Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-04-10
AMAZING SITUATION DEVELOPED
AMONG FRISCO OFFICIALS.
WILL BOODLERS GO FREE
Prosecution Recalls Tweed's Trial
Despite Present Predicament of
Boss RUef and MS Minions Escape
From The Clutches of the Law is
Predicted.

and his ring of poodlers in New York,
in the early seventies, has there been
such a remarkable prosecution OF po-
litical boodlers as in San Francisco
now.
Not even Mr.. Folks prosecution of
the st. Louis boodlers can compare to
the present situation in San Francisco.
The first indictments to be brought
to trial hinge on the notorious meth
DDS of graft in San Francisco by
which the keepers of so-calleG French
restaurants were made to pay exorbi-
tant sums of money to Abraham Ruef
in the guise Of legal retainers merely
for the privilege of having their APP
plications for liquor licenses favorably
considered.
The understanding, of course. was
that inasmuch as Ruef controlled the
mayor, the police commissioners, the
chief of police, and, in fact, the entire
municipal administration of SanFran-
cisco, Ruefs good will had to be q
paramount factor for obtaining any
municipal licenses
1t may not be aLniss. here, to give
clear idea of what The French restau-
rants of San Francisco really are.
They are restaurants, indeed, in the
sense that they furnish excellent cook
ing meals in their downstairs dining
room.
Places To Be Avoided.
During the daytlme and in the early
hours of the evening these dining
rooms are well patronized by high
and low in San Francisco. After ate
hours in the evening, however no de-
cent woman living in San Francisco
would care to be seen going in or ont
of any such restaurant, least of all
with male escorts.
Their upper stories, provided with
separate entrances and private stair
ways, or elevators, are fitted out ami
furnished inst like ordinary hotels.
The only difference is that there is no
hotel clerk with an open register
Naturally, the selling of liquor at such
places is sine qua non for their pop
ularity. If they cannot readily obtain
their liquor licenses, or if their IL
cense is cancelled, they have to shut
UP shop.
In view of the fact that liquor IL
censes can be denied or instantly can
celled on moral grounds at the discre
tion of the police commissioners in
San Francisco, it will be readily seen
that the French restaurant keepers
are absolutely in the power of the po-
litical boss. who controls that commits
sion.
Ruef Took Money.
There is no doubt that Ruef took
large sums OF money from the various
French restaurants, for he has con-
also have sworn that they paid him
the money Ruef claims that the
money was taken as fee for le-
gal services But the restaurant
keepers say that they did not need or
desire legal services, and as matter
of fact, did not get any from Ruef.
What they wanted was liquor Ii
censes; that is what they paid for
and that was what they got.
The question for determination in
the courts is whether the acceptance
of this money by Ruef constitutes
what the law calls crime" Another
question for determination is wheth-
err Mayor Schmitz's complaisance to
the boss thai owns him can be proved
to be a case of criminal conspiracy"
So much is certain: the police COM
missioners We're puppets; they granted
or held up licenses as directed by
Schmitz; the applications of tie
French retaurants We're among tn Sc
held up; all legal efforts of the ap-
plicants produced no result. In the
end, on a certain date, the money was
paid to Ruef. Immediately thereafter
the licenses were granted by express
direction of Schmitz.
Have Crown Wealthy.
One OF the most Illuminating fac
tors in the situation, which. however,
can scarcely be brought forward in
legal testimony, is the fact that both
Ruef and Schmitz have grown notori-
ously wealthy during the last few
years without any legitimate sources
of income to explain this wealth
Thus Ruef. who a few years ago was
a poor lawyer without practice, now
owns some of the most valuable real
estate in San Francisco, is erecting
slyy-scrapers, and has become stock
holder in several of the most promi-
nent banks and trust companies in
San Francisco.
Mayor Schmitz, likewise, who but
recently was poor fiddler earning
not more than S25 week. since his
installation as mayor. Notwithstanding
the modest salary of his Office, has
been able to acquire several expen-
siye houses. automobiles, a collection
of rare oriental rugs, valued at sew
erai thousand dollars apiece, and to
indulge himself in six months trip
of European travel, during the course
of which he threw his money about so
lavishly as to astonish even the
Parisians.
In short, there are two boodlers
whose doings have been familiar
knowledge to the people of San Fran
cisco for several years. In vain have
baan ali efforts heretofore tc bring