The San Francisco call., 1908-09-30
DONAHUE BECOMES
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Will Continue Policy of War
ring on Grafters Inaugu-
rated by Predecessor
Brown Succeeds to Superior
Bench to Fill Vacancy Left
by Meivin's Resignation

OAKLAND, Sept 2e.-District Attor-
ney Everett J. Brown resigned his Of
fee today at q special meeting of the
board of supervisors, following the re-
eeipt OF his commission as superior
judge from Governor Gillett. Chief
Deputy District Attorney William II.
Donahue was appointed to succeed
Brown. Superior Judge William H.
Waste administered the oath of office
to Donahue and he at once assumed
his new duties.
Justice Henry A. Melvin of the state
supreme court, whose selection to fill
the place of the late Justice MacFar-
land left the vacancy In the bench OF
Alameda county which Brown was
chosen to fill. will administer the oath
OF Office 10 the new jurist tomorrow
morning In department two of the su-
perior court. An error in the writing
7 of Browns name in his commission
necessitated its return for correction to
the state capitol and caused the post
ponement of his inauguration until to-
morrow.
OF vital interest TO citizens of Ala
media county was the announcement by
Donahue of his intention to carry out
to the letter the policies which have
distinguished the administration of his
former chief.
BROWNS APP0INTEES REMAIN
Mr. Browns appointees will be con-
tinued in their positions" said Dona-
hue. Deputy Philip Carey will be
promoted to chief deputy, the position
which 1 held. Mr. William II. L. Hynes
will continue assistant district attor-
ney, a position which he has filled
since Mr.. Brown took Office. Deputies
Leon Clark, Walter Burpee and j.
Leonard Rose have been reappointed
| by me- One vacancy exists which has
not been filed
| Everett J. Brown began his career
as district attorney in January. 1907,
and after 1s months incumbency has
virtually reyolutionized the administra-
/ tion of county affairs. Few counties
in the state were so loosely handled
and graft was rampant
instant check was put to several
practices which had been winked at
for years. The supervisors had jug
gied the various funds in the county
treasury at will Moneys were trans
ferred from one fund to another TO
help out shady schemes and no accu-
rate record was ever kept of the trans
/ fers. So deeply rooted had this habit
become that when Brown stopped II the
supervisors were unable to accustom
themselves to the new order of things
and incurred heavy deficits in the gen
eral fund.
BROWN WATCHES TREASURY
Taking cognizance of this state OF
affairs. Brown set out to watch the
treasury. In November of 1907 he or
dered the cessation of alleged i'm
provements about the county buildings
which were eating up thousands OF
1 dollars with nothing to show. His
next step, aided by the Ingler grand
| jury, was to order a reduction in
-l~<x, l.,<3
collected. The assistants were so nu-
merous as to get into each others way
when all were present To prevent this
they had adopted the practice of indi-
vidually adsenting themselves from
work as they pleased, but still drawing
pay.
In two sweeping reductions Brown
| had the force cut to a number which
was efficient. So bitter was the oppo-
sition of the leading supervisors in
their efforts to save their pets that the
district attorney made threats to oust
them from Office for malfeasance II
| they did not comply.
The biggest item in his task of
breaking up the ring" of Alameda
county lay in his fearless investigation
| of the oldest graft of all, the public
printing contracts.
| SUPERVISORS FIX RATES
Under the law the supervisors fix the
rates for printing and heads of de-
partments let the contracts to whom
| they please. William E. Dargie under
this system furnished tons of useless
matter at outrageous prices and the
stuff was left to rot in the basement
of the hall of records. The figures
were caustically commented upon by
the grand jury of last year, but it re-
manned for the present body to take
UP the investigation in earnest Mem
bers of the grand jury paid the ex-
penses of a firm of accountants from
their own pockets, and data staggering
in it's total has been discovered. The
printing graft has been exposed from
beginning to end. The submission OF
the report will be the crowning feature
of Browns career. Donahue has been
the able assistant throughout