Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-03
GREAT WELCOME
IS GIVEN HENEY
GRAFT PR0BER GREETED BY
I BUSINESS MEN
SPEAKER TELLS OF FIGHT WITH
SAN FRANCISCO FOES
Noted Attorney Guest of Honor OF
City club--Is Confident Of Fa-
vorable Outcome Of
Great Battle

Over q thousand representative citi-
zens of Los Angeles greeted Francis
J. Heney, assistant prosecuting attor-
ney of San Francisco, at the weekly
dinner of the City club of Los Angeles
in the Hotel Westminster at noon yes
terday
Never was a public speaker given
more rousing ovation or more enthu-
siastic welcome than was sccorded 10
the San Francisco graft prober our
ing the course of his two hours ora
tory Yesterday. Cheer after cheer, min
gled with repeated bursts of hand
capping and cries of You are right
"Three cheers for Heney" "Stay with
it!'' "iit 'em again!" punctuated MS
heated and eloquent recital of munich
pal corruptions. and he was cheered
to the echo at every dramatic rest fol-
lowing a dozen or more climaxes In his
speech.
The large dining room of the West
minister was packed long before the
hour set for Mr. Heneys speech, and
hundreds who found they could not
get ino the banquet went away for
dinner. returning to hear the speech.
BY / o'clock the dining room was so
filled that entrance was Impossible.
Crowds of business men, invited guests
and members of the club arriving late
were forced to stand between the
tables.
When Mr. Heney entered the room
there was demonstration such as rev
men ever are accorded.
Men stood upon chairs waving their
napkins and handkerchiefs. From the
thousand or more of throats went up
q yell OF enthusiastic welcome that
could be heard to the topmost story
of the big hotel. Standing even on
tables. shouting and clapping their
hands, Mr.. Heney was cheered for
many minutes, and almost borne on
the shoulders of the crowd by the door
to the head of the center table. where
Vice President T. e. Gibbon presided,
Judge w. j. Hunsaker president OF the
club, being unavoidably absent
Receives ovation
Mr.. Heney bowed repeatedly. but it
was impossible to check the ovation.
The cheering and handclapping con-
tinued and when Mr.. Heney was al
lowed to sit down the routine busi-
ness of the club was quickly disposed
OF. Mr.. Gibbon announced that Prose-
cutor Heney would address the club on
Municipal Government" prefacing his
remarks with several compliments to
the noted attorney.
Mr.. Heney then arose and opened
his address with a joke about his
name.
'It had an 90 to it." he said "but
the 90 fell off on the trip across the
ocean. There are still few O'Heneys
left, however see in reading Ivanhoe'
there is even one st. O'Heney."
This produced considerable laughter,
but Mr.. Heney was not long In dispos-
ing Of his jocular Introductory remarks
and soon got down to business.
Speaker Loudly cheered
The occasion was one rarely paral-
Ieled in Los Angeles. At times decorum
was cast to the winds, and throughout
the course of Mr.. Heney's subsequent
remarks the big assemblage cheered
until every voice was hoarse. At times
during one of the famed prosecutors
dramatic low-toned periods preceding
a terribly bitter climax of accusa-
tions the silence was intense. but
when one after another he hurled
names, facts and figures from his
mouth with fearless and defiant elo-
quence such as can compare only with
that of Roosevelt, the cheering was re-
newed, and 1t seemed that the walls
of the building must almost tumble
from the explosions of applause.
"Gentlemen," said Mr.. Heney after
the first demonstration following his
enough for those in the back of the
room to hear me, just call louder, for
! can always put on a lot more steam.
"I want to say that this gathering
Is the most encouraging sight l have
seen since began prosecuting grafters
in the United States. l will tell you
why. Municipal government cannot
be successful, and / mean by that not
only successful in keeping it's streets
and sewers clean but in a great sense
in aiding and maintaining civic moral
ity, until every citizen has full sense
of personal responsibility and feels
that it is his government.
Praises City Club
"I have Travelled from one side of
the country to the other and have ad-
dressed clubs in many parts of the
country, but judging from the attend
ance here today Los Angeles has the
greatest city club in the United Staes.
This means that Los Angeles has in
the community a greater sense of re-
sponsibility for conduct in municipal
government than any other city in the
country.
"If / attempted to tell you a tenth
oS what / know of municipal govern
ient Ii would be necessary to keep
you here a month of Sundays and
twenty-four hours day-that is, if 1
told you what / know of the corrupt
side of municipal government"
Mr.. Heney then paused, smiling, and
after a thoughtful silence added: "If