The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-05-18
FRISCO BANKER TELLS WHY HE
OPPOSED cALHouN's OVER
HEAD TROLLEY.
.HENEY LETS Down BARS
Prosecutor Declares That Defense Has
Been Trying to Try SpreckeIs and
pheIan, and Now He Will Give 1t a
Chance to Go Just as Far as 1t
Peases in Its Efforts.

San Francisco. May 17.-Rudolph
| Spreckels, the San Francisco banker,
who contributed 100000 to prosecute
| an inquiry into municipal conditions
| i'm 1906, was called to the witness
stand in the trial of Patrick Calhoun
today. and added to the case of the
people q detailed account of his rea-
sons for opposing Mr. Calhoun's plans
| for railway development and of the
manner in which he became involved
| as a supporter of the prosecution. His
examination had been in progress but
u few moments when Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Francis j. Heney, re-
| plying to a statement by one Of the
| attorneys for the defense, declared
that he had thrown down the bars, had
| summoned Mr.. Spreckes as Il witness
for the first time in any of the trials
for bribery, and that he stood ready
| to meet any line of inquiry the defense
might choose to pursue when cross
| examination was reached.
I'VE have been trying Mr.. Calhoun
and no other" said Mr.. Heney, but
| from the time we began the selection
Of the jury the defense has endeavored
to try Rudolph Spreckels and James
| T.. Phelan at the same time. You
have insinuated, times without num-
| ber, that Mr. Spreckels was back of
I! the prosecution for malicious pur
pose for his personal gain and profit
| and in an effort to gain control of
the United Railroads. You made this
| issue, Surely you are not afraid to
4 h.a an at MI
! prepared to answer your questions"
SpreckeIs Testifies.
Mr.. Spreckels testified that he first
came into conflict with the United
| Railroads in 1905, when he learned Of
a proposal to substitute the overhead
trolley for the cable on the Sutter
street system. AS an owner of prop
| erty on the lines of this system, and
as member of the Sutter Street I'M
provement club, Mr. Spreckels said,
] ne actively opposed the project among
| his influential acquaintance and he
had consented three times to meet Mr..
Calhoun to discuss the project.
| In detailing the conferences to which
he referred, Mr.. Spreckels provided
the most interesting feature of the
| days proceedings. He said that he
| had steadfastly refused to accept the
street railway presidents arguments
! in support of the overhead trolley and
had rejected offers of compromise that
he believed to be to the city's disad-
vantage.
"On the occasion of our third in
tervieW," said the witness, MIR. Call
houn said he would be willing to with
/ draw the cable line from Pacific ave-
! nue., where my residence is located, and
substitute an overhead trolley line on
Broadway, in the same district. He
| called my attention to the fact that
in common with many of my neigh
bors, | had carriages and automobiles
and was not dependent on the street
| cars. In reply, | said that my fight
was not a selfish one. and that was
interested in behalf of people not so
fortunate as to possess carriages and
AUTOMOBILES, and that l would not en-
tertain the proposition.
Ready for Tunnel.
"Mr. Calhoun, at this interview said
that he was ready to construct a tun-
mel through Powell street hill and
make the entrance one OF the busiest
+, transfer points in the city. / asked
| him if this was because | owned prop
erty at the corner of Powell and Sut-
ter and he expressed surprise, saying
he did not know of it,
! subsequently, according to the test-
nony the improvement club and Mr.
| Calhoun had exchanged letters through
the newspapers and the organization
announced Il determination to do all in
its power to defeat the overhead troll
ley. Mr.. Spreckels said he had tele
graphed to his attorney in the east
urging his immediate return, and that
he had directed the lawyer to prepare
articles of Incorporation OF a rival
transportation system. Before the fire
of 1906, Mr.. Spreckels said, he had
gone, in company with his father, to
see Mayor Eugene Il. Schmitz and
urge that he oppose the overhead
grant by the supervisors. M,