The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-11-10
PATRICK CALHOUN INDICATED
DEFEAT OF HENEY SAID TO HAVE
BEEN A PERSONAL TRIUMPH.
Issue i'm the Frisco Election Declared
To Nave Been Whether Public Of
flee Should be Under Public Control
For Public Purposes, or Under Pri-
vate Control for Private Purposes.
News and COurier.)


Phelan, Heney and their followers,
forming the so-called graft prosecu-
tion, for the election OF Francis }.
Heney as district attorney Of the city
and county of San Francisco.
Heney is overwhelmingly defeated.
His opponent, Charles M. Fickert,
while young and heretofore compar-
atively unknown attorney, is a grad
uate of Stanford University, and
man of the highest integrity and char
acter. Personally he has made an in
teresting figure. Ficket is young
giant. He stands six feet four, was
on the Stanford football team and is
an all.round athlete. The result of
the election was in part due to Flick
ert's clean, high character, but this
alone could not account for the over
whelming defeat Of the so-called graft
prosecution. Fickert in his declara-
ton that he did not and would not be-
long to or be under the orders of any
man or men in the discharge Of his
official duties, was believed by the
public at large. On the other hand,
the great majority of the people Of
San Francisco have come to feel, it is
alleged, that Heney was no more tharf
the privately paid attorney Of Ru-
dolph Spgeckels, and that the office
OF district attorney would be turned
over to the control of a private in
dividual. 1t is we'll known that Heney
and his law partners have received
large sums Of money from Spreckels,
who organized street railroad to
compete with the existing company,
whose president Patrick Calhoun, has
been the chief object of the prosecu-
tion's attack.
The issue was clean-cut: Should a
public office be under public control
for public purposes, or under private
control for private purposes? The
charge made against the prosecution
was that Heney has been doing Spree
kels' bidding as assistant district at
torney. for which he received money
from Spreckels. Strangely enough,
the question before the voters of San
Francisco in this election was whether
or not they approved of Heney as dis
trict attorney receiving money from
Rudolph Spreckels. a private indivtd-
ual. and in return therefor acting un-
der his orders. To this the people of
San FranciSde have given an unquali-
fed answer by overwhelmingly defeat
ing Heney at the polls. Spreckels
singled out Patrick Calhoun as the
principal, If not the sole, object Of the
most bitter fight ever known in San
Francisco.
The result of the election today may
be taken, therefore, as not only a vim
dication Of Patrick Calhoun by the
people Of San Francisco. but, in fact, a
personal victory. Never, perhaps, in
any American city has such a tremen-
dous onslaught been made upon any
man and so signal victory been won
against such tremendous odds as has
been won by Patrick Calhoun in San
Francisco.
While engaged In the reconstruction
OF the street railroad, Of which he is
president, after it had been nearly
wrecked by the earthquake and fire,
the terrific fight upon him was begun.
He came to San Francisco some two
years and half ago and found that
public sentiment had been worked up
against him. A strike of the car men
was started, his social and financial
positions were attacked and his char
acter savagely assailed. He faced diff
hculties that seemed insurmountable.
and before which most men would
have surrendered, but Calhoun never
faltered nor flinched. The industrial
worked out satisfactorily. 1t was
sought to ostracize him socially, but
Heney has said that he was the idol
OF the people, and those who attacked
him have become well-nigh ostracized
IN the clubs and society of San Fran
cisco. With his properties weakened
by the earthquake and fire, entailing
heavy losses in earnings and expendi-
lures of millions for rehabilitation,
with losses suffered from the big
strike, through the panic of 1907. a
financial onslaught was made upon
him that alone would have made
weaker and less able men surrender.
He has emerged from that fight with
the United Railroads stronger finan-
c1ally than ever in itS hictory ;po;1o,