New-York tribune., 1906-11-17
eAN rRANCLSCO GRAET.

The Indictment of Mayor Schmitz and his
master Boss Ruef of San Francisco, for black
mailing disorderiy resorts is hopeful sign
that that distressed city will at least soon see
an end 10 the reign OF corruption. Graft with
larger gains doubtless has existed in some Of
the more populouS American cities. hut it prob
ably has nowhere been so generally pervasive
as in San Francisco. There is, moreover moth
ing refined about San Francisco stealing. There
are no suhtleties about honest graft out
the Pacific Coast The crude. old fashioned
methods of holding up" and shaking down
seem to have prevailed throughout the late city
administrations. The indictments may not re-
suit in convictions-indeed, Boss Ruef, being
an attorney, may be able 10 convince a jury
that the large sums lie received from disor-
derIy resorts were lawyers fees. but the mere
bringing ont of the sworn evidence in law
court should end the strangling grip of the cor
rupt ring upon the city.
The labor unions have been in control Of the
government of San Francisco for several years.
and with scandalOus results. The men who
have been elevated to office have been with
out education. without experience Of public life
or capacity for ii. and with nc idea but OF
serving their own pockets. SchmtZ, violinist
in q theatre. promoted 10 Mayor, has risen 10
afluen"e in Office. The charges against him
are nE~serous. One of his police commission
ers. Reagan. after quarrel with the chief
executive alleged that the Mayor had pro
posed 10 him 10 blackmail saloOnkeepers into
buying a certain brand Of whiskey. at a profit
10 himself and the Mayor Of $50 barrel At
the election of last year public sentiment re
voIted against Schmitz. and there was n pros
pect of his defeat, but his opponents over
emphasized their attacks upon him as a labor
unionist, and this aroused such sympathy that
he was reelected. BY an accident of politics
The Board Of Supervisors OF the city, previously
a high class body and not in the control Of
Ruef also fell at that election into the hands
OF the labor unionists. The new supervisors
were typical of the men whom Ruef and
Schmitz elevated from obsCurlty into public
office. One was hack driver, another a car
penter, a keeper Of n small 'dive'-uov he has
4 big. pTetentious salOOn-an electrical worker
4 driver of a bakery wagon 4 tcamster.
blacksmiths helper; all spend their money to-
day, after wear in Office. like good sports
One supervisor, recently painter, is now in
4 real estate deal involving S70O 000
Small wage earners whose money came hard
seem 70 have been dazzIed by the financial pos
sblities of the high life of poltics-more so
than professional politicians ever are. The pro-
fessional politician knows the reasonable limit
10 grating If, as has been charged. some
San francisco officials laid the earthquake re-
IleI luHUs uuOeT lOr SlsDbO,UtU,
such grating is fairly ghoulish. If tithe OF
the charges freely made in the San Francisco
papers are proved to be true It should strength
en- the resolution Of organized labor as body
10 keep out Of politics.
The labor administration has damaged San
Francisco IN other ways since the fire than
by its corruption Says The Los Angeles
| Tines:
The union labor leaders and their followers
proclaim with the boldest efrontcry that no
man has a right 70 earn living in the city of
San Francisco who does not belong to their
organizations. There is no disputing that state
ment. That is exactly the ground taken by
Tveitrnoe, Furuseth Mccarthy Cornelius the
Mayor, Schnaitz; Chief Of Police Dinan, the act
ing Mayor, Gallagher; the Sheriff Of San Fran
cisco County, whoever he may be- and every
policeman in the city and every deputy sheriff
IN the county
In tine when the city needed every aid to
| recuperate from the fire, when labor at rea-
sonable wage is the dire necessity Of the com
munity the ring has made San Francisco a
! closed shop. More than that it tightened its
monopoly by keeping other union men from
coming to help rebuild the city. This is a state
Of things which the greater scandal Of the in
| dictments for corruption should strengthen the
citizens Of San Francisco in their determination
! 10 end.