The San Francisco call., 1908-07-04

Q.-Is that the basis of what we call
organization in politics?
A.-That is the basis of organization
and the Capitalization of moneyed in
huences. And you must remember also
that when these corporations haves the
government they also have your army
and your navy, and that the people
are against the government when they
are against the railroads. And it has
resolved itself down to this PROPOSE
tion: that they have got to assert their
rights and take the government, and
then treat everybody fairly.
Q.-Who; the people?
A.-The people-that is, the officials
treat everybody fairly.
Q.-Does what you have said about
the supreme court apply to the federal
judiciary also?
If NOT CORRUPTED
THEY ARE EDUCATED
A.-Wen, President Roosevelt,
don't think, has been with these rail-
roads, and he has probably picked in
dependent men. But the federal judi
ciary has been appointed by men who
were friendly to these interests. You
must remember that every man has a
different mind, and he thinks on diff
ferent lines. If he is a judicial man
or a judge, his decisions will be on GER
tain lines. And these big interests
have so adjusted their interests that
a judge don't have TO be corrupted to
be with them-he is educated on GER
tain lines.
Q.-Can you make that a little
clearer, more specific? Could you give
an instance of it?
A.-Well, let me see what I mean by
this; you take a man, for instance.
and send him to legislature-just take
thof ha
Dwell. you are only speaking gen
erally-and that is as much a part of
politics as it would be TO speak of a
councilman in San Jose.
A.-For instance. you take me, when
I was running politics.
Q.-Yes; say what you please about
yourself.
pledged him for anything when L sent
him to a convention; but if you will
give me list of names 1 would tell
you whether they would be friendly
to me or not and take my program.
Q.-How could you tell that?
Al could tell that by the associa-
tion of the man himself. Seven men
out of ten know that they don't under
stand politics; they know they don't;
they know that the system has got so
complicated that they don't know
where they are. They are liable to
make fools of themselves, and they
will run to those in whom they have
confidence. 1 am speaking now of the
honest community, of the honest dele
gate And the moment that one leader
is set aside, another leader comes in
and they follow him. And if you will
go and look at the last republican state
convention, where Mr. Ruef had his
delegates to that conventional you
had watched them as they marched in
and there I saw the remnants of old
Bill Higgins and of Chute and Cannon
and old Bill Stow, and of Buckley and
of Phil Crimmins-and, in fact, 1 saw
a representative of every boss that
had been in San Francisco since I was
in politics; and this thought occurred
to me then, that the politics, perhaps
that the politicians hadn't changed
so much, except when they were moved
by death, but there was simply a
change of bosses, with the exception
that each boss brought in new ones.
like my friend Ruef-I saw some of
his countrymen. more of them in per-
haps when he was the boss than 1 did
under Buckley-and the same under
some of the others; their particular
countrymen would be a little plentiful
Q.-You mean race prejudice?
A.-Yes; but in the main. the great
republican convention that was at
SdHlb Oiu1 III 19Vo' WASH IL
Q.-Yes, that nominated GilIett
Ayes. that nominated GilIett-it
wasn't so different from the conven-
tion that nominated Markham under
Dan Burns. Markham was opposed to
the railroad, but the biggest - -
that was ever in the chair.
Q.-Ruef, by the time of the Santa
Cruz convention, had become a part of
the Herrin system?
A.-Mr. Ruef had become corrupt at
that time.
Q.-And you have already explained
how he became corrupt7