The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-15
GRAND JURY BEGINS ON RUFF.
san FRANCIsCO'S GRAFT HUNT
TAXES OFFICIAL FORM.
French Restaurant Prophet Ors SUM
mOned 20 Tell Of Funds Raised to Secure
Immunity for immortality Relief
statistics and MO LabOr's shame,

statistics and Union LabOr's shame.
SAN Francisco. Nov. 1.-THE graft
hunt, the Ruef chase and the Schmltz
fight are on.
The Grand Jury to-day began under
the direction Of +. J. Heney, whose labors
are made possible by the Sl00,OOO fund
largely subscribed by Rudolph Spreckels,
the much heralded inquiry into the manner
in which the city government has recently
been carried on,
The first witnesses examined were pro-
p~r.ctors of the so-called French rcstau-
rants. II the charges are true, these men
contributed n fund of s2s, iOl. by the aid OF
which Boss Ruef prevented the police com
m~issioners from revoking their licenses on
the ground that they we're immoral resorts.
To-day the former owner of such inter-
nationally famous resorts as the Poodle
Dog and the Pup were examined. There il
no doubt that they raised $2s, 900 as a de-
fence uud and that they hired Ruef as their
attorney" Whether the evidence sub
mitted showed that the police commits
sioners got any of Ruef's attorney Zee
is not, Of course. known yet.
For days the local papers have been calling
Ruef and Schmitz all kinds OF thieves.
Every morning one Of them revives an OLD
scandal or digs up a new one.
There have been enough accusations
made in the local papers against the boss
and the Mayor in the last fortnight to send
both of them to prison for the rest of their
days if they could be proved. But, though
this had been going on for months, the
only notice Ruef has ever taken Of it is to
sue one editor for libel not because his paper
said the boss had done something, but
because il said he was planning to.
lleney has expressed confidence all along
that he and Secret Service Agent Burns
would he able 20 get the goods on Ruef and
Schmitz, together with a few ether public
officials. Rudolph Spreckles to-day said
TO \ H. sun correspondent
"You will SEQ how impossible il is for us
to indicate The nature Of the evidence we
have taken against these people. II would
give them a great advantage. But ! think
/ can safely say that when we get through
people will see a great cleaning up III San
francisco"
The San Francisco Relief Corporation
is annoyed at what il considers the III
informed criticism of its administration
Of the funds. The corporation issues a daily
financial statement. 1O-dav's statement
shows the total amount received to have
been 50 POS 1927 50. Expenditures have been
Z 81. 7Ss .OS6. &c. This leaves n balance on
hand of 81 500, 1ll.57. There arc in other
hands about $1,000, 600 not yet turned over
TO the relief corporation. Of ms sum
the Nationrl heJ Cross association at
Washington has 81, C39, CI9Gl The New
, York Red Cross branch has 1922 ,H.6.25, and
, the Massachusetts and Chicago branches
| other large sums.
The e odntirE and checking system
of the Relief Cooperation is most elaborate
and thorough, and it ISSUES frequent pubic
and detailed statements of the manner IN
which its funds are expended. 4 receipt
has been given for all sums received. az en-
/ if. A. in many cases, the contribution
amounted 20 only u dime. Yet the admins
tration expenses have amounted tn only
4 re- Cent.
Though most cases of actual want AVE
nov: been relieved, there are frequent Pp-
plications from worthy persons whose
tools of trade or profession or whose on
tire equipment for making "A livelihood
has been swept away BjH the most serI-
OLE problem j. that Of housing. There are
still $4,000 persons living in tents and ADO I
Is, 900 more in cellars that have been rooted
over or in Shacks unfit for human habita-
ton. These are being housed as fast as
frame buildings can toe put up and many
thousands have been sheltered III portable
houses which cost from 500 TO Sl25.
The Government appropriation OF s.
son. 90 has always been kept entirely in
the hands of the War Department
Probably no interest has 30 prominently
hiudcred the furnishing OF houses 'or the
houseleSS as union labor.
The labor organizations have
ally done everything possible to keep me-
chanics and workInen from coming here.
President Gompers az the recent conven-
ton of the American Federation OF Labor
. carried out this mendacious policy by de-
claring that there we're plenty ot workmen
here to do the work needed.
This statement iSthP opposite of the truth
and the sooner the country knows it the
| better for San Francisco. So far from
the truth is i: thet the land owners Of San
Francisco are now seriously considering
the adviSability Of organizing in Order TO
import labor and mateTia Is to reSstore their
! properties that have been laid waste.
MoRILR, Ala, Nov. l4.-Clals SprcckelS
passed through here to-day EN- route 10
San Francisco, which has been his home
since 1883. He denounced the graft of the
union labor leaders in San Francisco and
said that that city was in the hands Of n
nercilesA band of cutthrOat g~rafters.
They were worse, he said, than those of
any other city in the country and were
proving upon the public utilities for their
personal gain. He described the condition
of things in the stricken city a. chaotic.
This was the case because Of the number
less obstacles pllced in the way of rebuild
ing by the political grafters and boOdlers,
headed by Boss Ruef. the right hand man Of
Nayor Schmitz.
He said that there was no such thing az
Dolice protection. and that much the same
conditions prevailed as in Isi9, when the
vigilance committee took a hand end pun
ished all offenders. He predicted that such
a crisis was nearing and that IL was not
improbable that sor 'Pthing might he done
TO relieve the city Of its burdens.
nKCE IA THE pDFTE m RRElDS