Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-06
HAPPY SAN FRANCISCO
"HILE the eyes Of the professional
wv politicians Of the country have
been turned to the citv OF Cleye-

n
wv politicians Of the country have
been turned to the city OF Cleve-
land during the height of its bitterly
waged mayoralty campaign--a contest
made memorable by the striking per-
sonality and record OF the great Tom
johnson, whose fame for years has
been national, and by the fact that his
defeated opponent, Congressman Bur-
ton, entered the lists with the semi
official Endorsement of the president OF
the United States-one Of the most mo-
mentous tragedies in the annals Of
American municipalities has been
averted in San Francisco.
1t is not that San Francisco Is city
of our own state that prompts US to ex-
press the conviction that the outcome
of yesterdays municipal election there
is infinitely more important, not only
to that city and California, but to the
entire sisterhood of states. than the
contest which simultaneously ended In
the Ohio city. The Issue in Cleveland
was between politicians. The issue in
Il
Of honest government on the one hand
and powerful forces that have been
desperately at work for long time to
turn that city over to graft and crime
Aparchism has stalked law; chaos
has threatened order; crime, usually a
sneak. has boldly knocked at the city's
gate. Ill-gotten wealth has been
lavished upon the retainers of corrupt
and corrupting corporations. The
criminal clothed in the majesty of
wealth. his feet upon the slippery de-
clivity that marks the end of the broad
and easy road to destruction, yet rely
ing on the power OF the mighty Aineri-
can dollar, has jeered at the puny army
that besought Justice to let her sword
fall.
The confidence Of yesterday, the fruit
of false sentiment, has become the
despair of today. The sword of Justice
has fallen!
The people of San Francisco have de-
two hemispheres this morn
ing, that the law made for the punish
ment Of an illiterate, half-responsible
thief for a crime that more frequently
should be forgiven than punished by
severe measures was made, likewise,
for the punishment of powerful crimi-
nails who heretofore have relied upon
their riches. their breeding and their
social position to protect them. They
have made it plain that mayors. emil
nent attorneys, heads of great corpora
tions and midnight slungshot wielders
are all in the same category, so far as
San Francisco knows or cares.
The splendid plurality received by DIR.
Taylor, the Good Government candidate
for mayor, and the overwhelming dis
grace which has overtaken the am
bilious but weak and extraordinarily
didate, Daniel A. Ryan, have deter
mined the destiny of San Francisco. The
glorious Endorsement of the one and
the ignominious spurning of the other
mean that the splendid city by the
Golden Gate has awakened from the
lethargic condition of the past and
stands ready, this bright November
morning, to acknowledge with sense
of pardonable pride the felicitations
which will be showered upon her by
hundreds of sister cities from one
ocean to another.
The veil has been lifted from the
eyes of the wage-earner of San Fran
cisco. 1t was he who made the selec-
tion of Taylor possible, and he will
never regret his course in this greatest
crisis in the history OF American cities.
The death knell of graft has been
sounded.
Civic honor has been enthroned
again.
Reason has returned.
Happy San Francisco! Glorious San
Francisco! New San Francisco! Los
Angeles re-echoes your paeans OF
. I,o and rarafaat