The herald., 1898-01-21
TEN DOLLARS REWARD
FRIDAY, JANUARY FL. 1898.
WOULD BE A BAD APPOINTMENT

Tor some months it has been an open
secret that H. w. Patton is booked 1or
the. anpointment of state bank eX-
.aminer, to fill the next vacancy fhal oc-
ours. Mr.. Patton himself has maze thls
d. an open secret by proclaiming on every
convenient occasion that he has an
, ,ron-bound and brass-riveted pledge
from Governor Budd to that effect.
-s' Without presuming to question tne
authenticity of Mr.. Patton's proclama-
4; tion. and without any desire to putt lts
: head against the inevitable, The Herald
wishes to observe that such an appoint
ment II made, would be an exceedingly
- had one. 1t would be discredltaple LOT
3, the administration. disastrous 10 the
Democratic party in this end OF the
state and. an injustice to the pubic IN
= whose interests a bank examiner is sup
I. posed to be employed A good ana SUI
: ficient reason may be assigned Tor each
: one of these objections.
: In the first place. Patton knoWsrno
: more about the banking business than
HOtIenlOl hllON VI iiNs'' NAi'
an accountant; he is not man OF pusl-
!. ness training; he is not one whose ]uag-
ment could be relied upon to decide IN
yolyed and intricate matters, sucn as
:, tho hank examiners are frequently con-
= fronted with.
s~f Secondly. If a man is to be selected
from the ranks of the Democratic party
In Southern California for an of1lce OIL
honor and emolument, Patton is not
creditable nor an acceptable representa-
tive. 1t has been openly charged that
during the last campaign in TINS ols-
trict Patton, having received the Demo-
cratic nomination for congressman, SOLD
ont his claim for coin and retired from
the canvass. He negotiated with the
Silver Republican campaign committee
and transferred all Of his right, title ana
interest to Barlow. There is man
: who saws he can show check with Pat
TOMS endorsement as evidence of this
transaction. If this be true, Patton was
guilty of an act of treachery to his
party which ought to forever bar him
from participation in its counsels or
sbore in the honors which it has to be-
stow. If the story be not true, Patton
has had abundant opportunity to deny
II I'M the columns of his own paper, for IL
was published more than a week ago.
Instead of denying it it an open, manly,
honest way, however, he met 1t ike
-. - nrff o whole
matter into a joke. The rank and hle
Of the Democratic party in this end OF
the state are too much in earnest TO
have their attention diverted by any
such procedure. They want to know
whether Patton juggled and bartered
away the high honor which they once
conferred upon him. If Patton has any
defense to make which he cannot make
in his own paper, the columns of The
Herald are open to him.
But objections sufficient to bar him
from honors to be conferred by a Demo-
cratic administration may be found in
more recent transa ctions of this man. 1t
was he who made an alliance Cpresum-
ably for coin or political intrigue) with
Walter Webb. a Republican boss and
booder-a man under Indictment for eX
tortion under investigation for NAL
feasance in ofiice-a man under the
condemnation of this community for
blackmailing teachers and grossly
abusing his trust. Patton. in his paper,
the Capital, took up the cudgel for this
Republican boodler, and incidentally
cast aspersions upon the League for
Better City Government and the best
elements of Los Angeles, Democratic
and Republican alike. Nor did he stop
here. Patton, as the local representa-
tive of the San Francisco Call, enlisted
that paper in a campaign in defense of
the same Republican boodler.
If man is to be judged by the com
pany he keeps, then Patton must be
content with very low place in public
estimation. Not only has he failed to
be true to thefbest traditions of his
party. but he has betrayed the party
itself and, so far as he has been able,
has brought it into disrepute.
., 1T can hardly be possible that Governor
Budd will choose such a man as the OBJ
ject Of his favor-giving into his hands
one of the most responsible and honor
.Rble offices in the state. Ii he does so.
he will be placing premium on party