The San Francisco call., 1908-07-04

sented, and the public mind prejudiced
against my every act. And these peo-
pie came to, me and says, Mr.. Hunting
ton
Q.-What people?
A.-"Well. the people from the press
that met YOU; and he says: They
said: Here Mr.. Hunting is $1,000
600 for you and we will keep $780,,
600. the amount that this bill is in
favor of your railroad as against your
own bill. Now, If you will do this, Mr.
Huntington, in the future you will not
be misrepresented, your features will
not be distorted in the pictures, and
you will be treated like a gentleman
and put in the right light. and you can
go on in your financial aspirations un-
disturbed"
PAYS HALF MILLION
BUT STOPS SUBSIDY
Q.-Did he say he paid the money.
A.-And then L says, .sTben you paid
them $5OO,G0O.. He says, 81 had to-
says, "You were TO pay them $780,
0O0." eyes, but they raised me $780,
OO0,- and he says: 'That is not all.
After they raised me 100000 and
stood 1t L come back home this time
and / find out that the $1,000 month
that / was paying the Examiner, and
paid them for 20 months, was still con-
tinued, and I shut 1t of, and they are
going to roast me again for shutting
of that $1,000 a month";
BILL TO LEGALIZE
KILLING OF EDITORS
Mr. Huntington again asked me if
he could do anything for me. 1 replied
he could-that Colonel Burns, Mr.. Her
rim, Mr.. Huntington and myself and
many others of the leaders were in a
good shape now to pass a bill to curb
the venal press and that If he would
pass a bill in this legislature and have
it signed by the governor and become
a law whereby an individual could
shoot down the editor of a paper, and.
when his trial came up, if he proved
that that editor had maligned him and
lied about him it would be considered
justifable homicide; in other words, to
make it legal to kill these blackmail-
ing editors.
He told me to prepare the bill and
he would give orders to Mr.. Herrin to
see that 1T was passed.
1 said to him that Mr.. Herrin had a
corps of attorneys at his command and
why not have Mr.. Herrin prepare the
bill. He instructed me to call upon
Mr.. Herrin and go over the bill. and
when it was satisfactory to let him
know and he would give the orders. ]
complied with his request, and while
the bill didn't suit me, 1t was the best
1 could do with a reasonable show to
pass it. And so we agreed upon it and
the bill passed both houses to the sec
ond reading, if L remember rightly
when it was taken off the file by Mr.
Morehouse. So it never reached the
governor. but it scared the owners OF
the papers until they realized that the
power of the Southern Pacific railroad
company in the California legislature
was strong enough to jeopardize the
lives of every one of them, and from
that day until the present time they
have been more moderate in their at
tacks upon private individuals or poll
ticians.
Q.-To what lengths would the po-
liticaI machine go. Mr.. Rea, in accom-
plishing its purpose?
A.--Why, If the end justified 1t there
is no limit to this political machine.
IL man was to be gotten out of the
vay-and he is at all irritable or ex-
citable, and he can be provoked into a
controversy where there are officers of
the law, such as policemen or deputy