Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-04
BACKS DOWN ON
CHARGE OF CRAFT
MAYOR SEES 100000 ONLY IN
IMAGINATION
Has Money "shown Him" by Friends
Who Have No Idea Of Offering II
to Hir-Frederlck Washes
Hands Of Case

The startling announcement reccrtl,
made by Mayor owen McAlcer before
number Of citizens during the ex-
animation of Chief Lips. when i'm de.
tense of the fire chief and Others hc
stated that he had been shown $50 o0r
Whlcn ne would receive in bribes il he
cared to get money that way simmered
uGWh TO gentle zephyr yesterday
Wneh District Attorney Fredericks an
nounceu that McAleer had only been
"fooln'."
According TO the statements of Fred
erlcks yesterday he had held a con-
sultatlon with the mayor and the may
or had told him, regarding the alleged
brlbe offering. that he with some of
ms friends during n little contest of
arithmetic had simply figured ont
where so much money would be given
lor bribes if they had been open t.
such offers.
Shown $4,000 in Graft
The mayor said in his sensational
speech at the close of the examination
OF Chlef Lips, in which he claimed tc
by the one against whom the attack
was directed, that he wanted to go
on record as saying that the present
board of fire commissioners. with him
selt at the head. was the most honest
IN the history of the city. He further
stated that he had actually been shown
SSO,OOO real money which would be all
his if he would consent to certain
thlngs. He then allowed the fire COM
mlssioners to come in on the compli-
lnents and stated that every member
mad from time to time been approached
with similar offers on q more modest
scale.
NH
Ihat was several days aGo. but Tues
day, when the mayor and Mr. Fred
erlcks We're eating In a quiet little
room together, the mayor confided ia
Mr' Fredericks, according to the state
ments of the district attorney. tha5
me money had been figurative coin.
How he happened to see this figurative
money was not explained to the dis
trtct attorney by the mayor
In speaking yesterday of his inter.
View with Mayor McAleer. District
Attorney John d. Fredercks said:
Prosecutor investigates
"On Friday it was reported to mo
through the press that Mayor McAleer
mad. in the investigation of the fire
department. stated that he had been
shown $S0,000 year If he would
DO certain things. This appeared
TO me to mean that some one
had directly offered the mayor that
amount OF money as a bribe Accord
1ngly. on Saturday. ! wrote a letter to
the mayor asking his to furnish me.
as the public prosecutor, the data on
which he based this statement. This
letter. by reason of the mayor being
out of town. was not delivered to him
until Monday evening by Mr. Long
fellow of our office.
IN response to this I met Mr. Nc
Aleer at his invitation. at luncheon
on Tuesday. After the discussion of
the subject of the alleged offer of $50
900 with the mayor at that time it did
not appear to me that there was any
thing for me to do In the premises or
anything to state TO the public. It
has been my practice to make my
statements to the public in reference
to criminal cases through the courts.
either by filing or refusing to file com
plants.
He made no charges of graft to me
and stated that in his remarks at the
investigation he did not charge any
one with offering him a bribe. and re-
ferred to the verbatim report OF his
statement, which was that he had been
shown how he could make $4,000 a
year. This he informed me he was
shown in various casual conversations
with other citizens wherein neither he
nor the others had any idea of accept
ing or asking that amount or any
other from anybody. The case was
simply discussed in this light; that an
official of the city in his position could
if he was so disposed. collect money
from a great many illegitimate enter
prises which would, i'm the aggregate,
net eighty or eighty-five thousand dol
lars year.
Fredericks Through With Case
''I may say, so far as this office is
concerned. that the $4,000 incident is
closed. If there is any grating going
on among city officials in Los Angeles
this office viii endeavor, by the as
sistance of the mayor or any other
city official or citizens who are inter-
ested in the premises, to ferret it out"
EX-Mayor Meredith p. Snyder, how
ever, has other views of the case and
says that when the next grand jury
CCnVenes he may go before it and ask
it to try and find out what Mr.. McAleer
meant when he said that his commits
sion had been the most honest" of
all fire commissions.
-OSD---
CAnfidan1a10