Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-02
FREDERICKS IS
ACCUSED OF
DODGING DUTY
ADR0lT MOVE TO GUST CITY
OFFICIAL ALLEGED
REFUSES TO CONDUCT INvEsTI-
CATION BEFORE GRAND JURY
Prosecutor Declares He viii Appear
Before the lnqulsltorial Body
Today, but Only as Pri-
Vate Citizen
tcontinued from Pare ore,

(ContInued from Page onel
10 power to prosecute prostitutes, keepers of
| houses of prostitution, gambling, embeszle-
ment, larceny, crimes of violence vagrants,
child labor laws, and other msdemeanors too
| numerous to mention In other words, the net
| reoult of your removal OF me as deputy district
| attorney for the purpose OF prosecuting misde-
rueanors in the cit is to make my office prac-
aealy powerless and mere empty title.
Declines Offer
After very serious consideration I feel no
hesitancy in declining your offer to throw
| the whole burden of your office upon me so
far the investigation of city officials is
| concerned and thus evade your sworn duty
4 for the following reasons:
First-My tenure of office would be abso-
| lutely within your control and your present
threat to remove me Is indication enough to
my mind that should I assume the respon-
sibilty of investigating the official conduct
| of certain officials, you would not hesitate
at any time that my official conduct did not
meet with your approval to remove me-
| This alone furnishes a sufficient reason
Second-Your inactivity during the course
| of many years of notorious official abuses
| in this city Is indication that you, as
my superior would be absolutely unfriendy
to any aggressive campaign for the purihca-
| tion thereof.
Third-To successfully carry out such an
| investigation it would be absolutely neces-
/ sary for me to have large force of deputies
/ under my absolute control, as well as a
| large force of detectives The assistants and
detectives that you now have could not be
expected to serve under me when 1 would
| hold a subordinate position only equal 10
their own. Your detective force. as well as
| your assistants. would naturally be un-
| friendly to me- whom they would consider
| an interloper. -,
| Fourth-Your letter Is a very adrok criti-
| cism of my official conduct. and TO the care
| full reader conveys an unfriendliness tnat
would make 1t an impossibility Tor me- me 70
work in harmony with you as your deputy
| in the investigation under consideration, ana
| further the whole atmosphere of your onlee
would unquestionably be one OF unrfienon-
/ ness should 1 assume to take entire cnarge
| of every facility that your office afforos, 10
/ the exclusion of everyone else.
| Fifth-You know that to properly conduct
the prosecution or invesugatois sussessp sD.
| of my time, and the office hold under tne
city attorney would be absolutely negiecte1;
Your startling offer, therefore tnat you wiz
| place at my disposal one million doiiars OF
| the county's money (which offer by the way
YOU have no authority to make) Is mace III
had faith with the conviction In your mlno
that could not accept ana with the Pa pr
| against me and my work by persuadlns the
nsonle that when offered the fullest oppor-
| tunity to ferret out crime 1 declined
| Furthermore you have no right TO shiIt
this responsibility upon me, even If It were
| practicable. 1 am city prosecuting attorney
! charged with prosecution OF misuemeanorss > >
in the city of Los Angeles. You are aistrlcs
| with the prosecution of all state orenses'
whether misdemeanor or felonies nave
| prosecuted the state misdemeanors IN the
city of Los Angeles SO that might nave
rreater strength as prosecuting attorney.
Puts 1t Up to Fredericks
Mv position with regard to the contem-
plated grand jury Investigation Is JUST TINS
deem 1t your duty to investigate. and IN
| vestigate fully, fairly and aggressively sucn
Information as I have to offer the grand
| Jury. and that information has to do with
| the, prosecution of vice in the city OF Los
| Angeles by certain officials. AS before
| stated in the newspapers the full inVesti"
CATION OF what have to say Is matter
| that rests with yourself and the grand jury
| and my appearance before them Will De IN
| tine capacity of a private citizen only In
| an interview some days ago. II you are COT
| rectly quoted, you took this identicai posi-
| tion with regard to the matter ana no" you
| attempt to shift the responsibility OF the
/ whole thing upon my shoulders, wnen you
know that your proposition is wholly I'M
| practicable, and follow your oHer with
| threat to take away the power that now
have to prosecute state misdemeanors oc-
curing in the city unless l comply there-
with I have taken this position ana l 90
not recede from it one iota. Tnere is
condition existing in this city that makes
~ trnnossible for any conscientious prose-
cutting attorney to promptly discharge the
duties of the office. and charge unnesltat-
ingly that vice is being protected IN TINS
| city by the mayor and police commission
| md that l have sufficient evidence upon
| which A fighting Conscientious hard work
| ing district attorney. with the power at his
| command, backed Up by grand jury that
means business, will lead TO disciosures
fixing the responsibility for this deplorapie
| condition The moment the opportunity
came, instead of assisting me. you attempted
| in a cowardly way to thrust all the respon-
sibility of your office upon me. You tell me
"now take off your coat and roll up your
sleeves and get busy" Ihat is gooo a1'
monition that you in ofrice have never fol-
lowed Now 1 say to you to take off your
coat and roll up your sleeves ana get ousy
and not attempt this cowardly evasion OF
your plain duty. will go step turthei
ana say would to God that were distrie
attorney today with the powers that yol
have. .s.. 80
really want something done. l would sug
gest that II you are afraid to take up thi
,nvestiaation and carry 1t through to th'
hitter end Just step aside by resigning YOU
| off,ca and have me appointed to your posi-
tion. and 1 will do the things you should
have been doing all these years.
what YOU have done is more than
exnected / have been repeatedly told tina
T would be called off from some quarter.
| did not know Just how 1t would be done, bu
| N seems that at last II has been accom-
| nlished Now go ahead and put some weak
backed politician in my place who will en-
| force the laws IN a gentle anu circuihsPeo
Won assume to order me before the granC
iury when you know what I repeatedly
stated In published communications tina
such was my desire, and further tnat
addressed communications to that body 81
stating. of which you must have haC
win appear before the grand jury to
morrow if have to be carried there on
stretSHet' rTJOMAs LEE wOOLwINE