powers refunding bill,
made personal attack upon the character
OF William r. Hearst, proprietor of the
San Francisco Examiner and the New
York Journal. Johnson has for a long
time had a grievance against the San Fran
cisco paper on account OF criticisms writ
ten editorially and kilograms sent from
Washington. Johnson is said to have
been particularly incenseG because Of its
vulgar caricatures.
1t has been a matter of gossip in the Cal
ifornia colony for some time that Johnson
had announced determination to retail
late when opportunity offered.
Johnson is relen tless and merciless when
once his anger has boon aroused but his
fierce personal attack upon Hearst to-day
astonshed even those who understand
Johnson's fiery and impetuous nature.
Such strong language has seldom, if ever,
been uttered before in legislative body.
The first part of his speech was devoted to
a temperate discussion of the Powers bill.
This lasted twenty minutes, when the
Speaker, with whack OF his gavel, an
nounced that his time had expired. Pow
ers of Vermont said: 81 will yield the gen.
tleman from California ten minutes
more"
johnson then resumed as follows:
nV1
travelling over the plains in early days
who, when they had retired 20 rest, were
awakened by hearing, as they thought.
the bowls and yels OF a thousand wild
animals, seeking their lives and the lives
of their families. A man travelling across
the plains has frequently walked up. seized
his rifle and paced back and forth all
the night with his finger on the trigger,
ready TO defend hims self against the as
asult, as it seemed to him, of myriads of
fierce beasts. Then, when the morning
light came, he looked around and found
that there were only measly, gaunt coy
otes that had made all the noise. So it
is in California"
Directing his attention to Hearst Mr..
Johnson continued: 'Of this man much
mi ght be said. He has not made dollar
himself. When he was young man he
was like the boy in song. He wanted
paper just as the boy wanted bow-wow,
and his indulgent parents bought him the
Examiner and gave it to him. He had
plenty of money. We all were suspicious
at first. We all knew thai Our Willie
as he was called there, was bad man at
heart. We knew that he was driven out
of society because of his low tastes and
depraved manners. We knew that he was
erotic in his desires and cratic in his con-
duct We knew that he was re gal in his
dissipation, but we thought he was no nest.
We knew that he.had to go to the banks of
the Nile in order to recover his health, and
we knew that he rivaled the Khedive IN
the luxury of his harem, but we thought
he was honest. Laughter.]
I'VE knew he was unfaIthful to his
friends. We knew he was unkind to his
employees. We knew he was corrupt in
bis thoughts, but we thought that he was
honest, and we believed that he was try
ing to build UP paper that should be one
which woald help the country and help
the people, so we Endorsed 1t and followed
it. but we found, alas, that he was not
what we thought. When he assaulted
Hun tington and the railroad company so
bitterly we considered him wrong with
his bitterness, but we thought still that
he was honest until it was revealed by the
statement of Mr.. Huntington that this
man had been blackmailing the railroad
company out of a thousand dollars a
month for twenty-five months and had
got mad because they would not pay him
$4,000 more.
when we found out that this man
Hearst was nothing but miserable, con-
temptible, blackmailing highwayman of
the press his paper lost its influence in
the State OF California. Every man knows
that he is a backmailer, but he had the
audacity to defend his stealings by saying
that he thought every one had a right to
steal from a railroad company. He con-
iessed his guilt. He admitted he black
mailed tie company, and then he showed
himself perfect definition of a scoundrel,
as given by Tweed, because he would not
stay bought. [Laughter.]
He has intimidated men and he has
intimidated people. You do not know
the terrorism he has exercised in Califor-
MIA with his paper. Yon know how
it has abused and maligned and car
featured people in this House. the hon.
ored chairman Of our committee and our
honored Speaker. l will not speak of my
self. because J do not know but what /
can get reasonably even with this man be-
fore get through with him. Laughter
But he has carried it on for years.
while we know all these things about
him, we believed he was honest because
he said he was, because he had his news
paper; but he has debaached the public
mind in California by terrorism. He has
terrorized over every one. He has issued
his edict that any man who dares to favor
this funding bill shall be driv N from pub
lie life, shall be ruined in private life and
shall be disgraced before the people and
before God"
Mr.. Johnson's speech created a great
sensation in the House. Never before had
such invectives fallen from the lips of a