The San Francisco call., 1907-02-11
SOUNDS SLOGAN IN
GRAF 7 WAR HERE

Rev. Bradford Leavitt of the First
Unitarian Church has returned from a
trip to New York, Washington and Bos-
ton. where he had an opportunity to
measure the sentiment concerning re-
cent revelations of San Francisco's civic
scandal. Before his sermon yesterday
he discussed the situation in the follow
ing significant words:
Everywhere in the East found the people
greatly interested in the situation In San Fran
cisco; everywhere they are watching US eloseiy
anxious 10 learn everything possible about the
real conditions here. Much OF evil has peer
written and spoken of us all over our land
most of it Is unfortunately true, and our
Eastern friends are beginning TO wonder what
is the matter with the decent people here;
whether there is any good In u.s.. whether we
have any leaders, any public spirit, any sense
of civic Righteousness, and whether in the face
of so much disaster and our own shortcomings
we regain what We have lost, botn
Of things material and moral
was assured repeatedly that our nddling,
melodramatic Mayor. who takes himself so
seriously, the smooth and oily boss. and
the vast expanse of intellectual nothingness
and moral turptude that appears to occupy
the crania and hearts of our city fathers, con
stitute far more real handicap TO our future
progress than earthquake and hre. replied
that ] was sure of II.
They are beginning to speak in pitying voice
of the city with the milestone about its neck,
put there while were down and bleeding pul
there while the whole country was lending a
hand TO lift us-put there and pressed down
ana grOunQ ln-nOt Dy strangers WIZ were Gilt
mics. but by those of our own household, as
though a son should throttle his wounded
mother. They don't understand it, Wnere Is
your public spiritl they ask-where are your
leaders-your prophets? Is Rudolph Sprekels
the only man among you?
had to admit a good deal of this; but 1t
was a privilege to tell them publicly on sew
eral occasions another side of the story to see
the effect afterward In certain newspaper ed
itoriaIs. 1t was good TO tell of the splendid
self-sacrifce work the relief committee OF
Dohrmann and Phelan and Magee and De
Young and Cushing and many others; OF the un-
complaining bravery of man after man here,
who, losing home and the careful accumnlatfons
of hard-working years, everything the world
counts wealth. yet lost no hold on the greater
things that make for true manhood.
told them the splendid story of the Cali
fornia insurance companies. determined that
whatever other companies elsewhere might dc
aud however hard hit their own stockholders
might be, they would do the honorable thing
right up to the limit though they sell their
goods and mortgage their homes to do IL.
/ told them of instances of individual honor
and high-mindedness that could not be ex-
celled: and assured them that we are not alone
a city of grafters and plunderers and union
labor demagogues and commonplace vulgarity
in high places, but city also of decent and
honorable American men and women, who love
righteousness and hate corruption, and that, by
and by, when we have set In order our homes
and our businesses. we shall have a civic house
cleaning and thrust out these men of i'll fame
who blaeken our reputation among the Amer
lean people.
To you l will say: 1t is high time we dc
something besides talk; and If don't dc
something to rehabilitate this city morally
pretty soon, it will be fit place for home
for decent people.