The San Francisco call., 1898-12-03

William F. Herrin Is chief counsel of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company and the head of Collis F. Huntington's political bureau. He is also liar.
 Many men occasionally disregard the truth, but the fact is passed without comment, as their words and acts con- cern only themselves, their immediate friends or business associates. But when a man resorts to falsehood for the deliberate purpose of deluding the gen. eral public in matter that vitally af- fects the welfare of the whole people. it is the province of a newspaper to proclaim the fact, so that well-meaning people may not be made to suffer.
 MT. Herrin has lied with regard to his and the Southern Pacific Company's support of Colonel Dan Burns as a can didate for election to the United States Senate He has lied not only for a mean and contemptible purpose, but he has lied for gain and lied because he loves to lie. So much for MT. Herrin's veracity. Now for his motive and the manner in which he has attempted to deny the truth.
 Shortly after the election Lir. Herrin went among his personal friends and acquaintances exhibiting typewritten list which he called ''the scalps I have taken at this election" The names of r1 ,ira Tor, 1dc G. Mcguire headed the list. These were followed by the names of about a dozen defeated candidates, some of them Re- publicans.
 The public is now presented with the spectacle of MT. Herrin trying to hold his own scalp on with both hands and a lying tongue. He permitted himself to be led into trap by the proprietors of The Call and the Chronicle and thus revealed the secret workings of the po- litical bureau maintained by the giant corporation by which he Is employed. The blunder is one that will never be pardoned or condoned by the shrewd and crafty old man who is the head and brains of the great monopoly, and that is why MT. Herrin deserted his law business yesterday and spent the day in pouring typewriter excuses, denials and falsehoods into the editorial and local columns of the railroads news papers in this city. The spectacle was one calculated to make the. late w. w. Stow tIIrD over in his crave .i =.
 In his efforts to maintain his hold on. the position that gives to him the pleas ant duty of doling out the political largess of the Southern Pacific Com pany, the Market-street Railroad Com pany and the Spring Valley Water Company he has found it necessary. to deny that he made the statement, when drawn into trap by John D. Spreck-: els and M. H. de Young, that D. M. Burns and no one else was the rail- roads candidate for United States Sem ator. MT. Herrin did make the state ment. end was frankly told, in words that could not be misconstrued, that neither The Call nor the Chronicle would consent to support Burns for Senator The subsequent action of both papers is sufficient refutation of Mr. Herrins equivocation.
 In the typewriter statements MT. Herrin gave to the subsidized after noon papers he states in one breath that his personal preference in the mat ter of a Senatorial candidate is M. H.. de Young and in another that it is D. M. Burns. For the rest he attempts to cover up with a flood of equivocations, misstatements and falsehoods concern ing minor matters the main fact that he did make the statement, when driven into q corner. that the Southern Pacific Company is for Dan Burns for Senator. He makes bare reference to 1t at the very end of his typewriter interview.
 In the face of the facts that have been printed will MT. Herrin dare to deny that he went to prominent at- torney and requested him to- use his personal influence with M. H. de Young in an effort to get De Young to- come out in favor of Burns for Senator? Will MT. Herrin deny that he went to a prominent real estate man in this city and sought to induce him to get De Young to name Burns for Senator? Will MT. Herrin deny that he solicited these gentlemen at the time he was trying to induce MT. Spreckels and MT. de Young to name a.Senatorial candi- date favorable to the interests of the railroad company? He is hereby chal- lenged to make such a denial.