The San Francisco call., 1904-10-14

Grand Jury were determined to hold
the Board of Election Commissioners
accountable. Evidence had been gath
cred that a number of changes were
made arbitrarily in the personnel of
various precinct boards the night be-
fore the primaries.
DISCLAIMS OFFENSE-
My conscience is easy" said Com
missioner A. w. Voorsanger in discuss
ing the probable prosecution. Il know
that I have participated in no offense
against the law
The law requiring property qualifi-
cation of an election officer is uncon-
stitutional," said Commissioner Z. c.
Leffingwell. The requirement that the
officers must be residents of the pre-
cincts in which they serve is imprac-
tical. for when We learn at the eleventh
hour that a man cannot be on hand at
the polls we have to take an appointee
from the BILE list and send him
out TO I'LL the vacancy. 1t is utterly
impossible to carry on an election prop
erly in every precinct if we are re-
stricted to the precinct for its board of
officers. The Grand Jury's attempt TO
RAOcELAlC AS II llQlNulOuS.
Il regard the effort of the grand ju-
rors as an outrage. was the comment
Of Commissioner J. A Devote. True,
we have not obeyed the letter of the
law. That was impossible and uncalled
for. We have committed no crime, and
here we are dragged before the public
as breakers. 1 was born and
raised in San Francisco and 1 value my
good reputation. / have never been
guilty of anything to darken it and the
stigma that is cast by the Grand Jury
without good reason is far from right.
1 have no fear of consequences in court,
but to be placed in a false light. as has
now been done, is certainly unpleasant.
The chief aim of the grand jurors, in
my opinion, is TO do politics. by be-
smirching the present municipal ad-
ministration."
The Grand Jury began its exciting
session at 2:30 o'clock and at once took
up the matter of returning the indict-
ment which the District Attorney had
prepared. The combat soon opened.
Charles W. Welch, secretary of the
body, announced that he was not pres
ent when the vote on the indictment
vas NaANEA hight anu tiOl DC-
ing cognizant of the facts in the
case did not wish to have anything to
do with it. Matthew 1. O'Brien was
also absent when the true bill was
found and he also demurred to appear
ing in court as supporting the accusa-
tion. DR.. George 1. Drucker had voted
against the indictment and did not feel
that he should appear in court as hav-
ing assisted in instituting the prosecu-
ton against Rebstock-
This left only eleven jurors TO present
the indictment, and argument with the
unwilling trio waxed furious. The law
was read and expounded to show that
il was not necessary that the twelve
Jurors who found the indictment should
be the same twelve to go into court
So long as there were a dozen on hand
on either occasion the statutes would
be complied with.
But WEIGH and O'Brien insisted that
they would. not take part in accusing
citizen of a crime unless they heard
the evidence and for a while had the
better of the situation. They turned
deaf ear to persuasion and argument
and stuck TO their idea of things. DIR.
Drucker was no more yielding than
they.
Foreman Lilienfeld came out into the
anteroom and telephoned for f. H.
Wheelan, w. H. HAZEL and Dan Fitz-
gerald, on whose testimony the charge
against Rebstock was based. They
added to their strength e. c. Harrison.
who was ready to tell of some exciting
experiences he had when trying to
challenge voters in the Eightieth Pre-
cinct, where the inmates of the Aims
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