The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-02-12
Former Governor in Address to
Mems Club Scores the
S. P. Machine
Applauds Roosevelt for His
Fearless Prosecution of
Predatory Wealth
Neglect of Civic Duty Lets Cor
pOratiOns C,ntrOI, He
Declares

ALAN kDA. FEB. IL Against
the encroachments upon the rights of
the people stands pre-eminently one
man, the president of the United
States, Theodore Roosevelt. You
have undoubtedly read his messages
TO the congress of the United States
and you know from these messages
how high and patriotic his motives
arc. You have seen him cause to be
prosecuted and convicted scores of
men in high stations, even senator's
and Representatives in congress. for
their violations of the law. You have
seen him bring to justice even the
hitherto unapproachable Standard oil
company You have seen him set in
motion the processes of the law
against Hartman. You have seen
him defy the hitherto inpregnable
power Of colossal wealth and COM
pei it to recognize that it is not
above the law You know how
bitterly all these men and interests.
from Maine 10 California. from Oregon
10 Florida. hate him and ali his works.
ny friends. the battle is on
In the foregoing words did former
Governor Dr. George C. Pardee bring
before the Mems club Of the First
Baptist church tonight the position of
rhe president of the United States in
the faac Of the political conditions that
now confront the nation. Urging MS
hearers 10 aght against control Of
elections by corporation corruptionists
be saia an part.
ROOSEVELT As BULwARK
The rights and privileges of the
American people, their very liberties,
are being threatened by the corrupt
and traitorous power Of the predatory
public service corporations backed by
the arrogance and insolence of aggre-
gated and conscienceless wealth Be
tween them stands the president bat
Ting for the right. You have seen San
Francisco dragged into the depths of
infamy and corruption. You nave seen
the state Of California for many years
in the hands of a corporation political
bureau. her laws set at defiance. her
ofhcisIs controlled and compelled to do
the bidding Of the corporation rather
than that Of the people. You have seen
the senate and house Of representatives
Of the nation populated by the repre-
sentatves Of the great corporations.
You have seen the laws defied, the
courts paralyzed. the legislature in
active on the side of the people. active
on the side Of the corporations, You
have seen the conventions nominate for
public Office those whom the corpora
ton managers select for US TO vote for
You have seen corrupt men nominated
because they were corrupt You have
seen bosses created because they. too,
were corrupt Having seen all these
things. and blushed because you have
seen them, you are intelligent enough
10 answer for yourselves the question.
Who governs us2'
URGES BREAKING OF FETTERs
NO people can long be free. and no
people ought long to be free, who per-
nit their political and governmental
affairs 70 fall into the hands of class
OF be administered by designing and
unpstriotic men. But I have an abiding
faith IN the American people. I am
sure they will. when they become alive
10 the condition OF affairs, rise up.
throw of the shackles that the preda-
tory corporations have put upon them.
and as they always have done in time
Of public peril, assert their rights and
take again into their own hands the
powers which. temporarily. the Ruefs
and Schmitzs OF high and low degree
have taken from them.
who made schmftz the mayor OF San
Francisco and Ruef its political boss?
The people? Nonsense: The people
busy with their own affairs. have taken
such a small amount OF interest in
matters political that they have fallen
i,.o the hands of corrupt and design
fnr men who. hired by others, have
made II their business, almost TO a
science. TO corrupt politics and take
from tho, people their former political
ascendency-
..Have you any doubt that it was the
n-edatory public service corporations
which governed San Francisco until q
fevr months ago, or that their object
was the pIundering and robbing of the
neople of the metropolis and the state2
F7ave you any doubt that, as soon as
fhev possibly can. the predatory public
~ers-ice corporations viii discover new
scbrnftz and create a new Ruef2 As
1ong as the city has franchises TO dis
nose Of as long as the state Of Cali
fo-nis has officials who can give to
~ take from the public service corpora
ions any privilege. legal or illegal Just
"a long wiz the public service corpora
lions continue 10 try TO control the
nolitics and corrupt the officials Of both
the city aad tbs state.