The San Francisco call., 1907-06-22
PROSECUTOR LANGD0N
! SPEAKS ON CORRUPT
IN OUR PUBLIC OFFICES
Makes an Earnest Plea for
the Fraternity of
Citizenship
REVIEWS SITUATION
Scores Police Chief Dinan
4 for Trying to Give Aid
to Criminals
REVIEWS SITUATION
SPECIAL DISPATCH 10 THEreALL

STOCKTON, June 21.--District At
torney William H. Langdon of San
Francisco delivered an address to-
night; to the citizens of Stockton under
the auspices of the high school alumni.
Langdon scored corrupt public officials,
referred to the San Francisco situa-
! tion and in conclusion held out the
Throughout the entire address was a
plea for the fraternity of citizenship
and the elevation of human ideals He
said in part:
It Is said that one railroad magna;e alone
nods six or seven legislatures in the palm of his
hand. For the public interest. do you suppose
or Tor a special interest of his own? Is this
equality! Look at the open aud obnoxious le-
! ttity of the hired lobbies which infest every
the interests Of all. do you suppose? Do they
bring profit to their ,senders: Would they pc
maintained If they did mott
Look AT the caliber of the men who sit in the
hals OF legislation. Are they in most cases the
best, most unseihsh, most wise men you cold
sendi Or are they generally reputcd to repre-
sent this interest that? Tie country dele
gates are far better than those the great cities
send, roped and tied by the political cowboys
who boss the cattle for the masters of the bei,I
only In looks
cfal interests. controlled delegations, the
symptoms of political disease attacking the
equality of the law at every place where the
law Is made. Clean up the legislatures that
is the first courageous thing to be done
Look at your public officers enforcing the law.
lake half dozen charged with about the
same responsibilities and note with what differ
ent enthusiasm and zeal and with differing hon
esty. too. they attend to their business. Pub
lie assessors favoring corporations: police wink
Ing at this crime and that vice: mayors using the
enforcement and nonenforcement of the law
pyf Arc all theaa
practices conducive to an equal administra tion
of the law SO that each may have his just lib
Think OF the spectacle that is to be seen In
the San Francisco of today, where a chief OF
police appointed TO assist in the fair admin
istration of the law and the prosecution of
crime is found to be engaged in the service of
protecting criminals. and defeating the work OF
the public prosecution. more brazen malad-
ministration. of the equality of the law was
never known. There Is one cure for this: Put
better men into office; give them honor and
pay, they will have the rewards without which
you cannot get better men to serve.
Look at your courts and your court procedure.
A poor villain may be sent to Jail in few days.
his case given to the young lawyer to practice
on as pauper's cadaver is given to medical
student to dssect. Not so with the rich VII
lain, who hires the best legal talent of the land.
The whole time Is spent In trying the grand
jury, the judge, the witnesses, the attorneys for
defendant, who is completely lost sight of in the
confusion. We should be indignant at this At
Indignation at this trlfing with our sacred instf
tutions demand revolution In court proceed
ure that win try the case upon its merits and
not upon blind precedent and tecbnicality.
The code OF ethics of the bar which makes 1t
honorable to protect rascal whose guilt is
known to attorney needs revision, too. Men
should be free TO shun dirty job in the law
in business. In spite of the legal code of
ethics there some lawyers who cannot he
bought into the service Of rich Villains just as
there are men in business who cannot be eoaxed
into dirty deal by promise of big profits.