The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-12-18
ELECT ONLY
DECENT MEN

terested myself in this corporation and
found that 1t was paying dividends and
at the same time borrowing money, pay
| ing dividends to the stockholders while
1t had large floating debt. This wor-
ried me, and succeeded in getting N.Y.
self elected q director in that corpora
ton. In my capacity as director en-.
gagged chartered accountants and had
the affairs of the corporation investi-
gated. found out that we had on our
payrolls many men who did no work,
political hacks, whose only use was in
the few votes they were supposed to
control. found one man who drew a
large salary from us whose only work
was to go to the city hall once a month
and collect the city gas bill. l in.
quired why we paid the man for that
small service, and was told that we had
to have n man who was acquainted with
the city officials, and that through him
the bills were paid promptly and there
were no questions of oFercharging or
poor service. had that man dis.
charged, and our bills were collected
just the same. There were some oh.
iections made at times, but we always
found that if our bills were correct
they were always paid.
"I discovered too that the city gas
inspector never paid his gas bill. 1
wanted to know why that was. His
bill was sent to him regularly every
month, but he never paid any attention
to it, 'Why,' they told me 'he the
city gas Inspector; he never pays his
gas bill. I wanted to know why and
was told that if we made him pay his
bill he would make all kinds of trouble
for us; find the gas not up to the legal
requirements and other things. I said
that If we we're supplying gas honestly
in accordance with the charter speci.
fications. we could not be interfered
with and had always remedy in the
courts. After that the gas inspector
paid his bill.
"These objections of mine made me
unpopular with the management, and
} after had talked over the matter with
the directors of the corporation and
wanted a new management found that
was talking to men who didn't want
to have trouble. Then / took it upon
myself and undertook to secure the
cooperation of the stockholders. The
results surprised the directors and as n
result of the surprise we had a change
Of management.
at was shortly after this that first
met Mr.. Abraham Ruef. After the
change in the management Mr.. Ruef
called on me in my office, accompanied
by prominent stockbroker. The stock
broker introduced us and retired and
Mr.. Ruef got right down to business
He told me that he was an attorney
of ability and that he thought it would
be to the benefit of our corporation il
we retained him when we needed a law.
yer to do legal work or other things
told him that / did not question
ry out any such guarantee. 'Oh, no
it will be perfectly simply he said
Il know exactly what / am talking
about He asked me if / knew his
connection with the labor unions Of tn,
city. said i did 'Well,' he said
"a week before the bonds are to bt
bid for 1 will call the biggest strike
. that this city has ever seen. / will
tie up every street ear line in San Fran
, cisco and we will have sympathetic
!, strikes from every union. This will
brighten the bankers Off. Do you think
that anyone would bid on the bond,
> under those conditionss and you II b,
the only ones to know the real trutf
!. about it. It's a cinch.'
81 asked him if he really meant Il
, bring all this misery upon the city fol
the sake of the money he would make
If he would be responsible for thu
trouble and the bloodshed that woul,
follow and the misery of the working
men who trusted hint Then he sal,
that he was only joking, and left.
"After that | thought the time ha
his ability, but that we had our owl
lawyers to do our work and would no
need him, and as for other things W
expected to have no use for them o
for him. He withdrew and i though
had seen the last of Mr. Abraham
Ruef
81 had subsequent call from hin
: however This time he said that h
had called to direct my attention to tn
fact that the city was going to issu
eighteen million dollars worth of bonds
Y, which were expected to sell over pal
He said that he wanted me to organic
N syndicate for the purchase of tn
bonds and stated that if i would hea
such a syndicate he would guarante
10 that our bid need not be above pa
ID and that ours would be the only bid II
ceived. i questioned his ability to ca,
come when men with any regard IL
decency should take hold and work fl
the prosecution of such rascals. wei
out Immediately after my intervie
with Ruef to a luncheon with tV
Up friends one of whom was Fremol
st Older, editor of the San Francisco Blu
20, letin, paper that had long been figh
10 ing the grafters. 1 told them what ha
~ happened, and we discussed the ma
VI ter. We had long discussion co
o. corning the securing of detectives
e. hunt down the evidence and invest
IS, gate, but soon found that the warrior
a. great detective agencies were mainl
he in the employ of the enemy, of II
ne race track interests, and, directly {
re indirectly, in the pay of the great co
ne porations, The city police we coul
Of not turn to; they were directly und'
he the enemy and we would be betrayt
at once.
i'll ~ discussed this matter frequent
nd with Mr.. Older, who called on me on
IN and asked me if he could secure I
as honest Dublic prosecutor and a tho