Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-07-22
A WIDE
OPEN
TOWN
What Public Opinion Thinks
OF San Francisco and
Mayor SchmitZ

The following excerpt from Public
Opinion will give an idea of the i'm
preston created abroad by the corrupt
Schmitz administration:
The attempt of the local police to
regulate gambling and pool selling in
San Francisco is an opera bouffe per
formance. The town is "wide open, -
and has been ever since Boss Ruef
came into power. All the gamblers
know this as we'll as the sporting fra.
ternity that enjoy games of chance
and the opportunity to bet on horse
races and other events. There are a
dozen notorious poolrooms running in
various parts of the city. All are we'll
known to the police, and it is natural
to assume that each is paying a good
round sum for police protection. In
fact, the story goes that $50 day is
the tariff in graft that allows one to
run a poolroom safely. Eyen a stran.
ger within the city gates can get the
address Of any Of these poolrooms
from an obliging hotel clerk IL he
makes it worth the clerks while to
exert his memory. When the local
racing season is on, which comprises
about six months in the year, the gam
bling evil is at its height. Every cigar
store then keeps handbook" and
small clerks may wager as little as 25
cents on a horse. At lunch during the
racing season these small bets are Ia.
ken in the saloons on the main blocks
Of market street. Every one knows Of
these things but the patrolmen on the
beats never seem to see what is patent
TO all others. OF course, this open
gambling, in which mere boys can in
dulge freely, is very demoralizing, and
the record Of petty defalcations by
clerks on small salaries is growing ev-
cry year. Growing also is the roll of
suicides Of those who have been drawn
into this toboggan slide to ruin and
death. II careful record were made
Of the young men and boys who have
been sent TO state prison or to the
house Of correction during the last
four years for crimes due 10 gambling
on horse races the total would amaze
the public.
Probably more far reaching and
more important than any Of the other
corrupting influences Of the Schmitz
administration is the work that il has
done in the tampering with the ballot
box in order to secure the election Of
its candidates in the close districts. In
old Days Boss Buckley, who was known
in Chinatown by the picturesque name
Of "the Blind White Devil" was
forced to fee from the city because
some Of his creatures revealed his
methods Of ballot box stufiing. Buck
ley was indicted, but, as he had adj
vance information of this act, he was
able to take a foreign tour until the
agitation subsidized At the last pre-
limiuary election in San Francisco the
local administration was anxious over
its control of certain precincts. In one
Of these precincts in the suburbs Frank
Maestretti, the right hand man Of
Mayor Sehmitz, was the union labor
leader. Maestretti doubtless gave his
orders to swell the votes in his pre-
cincts, for two Of his subordinates
were detected in signing the names Of
other men on the election roll and act
ually voting those names in the booth.
These men, Charles Wyman and Adolph
steffens, were appointed to manipulate
the roll. Each voted under the name
of an absent man, as well as their
own. and their hand writing on the
election rolls, as well as the testimony
of men who saw them vote, convicted
them. They have been sentenced tol
state prison, and Wyman has already
begun to serve his term. Another elee'
tion inspector, Joseph Rebsoek, per-
mitted paupers from the neighboring
Almshouse to vote, although these men
were challenged. He has just been
tried and convicted. These convictions
were secured largely through the ef'
forts of the Merchants association,
union of prominent business men Tor
the purpose of suppressing graft and
corruption in the municipal govern
ment.