The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-05-22
|RUMOR Of PLOT
To GRASP REINs
Of GOVERNMENT
Sensational Reports That
Calhoun Is Back of
the Conspiracy
OTHERS INVOLVED
Would Organize Vigilance
Committee to Overthrow
Graft Prosecutors
DESPERATE STRAITS
Garments Strike to Be Used
as Pretext for Calling
Out Troops
DESPERATE STRAITS

Sensational reports became current
last night that President Calhoun of
the United Railroads was engaged IN
a deep laid plot to seize the reins of
municipal government under the guise
of law and order movement and was
prepared to go any length in order both
to save himself from conviction and i'm
prisonment under the charges brought
by the graft prosecution. and to advan-.
tage himself IN his fight with the car
mea.
The report states that Calhoun has
been working for several days in a
desperate effort to consolidate IN aid
of this movement all the more i'm
portant financial interests affected BY
the graft disclosures. Men high in
financial circles were seen going in and
out of his Office throughout the day
yesterday. and it is alleged that other
conferences were held in the business
center OF the city.
1t is stated that. foiled in their at
tempt to get into touch with the prose.
cution through the Intervention of the
committee OF seven. Calhoun and his
q
are lighting to save themselves from
San Quentin. have planned new
stroke by which they hope to place
themselves in control of affairs to such
degree that they will be able to block
the efforts OF Spreckels. Burns and
Heney. Their scheme. as outlined in
these reports. Is to form new commit
tee as successor to the one which
has just resigned under fire. which will
be prepared to resort to extreme meas
ures.
WILL CALL MASS MEETING
Grasping the opportunity OF the car
mems strike and the riots and dis
turbances in the streets Of the city.
the reported plan is for mass meeting
to be called under the pretext OF a law
and order measure. From this meeting
those who have been active In the
graft prosecution will be excluded on
the ground that they have already
refused to have anything to do with n
committee which had been appointed
to straighteu out the tangls OF munlci-
pal government. At this meeting q
committee on law and order will be
appointed, which win go first to Chief
OF Police Dinan and request his resig-
nation In the name OF the citizens OF
San Francisco. II Dinan refuses to
turn over the control of the police de-
partment to them the members Of this
committee will. 1t is claimed. imme-
diately declare that the conditions in
the city are so serious that the only
solution is a vigilance COMMITTEES and.
acting as such. they Tnl assume con-
troll OF the city.
A part of the plan is alleged to be
an attempt to persuade the governor
to act in concert with this vigilance
committee. using the carmen's strike
as an argument to induce the governor
to issue a call for troops, and, pos
sibly. to bring about the Intervention
OF federal authority.
CALHOUN is BUSY
sympathy Of the merchant and capital
ist classes to his side. 1t Is known
that his determined stand against the
claims Of the carmen has won him q
large following. During the last three
days Heney's office has been besiesed
by visitors whose mission has been 10
beg the prosecutor to let Calhoun or
in consideration of what he has done
for the city toward making a finish
fight against unionism- Some OF these