Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-28

occurred during the progress of the las
Republican state convention at santa
Cruz when the head of the Southern
Pacific political bureau, in his private
car. accompanied by Mayor Schmitz
attended that convention for the pur'
pose of delivering the votes of the San
Francisco delegation for the Southern
Pacific candidate for governor.
It is true that the political corrup-
tion from which San Francisco has
been suffering, and which Mr.. Spreckels
and his associates are endeavoring to
redress, occurred under class regime;
It is not true that this corruption arose
from the fact that it was a class re-
gime. but it arose from the fact that
the influences back of Ruef and
Schmitz, and which assisted them in
forming and extending the power of
this machine for it's own selfish and
corrupt ends, sought to have corrupt
men elected to office who could be con-
trolled for the purpose of accomplishing
the sinister ends which it and its
allies, the other public service corpora
tions of San Francisco, might desire to
bring about.
In this respect the history of the
Ruef-Schmitz government has only re-
peated the history of the other San
Francisco governments dominated by
other bosses, both Democratic and Re-
publican.
In order to change all this and pre-
vent it's recurrence it will not be suffi-
cient to eliminate "class government"
because class government, as herein
set forth, was not the cause but merely
the occasion of the evils affecting San
Francisco. We do not mean to say or
to imply from this that class govern
ment is not Objectionable. Government
by an organization whose coherent
principle is class affiliation is objection
able, just as government by any organ
ization whose coherent principle is
other than desire to accom-
plish the best results for all the people
is Objectionable, for the reason that
such organizations always afford op-
portunities for sinister politicians,
whose interest it is to corrupt politics,
to accomplish their purposes.
Such results as San Francisco has
been suffering from at the hands of its
class government will appear at the
hands of any other government which
that city may have, until the basic
cause is removed, to wit, the existence
If political organizations and machines
controlled by the political bureau of
he Southern Pacific and dictated to by |
t for the benefit Of itself and the allied |
public service corporations which it per-
nits to take advantage of the power
which it secures.
This appears to have been very clearly |
Lpprehended by Messrs. Spreckels.
and Heney when they made
he immunity agreement which they did
With the boodling board of supervisors.
these people undoubtedly clearly recog-
lized the fact that the corrupt men,
,ers of the board of supervisors were
merely the instruments of those cor
upting influences which were promoted |
md kept alive by the men higher up"
and that to destroy these men or put
them in the penitentiary would in no
sense weaken the influence which |
placed them in their official positions.
The graft prosecutors have shown
heir wisdom in waving their right to
punish these tools of the great influence
behind, in order to get at the real
the men who direct and con-
rol this influence.
In the interests of good government
is to be most sincerely hoped that they
will succeed in that effort and that in
lace of sending to the penitentiary a
ew weak tools who were put in their
osition for the purpose Of being cor
upted they shall succeed in sending
o the penitentiary the great criminals
Who are the real and primary cause of
he corruption.