The San Francisco call., 1908-09-29
JURY WILL BARE
GRAFT OF DARGI[
Alameda investigators to Issue
Partial Report of Robbery
Of the Tax Payers
Public Printing Scandal Theme
of Document and Indictments
May Be Expected

OAKLAND. Sept 2S.-The 'legalized
graft in awarding contracts for pub
lie printing, which has made the in
side of Alameda county politics a
noisome mess for the past rs years.
and upon which William E. Dargie and
his predatory Tribune have fattened,
Will be exposed in a partial report OF
the grand jury which will be submitted
In few days.
An expensive investigation, the cost
of which was borne by the members OF
the grand jury, has resulted in a COM
plete expose of the plunder to which
tax payers have been subjected and for
the relief from which vain appeals have
been made to the responsible board
of supervisors The figures obtained are
of such nature as to compel even the
hardened politicians connected with the
financial end of the county govern
ment to keep their hands out OF finan-
cial problems and turn their attention
to the escaping of indictments and the
penitentiary. Whether they VIII es-
cape being indicted depends upon the
district attorneys construction OF
the fimsy laws of California, which
promote this sort of grating.
A staggering array of figures has
been gathered and when they are pub
lished the supervisors will face moral
indictment. which should result In
wholesale designations. The statistics
published by The Call in series of
articles dealing with Dargie and his
plunder schemes, although they ap-
peared incredible at the time, do not
compare with the data the grand jury
now has.
The investigation was thorough.
That fact was evident when the con-
tents of the basement of the hall of
records was exported last May At
that time evidence of years OF print
ing grating was brought to light.
The work of the grand jury at that
time took more than a month. The
price paid for every sheet of paper in
the basement was taken. When the
prices were complete. the grand jury
made careful comparison of these
prices with bids furnished by response
BILE firms. The prices were found to
be in excess by from % to 100 per cent
of the bids submitted to the grand jury
for exact duplicates. 1t was a fatal
comparison to the ring.
The Doodle gang were beginning to
think that everything had blown over
when c. Lefdecker, Fruitvale printer.
offered to do the county printing at a
figure 20 per cent less than the present
rate. To prove his earnestness he fur
nished good bond. which he offered
to increase. Chairman John Mitchell
was stunned when he read the figures.
He attempted to reprove Leidecker, who
responded with proof that the printing
of the descriptions Of delinquent taxes
was being done at $1.63 an inch for four
insertions, when but SO cents was the
redemption rate charged for the same
work.
Mitchell, who boasts of the fact that
he has been a member of the board for
~ years and its chairman for eight
years, said he had seen no evidence of
grating. His attention is directed to
the grand jury report when it is sub
mitted. The prospects of direct reflec-
tion upon his veracity are bright.
The board has the power under the
law to fix the rates to be paid for
county printing The boards consider
alton for the public's purse will be re-
yealed when the grand jury submits its
report Wednesday.