The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-17
MR.. HOWARD E. WRONG, SPEAKER

| | Wright warrant the change of his to
Wrong, for il ever went wrong, by de-
! liberation and intention, he is that man.
Often and with repetition and protestation he had
volunteered his friends the assurance that he would
! not vote for Burns He had exhibited letters from
his family imporine him not to support Burns and
had shown them in proof of the fxty of his purpose
He had lifted the veil of privacy from his family shrine
and appealed to the gods on his domestic altar in
proof of the recttude of his purpose He had solicited
such support a gentleman may ask and gentleman
may give in his campaign for the Speakership, and
had requted with the pledge that he would deserve
these favors and prove them well bestowed by re-
fusing under any and all circumstances to support
Burns While he abided by these pledges and prom
ises and in the balloting of the first two days kept
his word the Burns push attacked him. The district
he represents reviled and its people abused. 1t
is probably one OF the most respectable Assembly
districts in California. 1t has sums. Many public
schoolhouses and the State University within its
borders A score of churches stand there for good
morals and that ineffabe hope which is highest where
social conditions best But these people, living
and moving under these best influences and cond-
TONS coarsey attacked over the back OF their
representative true man under such circumstances
would have vindcated and defended them. He would
have shown in his conduct the best results of the up
right influences which had gratfed his ambition and
promoted his public Instead OF doing this, he
turned traitor to his people and retreated into the
camp that was firing at them.
Since then revelations, confessions, admissions have
thick and fast and nasty In the first agony OF
his oense he reached bindy in the darkness clutch
some support that would make respectable the
reachery that furnished his fame and the high place
his ambition had just attained. SO he declared that
four Justices of the Supreme Court had asked him to
forget his honor his friends and his family and sup
port Burns Assuming that this was true, the press
OF the State appalled, by the revelation, turned upon
the Supreme Court the artillery of righteous indig-
nation Ii is hard matter for the bench to go into
printed reply to any attack upon it. But Speaker
Wrong had forced that hard duty upon the Justices,
and they appeared in unanimous denial Every former
friend of Mr. Speaker Wrong appreciates what this
means No flight of imagination is required to tell
what kind of an act and what kind Of motive there
for compelled him hold the Justices of the Supreme
Court as buffer between himself and popular indg-
nation He conscripted the Justices into this service
apparently believing that they would emerge from
the judicial to protest against his seizure Of
their ermine as cloak for his iniquity. Their unan
NOUS denial was Immediately followed by the ex-
posure of Speaker Wrongs acceptance of money from
Mr. Green, and his most amazing explanation that
part of it was used before his nomination to buy off
the convention and the rest went partly to pay a
pressing debt and was put into the campaign. When
Asmodeus lifted the roofs off the houses of Madrid
and exposed the doings of their inmates more
startling disclosure made than has followed turn
ing the light on this transaction. The Speaker
in such an advanced stage Of moral diocy to re-
gard such an act legitimate politics. His friends
had proudly ascribed his strength the absence OF
opposition in the convention, and he perked and
plumed himself in the sunshine of this scription.
carrying in his heart the consciousness that of
it was deserved 1t only needed the denial of his
opponent that paid to complete the picture.
That denial puts the in this shape: Prepledging
himself to Grant before his nomination, he bued
himself in the vote market by representing his nom-
nation as unlikely unless he had money to buy off
opposition. The money paid to him, but not by
him to the opposing candidate 1t stuck to his
fingers, if it touched them.
Just what the Speaker will do next it is impossible
to predict for the that it is impossible to see
around corner to conceive Of straight spiral.
But the scene of his fall is very ptifu and its
quences to the innocent pathetic If it to
admonish others to avoid devious ways the bitter
story may prove to be political tonic