The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-12-02

RICH CRIMINAL GANG 70 A.
SAlLED Nv FAIR CHAMPIONS
or nEcENcY AND WELDING
TREMENDOUS lNFLuENcE.

4 -
SAN FRANCISCO. Dec. 2.--If
Abraham Ruef. the dirty, little po-
litical scoundrel now on trial here
for betrayihg his city by bribery,
goes to Jail; If the gang of rich
criminals-the higher ups"--now
bac( hg the defense Of Ruef to
save their own hides, are ever
brought to suffer for their crimes;
Il Heney. the wounded prosecutor,
and Rudolph Spreckels and the lit
tie band of graft fighters associ-
ated with them finally come out of
their bitter struggle for decency
Triumphant,
To the wome nof San Francisco
will belong large portion of the
credit.
And this Is why:
There is in San Francisco a Citi-
xens' League of Justice. A month
before the attempted assassination
of Francis J. Heney a woman's
branch of this organization was
formed, for the purpose of awaken
ing the public conscience and
arousing support for the graft pros
eeuti0n where before there had
been opposition, or, still worse,
apathy.
The shooting of Heney had the
effect of swelling the membership
roll of the woman's organization
from 1875 to over 1000.
On the list now are representa-
tives of the first families of the
state, society leaders, lecturers.
writres-women who can make
their Influence felt. They are the
wives, mothers and sisters of San
Francisco, and they are in earnest.
One of the leaders is Miriam
Nicholson, known best as the au-
thor of In the Bishops Carriage"
!. This is what Miss Nicholson says
of the spirit sactuating the fair
graft fighters:
ITO my mindy the shame of San
rrancisdo is ndt that an impudent
criminal- used the cfty's honor as
his stock IN trade; not that a
mayor. elected and idolized by the
working people betrayed them
the cruelest, the basest of political
treacheries; not that poor men In
office were tempted and rich men
pr0fited .gluttonously by that temp
tation-not any of these, but the
fact that we knew, for years we
have known all this. and yet, what
did we do about it?
Eve deplored it daintiiy. tenta-
lively, with thsG impersonal, gentle
grief which is so easily assuaged.
We shook our heads over incidents
which seemed to, melodramatic to
be credited. We whined that 1t
hurt business to tell the bitter. UNI
compromising truth. We wished
with sweet sincerity that the city
were cleansed--quickly, quietly,
satisfactorily, with no vulgar noise
or broken bones or smashed repu-
tations. And then-then we went
about our business, our personal,
selfish business. and left the men
who were fighting the city's fight
to battle against tremendous odds
without our sympathy. our help. 1t
took an almost martyrdom to rouse
us from our Incidence, our selfish
ness, our moral cowardice.
There Is stock quotation that
does duty at women's meetings.
You have heard from the lips of
conservative sentimentalists that
The hand that rocks the cradle
rules the world 1t is true, Ii a
word be added. The hand that
rocks the cradle worthily does in
deed rule the world. And the
mother who believes that pure
moral atmosphere in her sons ma
tive town Is as essential to his
welfare as that his nursery should
be kept aired, sweet and whole