The San Francisco call., 1908-11-11
|ORDfRS REPORT ON
GRAFT PROSECUTION
Mayor Taylor Appoints COM
nittee of Seven Citizens to
Inquire Into Facts
Calm, Impartial Statement to Be
Made for Information of
Public

Mayor Taylor announced yesterday
that SO much misrepresentation had
been spread abroad in regard to the
work of the graft prosecution in this
city he believed a calm, impartial
statement of the facts by committee
of respected citizens, after a full in
vest1gation, would serve a public pur-
pose. For month he has had under
consideration the request of the COM
mittee of fifty of the Citizens League of
Justice for such a committee and yes
terday he appointed it. Rev. Father
ID. 0. Crowley, Rev. William K. Guth-
rie. DR.. Henry Gibbons Jr.. William
Denman. William Kent, Will ]. French
and Alexander Goldstein were called to
the mayors office and accepted the
duty.
FULL INQUIRY REQUIRED
The committee effected organization
by making Attorney Denman Chairman
and French temporary secretary. No
instructions were given the committee
oy the mayor other than to make a full
inVestlgation and report it's findings,
together with such recommendations
as 1t might think advisable.
Chairman Denman at the close of
S+4O SOAiACA CiiCG SdlQs
We will probably need several
weeks in which to go over the work of
the prosecution since its beginning.
we Will welcome information from all
sources, and our Investigation will
necessarily take some time.
The committee will divide the work
TO certain extent among it's members
and also meet together during its
progress. We hope to give every phase
nr0o
impartial scrutiny, so that the results
OF our investigation will speak the
whole truth,
MAYOR INSTRUCTS COMMITTEES
The letter of appointment sent bv
the mayor to each of the seven ,ap-
pointed on the committee was as fol-
lows:
San Francisco. Nov 10 I9os
MY Dear Sir: The committee of fifty OF the
oltizens League OF Justice has addressed to me
lows:
''San Francisco Oct. 12 1908
Hon. E. r. Taylor. Mayor of San Francisco
Dear Sir: The committee of fifty OF the Citi-
zens League of Justice calls your attention TO
the situation in the city of San Francisco aris-
cases. There has arisen from various causes a
sufhcient degree of misunderstanding of the
facts surrounding the graft cases among many
people of the city TO make 1t necessary TO OBJ
tain clear statement of the truth of those
matters. The Citizens League of Justice is In
daily receipt OF Inquiries for an impartial state
ment of these facts; 1t believes that the de-
mand is so general throughout the city that
your honor should take some means of ascer-
tanning these facts for the public benefit To
that end the Citizens League of Justice re-
quests you as mayor OF the city Of San Fran
cisco to appoint committee of a suitable
number of citizens of high standing in the
community to make due and impartial INQUIRY
into the facts of the graft cases from the be-
ginning of the investigation to the present
time, and to report it's findings, and at its
discretion. its recommendations, at an early
date to yourself, as mayor OF the city,
After due consideration I am satisfied that
useflH purpose Will be subserved by comply
ing with the request preferred in the above
communication. There have been many state
ments of one kind and another made in regard
to the graft prosecution that 1t seems 10
me, a committee properly constituted can, after
full investiga ton, be enabled to ascertain with
accuracy what the facts are. The findings of
these facts can not but think will be OF serv-
Ice to us both at home and abroad.
have therefore appointed you one OF a com
mittee of seven, the functions of which com
mittee shall be to make due and impartial In
qury into the facts of the graft cases from
the beginning of the investigation TO the pres
ent time. and to embody in its report such con-
clusions the committee may deem proper
l trust you will find 1t convenient to accept
this appointment Cordially yours,
EDWARD r. TAYLOR, Mayor.