The San Francisco call., 1909-12-07
DISCHARGED CLERK
SEEKS FAT BILLET
Dismissed for Floating Bad
Checks Ruperich Would Be
Police Boards Secretary
Ruef Attorney in Charge of the
Campaign for Whitewash
and SkelIy's Salary
By GEORGE A. VAN SMITH

George Rupericfs campaign for the
berth of secretary to the police COM
mission, managed by Ruef's old at
torney, Sam Newburgh, is illuminative
of what some of San Franciscos citi-
! zenry expects in the way of police ad-
| ministration from the commission to be
chosen by P. H. Mccarthy
Ruperich was dismissed from his
berth as stenographer under the police
commission as the result of his connec-
ton with the floating of worthless
checks. Sam Newburgh was indicted
with Frank Murphy on a charge of
attempting to bribe a talesman in the
Ruef case. Murphy's friends are Civ
ing it out cold that he is going to name
the new chief OF police. His colleague
has undertaken the job of naming the
secretary to the new commission.
Charles F. Skelly. the incumbent Sec
retary; Ruperich and Louis Levy stood
in the order named on the list of civil
service eligibles to the place Skelly oc-
cupies. When Ruperich was fired by
the police commission because of tho
worthless checks he lost his civil serv-
ice standing as an eligible to the sec
retaryship, from which his friends now
expect TO see Skelly ousted. Ruperich
and his attorney manager, New
burgh, have formally requested the
board of police commissioners to re-
consider the sentence of dismissal
passed upon Ruperich several months
ago.
RECONSTRUCT ELIGIBILITY
Ruperich does not ask reinstatement
as stenographer. He wishes merely to
be permitted to make the police records
show that he resigned from the stenog-
rapher's place. Had he resigned his
standing on the civil service register
would have been unaffected, and when
the expected rouncing of Skelly ma
terializes Ruperich would have been
next in line for the job.
Louis Levy wants the job. And what
is much more TO the point he and his
friends think that he is in fair way
to get it. The management of the
Ruperich campaign appears to be suffi-
ciently impressed with Levys strength
to spend some effort in attempting to
shove Levy off the track and into~a job
under the board of works, which he
formerly served as secretary.
The bouncing of Skelly, If the
rumored program is carried out, will
in the calculations of Levy, who has
permitted it to be known that really he
has no serious intentions as regards
his old job at $50 month, but that he
might be induced to consider the police
y
month.
The rouncing of Skelly, if the
rumored progra mis- carried out, will
involve neat bit of political irony. If,
for reasons best known to himself,
Skelly was not for Mccarthy when the
campaign opened or even when 1t
closed he was there with strong line
of Mccarthy talk before the cessation
of hostilities. So impressed was he
with the obvious aspects of the Nc
Carthy campaign that he felt called
upon to give voice to his prophetic
feelings in cafes and other public
places.
DIVERSE SCALPING SCHEMES
The political wiseacres who have dis
covered that Skelly is to lose his good
job have provided several methods for
his separation from his salary. One of
these involves only the simple expe-
dent of firing him. Another involves
the revocation of his leave as a patrol
man and thereby forcing him back into
the ranks of the department. third
method contemplates the enjoining of
his salary on the ground that the COM
mission is exceeding its authority in
paying him salary higher than that
allowed for his rating in the depart
ment.
The ardor of those who hoped to
save Chief of Police Cook is somewhat
dampened. And in that same connec-
tion the friends of Captain John Mar
tin, retired, are in no degree depressed
by the talk about the probable appoint
ment of Captain Gleeson or Captain
Duke. So far as can be learned the
advocates of the retention of Cook
who have waited on Mccarthy have
gotten nothing more encouraging than
There are just as good fish in the sea
as ever were caught" While on the
other hand, Martins friends insist that
when Frank Murphy shakes his sleeve
the chiefs baton will tumble out and
into Martins waiting hand.
Jack O'Meara, detailed as Cooks
clerk, was out strong for Cooks job.
He has called his campaign off, and de-
partmental gossip has it that he was
told to forget it." Also that the job
was in,'' and that his candidacy, if
persisted in, would add nothing to his
popularity with the new chief.
According TO the political sharps.
who insist that they are 'fn the know
Miss Gertrude Campbell is to be Mayor
McCarthy's personal stenographer Miss
Campbell is said to be the daughter of
an old time friend of the mayor elect.
and In full possession of defnfte
promise of the confidential post in his
office.