Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-05-28
CALHOUN SAYS HE Is
VICTIM OF sPREckELS,
WHO SEEKS REVENGE

Patrick CalnOuns the president Oh tle
United Railroads, is the storm center
of the affair at the present time. He Is
a descendant of Patrick Henry and
John C. Calhoun, and he uses the elo-
quence of both In asserting his consti-
tutional rights. He declined to be sworn
when called before the grand jury. He
declined to answer questions asked in
the trial of another ofiicer OF his COM
pany, but he carefully abstained from
refusing to answer on the ground that
his answers might incriminate him. He
has been demanding trial for some
time but the prosecution Is not going
to get to his case until the underlings
are disposed Of. Whether or not the
prosecution has acted wisely In delay
ing his trial, there can be no question
of the fact that the United Railroads
did obtain the right to string overhead
trolley wires over the city streets by
paying brides to the city officials.
The argument is heard in the busi-
ness and financial section of the city,
among bankers and merchants, that
Calhoun ought to be permitted to go
free because he has done SO much good
for the city. This great service was
that he consolidated the street railway
lines, watered the stock enormously,
was paid a huge fee for the service
and is reaping the financial rewards
usual in such cases.
Two other men have also done some
thing for san Francisco. One of them,
Rudolph Spreckels. has furnished the
money to carry on the prosecution OF
and Mr. Calhoun declares with passion
that he is being prosecuted by Spreck-
els out of personal malice. The other
servant of the city who has done much
is Francis J. Heney. He has worked
two years az the chief prosecutor OF
80 az L. md xxtff h.
out hope of financial reward. The
services of Heney and Spreckelse are
not mentioned In those financial circles
where business" Is sacred.
When Honey first undertook the
prosecution he warned Spreckels that
all these things would result. he pre-
dicted that when the prosecution failed
to stop with the labor union culprits
and went higher up" that they would
find men of wealth and social position
arrayed against them, that enmity
would be engendered. that assassina-
ton itself was to be feared. Spreckels
did not turn back. He had tried 10
back the prosecution, but he was un-
successful, SO he put up the first $780,
600 himself. Heney went to work.
William j. Burns. a secret service de-
tectiye. went out and got the evidence.
The guilt of the grafters and the
bribers has been proved over ana over
again, but the convictions are not 10
be had.
The situation in San Francisco today
is fraught with great danger to the
city and to other municipalities in the
nation. When the grating was brought
to light men said: Look what a labor
union set of officials did" But now
the thing has changed. The majority
of the people of this city believe the
a. \ xuh
they are, and they have said so at the
polls. But If the guilty are not pun
ished, If the grafters and the bribers
go free, whose fault will 1t be? Not
that of the labor unions. Not that OF
the people. 1t will be the fault of men
in high standing in the community,
men of wealth, men who believe them
selves to be honest 1t will be the fault
of business men who think 1t is a
crime for a city official to force a sa-
loon to buy whisky from the concern
in which that official is interested, but
who see no wrong In transaction by
which business man gets valu-
able franchise by bribing those same
corrupt officials. OF course not all or
San Franciscos business men are en-
gagged in this campaign to defeat JUS
tice, but practically all the men In the
conspiracy are business men.
II San Francisco's conscience Is
stilled to sleep by the campaign now
being waged by the criminal rich and
their defenders, If the proecution OF
the, grating criminals fails because OF
this campaign, then the cause of mu-
nicipal honesty in America Will be
given a blow from which it cannot re-
cover in years. But IL the people OF
San Francisco listen to that conscience
which is still speaking, If they Will
send few criminal politicians and
few criminal business men to prison
then American cities will look to san
Francisco as a leader. 1t Is for san
Francisco to say.
Copyright. 1908, by Frederic J. Haskin'