Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1906-11-30
SAN FRANCISCO LETTER.

San Francisco, November 81, 1906
Owing to the fact that wide publicity
has been given to charges that a
million dollars Of the relief fund
contributed to San Francisco has been
diverted or stolen, and owing to the
further fact that those who have sent
money to San Francisco are entitled
to correct statement OF conditions,
the California promotion committee
has sent out the following statement:
More than six million dollars con-
trlbuted to San Francisco came in
small sums, ranging from ten cents
up to thousands of dollars These
sums came by mail and express, in
all forms, from postage stamps and
currency to money orders and bank
drafts. Of the entire amount sent
two sums only went astray. One
package of currency containing one
thousand and efghty-hve dollars and
fifty cents from Searchlight, Nevada,
sent through the Bank and Trust
Company of Los Angeles, by express,
and the other package of two hun
dred dollars sent by mail from Baiti
more.
The package of Searchlight money
was traced only as far as the Oakland
Office of the express company, and as
the company could show neither
receipt for. the amount, nor letter
acknowledging its receipt, 1t made
good the sum.
Investigation by the postal depart
ment developed that the package of
two hundred dollars from Baltimore
was sent to The National Red Cross
Society in Washington and never
came to San Francisco.
In no other instance has there been
report of missing, funds and in every.
instance acknowledgment has been
made to the donor excepting for sums
sent in "chain letters. -
The finance committee of the citi
zens' relief committee of fifty, con-
sisting of twenty-one prominent bust.
ness men of San Francisco, received
all funds, and the books OF this
committee we're examined by repre-
sentative of the National Red Cross
Society, sent from Washington for
that purpose, who declared them kept
under a system that guaranteed their
correctness.
The Massachusetts Association for
the relief of California, sent a CON-
mittee to San Francisco to investigate
the methods of relief work. This
committee came to San Francisco,
made thorough investigation, and
on its return to Boston made a report,
going into detail and covering every
point in the work OF relief in San
Francisco. This report resulted in
the immediate forwarding of the
balance of the money in the hands of
the Massachusetts organization. In
Its summary of the situation the COM
mittee says:
''Your committee has carefully in
vestigated the books, accounts,
methods and results of the committee
having the matter in charge.
ut has met and consulted with
very many leading men, professional
and business. in this city whose opin-
ions were valuable.
"We found one unanimous opinion.
whatever criticism might be made of
methods, or even of results, and that
was that the gentlemen on that COM
mittee and its executive committee
were OF the highest standing and
character.
I'VE wish to express our opinion
IN the most emphatic way that those
gentlemen are worthy of confidence.
They are doing the best they can to
meet an extremely difficult and dis
tressing situation.
James ID. Hague, of the New York
chamber of commerce committee for
the relief of San Francisco, spent
several weeks in San Francisco in
vestigating conditions. After his re-
port was made to the New York body,
the funds, amounting to half million
dollars, held by the New York com
mittee, were ordered turned over to
the San Francisco relief committee.
In the light of these Investigations,
and after thorough and complete
Investigation of its own, the Cali
tornia promotion committee sum.
marizes the situation as follows:
Only two sums of money have been
reported as missing, and these have
been traced. Neither ever reached
the hands of any one connected With
relief work in San Francisco.
The system of bookkeeping of the
relief corporation has been pronounce
ed correct and adequate by experts
sent by Boston, New York and Wash
ington.
With coast line of twelve hundred