The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-10-28
San Francisco Correspondence New York

San Francisco Correspondence New York
Sun.
a HE nss 's a. s1 IN IS. sp ' ias
last two months has now come
to a climax The events of the coming
few weeks must determine whether San
Francisco is to be given over wholly TO
a reign of terror and of political chaos
or whether the unofficial citizens COM
mittee of 100 recently born out of the
exigencies of the times, will be able to
restore a competent city government and
effective police protection.
AS an indication that the citizens COM
mittee means business comes the an
nouncement that former United States
District Attorney Francis j. Heney of
Portland, Ore, who convicted United
States Senator Mitchell and others in the
Oregon land~frauds case, has been re-
tanned by the committee to uncover the
wholesale frauds In San Franciscos NUM-
cipal affairs. Rudolph Spreckels has guar
anteed 500, 900 to back the investigation,
and William ]. Burns, formerly of the
United States secret service, has been
retained to gather evidence for Heney to
use in the prosecution of the grafters
District Attorney Langdon of San Fran
cisco made Heney deputy in his office
so that the Portland prosecutor may
proceed with official sanction.
Since the first day of August there have
been eighty-three murders, robberies and
cases of assault registered on the police
records of this city, and across the bay,
in Oakland, the record of crime has been
little less. In these months not day
has passed that has not brought Its mark
of the work of thugs and murderers. A
bank was entered few minutes after
noon one day, and after the manager had
been Drained with a gas pipe and his as
sistant nearly done to death with the
same weapon more than $4,000 in gold was
taken from the cash trays. In another
instance the proprietor of haberdashery
was killed behind his counter in the
afternoon and the contents of his safe
stolen.
San Francisco has not allowed the full
news of these happenings to be given to
the world, preferring not to have the
grim record OF the edIlHqudhc anu ire
added to by the history of the terror
that is now in full swing. But the report
that the citizens purposed returning to
the idea of the argonaut days and launch
ing a vigilance committee that should
act beyond the law has moved the city to
enter a disclaimer 1t is the purpose of
the people of this city to cure the pres
ent ills without recourse to lynching.
1t is the orinion of the honest people
here that the root of the present evil lies
In the corruption that has invaded the
departments of justice and of the police
AS In the days of the two vigilance COM
mittees. the blackjack man and the hold
up professional now flourish without him
drance, because the police do not arrest
and the courts do not convict. Demoraliza-
ton SENS to have bitten as deeply into
the upper office at police headquarters
as has corruption in the work of the
courts and the grand jury. Because nom
partisan opinion is agreed that the entire
machinery of municipal government in
San Francisco is not only boss-rldden. but
by bosses manipulated SO that the great
est gain may be had from the present
misfortune of the citys ruin, the eiti-
zens committee has decided to strike not