The San Francisco call., 1908-05-16
ALAMEDA GRAFTERS
NOW FACE PENALTY
Report of Experts Shows Where
County Funds Have Gone
for Thirty Years
District Attorney Brown Now
Waits Only Orders of
Grand Jury

vestigate county book keeping had
completed only portion of the task
showed clearly that the inquisitorial
body was in possession of evidence
against the men responsible for the
county funds and that action, drastic
and far reaching in it's effects, soon
would be taken. Indications are not
wanting that the first shot has been
fired in the submission of the report
of the receipts and expenditures of the
! year 1907, and that with the range
fairly ascertained broadside will be
loosened which will free the tax payers
of the county from the band of plum
derers which for 80 years has had its
fists in the county treasury.
The report indicates that the grand
jury is in possession OF information
which will enable 1t to rely for its ef-
feet on other means than publicity
and that the process of deliverance
will be short, swift and sure.
INVESTIGATE ALL FUNDS
Every phase of the administration of
the county government has been gone
over The grand jury knows every
detail of the old practice of Juggling
road funds, to which District Attorney
Brown put an end as one of his first Off
cial acts The looting of the general fund
which has always been a favorite tar
get for the ring through the paying
| of enormous graft to Bill Dargie for
printing and stationery; the building
of useless boulevards and high priced
| jails has been fully revealed.
The full meaning of the grating
which has gone on uninterruptedly in
member of the grand jury, since it is
known that a reputable firm has sub
mitted bids for forms of stationery
which have heretofore been printed ex-
clusively by Dargie. The bids are so
far below the rates which Dargie
charged, and which the board of super
visors fixed that not one member of that
body who was responsible in any form
can answer the indictments of extrava-
gance. misappropriation of public
moneys and deliberate waste shown 50
clearly.
LOOK INTO Cooks CELLAR
Nor have the. moldering stacks OF
costly stationery and books stored in
the cellar of the county hall of rec
ords escaped the eye of an honest grand
jury. for everybody has known of their
existence for years. Dargie graft and
grating in the single matter of pub
lie printing and stationery supplies
will furnish serious question for the
supervisors to answer. for the board
fixed those rates and ordered the pur-
I-chase of those needless supplies.
The grand jury must have inevitably
have noticed the heavy bills for ex-
penses incurred about the county build
ings, which have been turned in, un-
itemized, by the chairman of the build
ing committee and were smoothly
passed by the machine like majority
on the board.
The graft of the fake county statis-
ticlan the graft of the Inspector OF
the new county Jail. who knew nothing
of building; the graft of the useless
employees about the buildings; the graft
of the repair of interiors, are now as
open books TO the eye of the grand
jury. There have been no features OF
about which Supervisor Rowe formerly
protested vehemently as wasteful and
extravagant, which could have escaped
FACE GATHERING STORM
With all these things known to the
grand jury, by the testimony of the
clouded officials of the county face q
situation which will surely be disas-
trous for them when 1t breaks
| Back of all the years of waste and
corruption in this county has been the
old cry that the state laws prevented
any person from questioning the judg-
ment of the board of supervisors in
/ any of its Undertakings. It was held
up as a basic principal that as elected
/ officers no court could review their
| Judgment or criticise their lack of dis
erection.
The board of supervisors know thai
this is not true Time after time
within the last year 1t has yielded jaft-
er stubborn fight for its old graf
when DISTRICT Attorney Everett j
Brown threatened in so many words tc
bring malfeasance proceedings against
them to oust them from office. The
majority members never stood before
that threat in a single instance. fol
they knew that Brown was ready te
carry 1t into execution.
IMPORTATION NOW IN HAND
If Brown had had the Information
at his command which the grand Jury
now possesses certain members of the
board would have been removed lons
ago. The experts have furnished ma
terfal on which to base any actor
however drastic.
That Brown will use 1t at the instruc.
! ton Of the grand jury, no one whe
knows him can refuse to believe. Tha,
the grand jury Will misuse the materia-
which it has gathered is a vain hone
for the grafters and their accessories
That the material has been gathered
and actually is in available shape fol
any emergency is apparent from the
scope the partial report submitted yes
terday.
| The Calls long fight for clean govern.
ment in Alameda county is nearer ar
| end than many have dreamed. The
! beginning of the end was marked yes
terday. The end is not far on.