Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-02-06

cars OF the On1teQ Railway are run
by that sort of motive power to-day.
That, in brief, is how the alleged bri-
berry by Calhoun came about.
The mayor of the town was Eugene
SchmitZ, once orchestra leader in a
concert hall, and later the boss of all
the labor organizations that ruled San
Francisco. Ruef was a Republican
ward politician. Ruef and Schmitz
got together and Ruef showed Schmitz
how money could be squeezed from
San Francisco like water from a wet
sponge. The whole machinery of the
municipal government was organized
for plumber with unequaled thorough
ness. If a corporation retained Ruef
as attorney that corporation got what
it wanted-provided it paid in lump
sum in advance the big fee that Ruef
exacted for his counsel" The SUI
pervisors-there were only two honest
men out of Is, the court records show
always got their bit. Ruef and
Schmitz became millionaires.
Direct Cause of Trouble.
Even the earthquake did not dull
the rapacity of the grafters-it only
whetted it. At this time came Mr..
Calhoun's desire for an overhead troll
ley and his unfortunately placed
$500, 900 contribution. There was a
tremendous public clamor at once.
and the graft prosecution was started.
Rudolph Spreckels, James D. Phelan
and other Inillionaires subscribed to a
fund which Spreckels guaranteed per-
sonally should not be less than $780,
600, all for the purpose of seeing that
the guilty grafters should not go I'M
L. Il ~ 7
the special prosecutor of Oregon lum-
Der thieves, was summoned to San
Francisco to take charge of the prose
cution. Schmitz was driven from Of
fee, being convicted of extortion. He
was allowed to go free under $345,OO0
bail, the highest state courts finding
that his conviction was illegal. Prose
cutor Heney says he will be tried
again. Ruef's bail was fixed at $780,
900, and, not being able to raise that
vast sum, he has spent nearly two
years in Jail, with the prospect of
many more now staring him in the
face. The grating supervisors, whom
it is alleged have confessed, have thus
far gone scot free and have never
disgorged a penny of their illegal
profits.
Heney Will Push Cases.
Calhoun, TREY L. Ford and William
NJ. Abbott, officials of the United Rail-
ways, also were indicted for bribery
Ford has been tried three times, but
no conviction has been obtained Abb
bolt and Calhoun are to be brought
to the bar
Francis j. Heney, the square-jawed
prosecutor, who has had charge of
these cases, was in New York the
other day He was asked what hopes
he had about convicting Calhoun. Il
hope to obtain conviction he an
swered- Ford's going free on the
bribery charge will not help Calhoun
The public sentiment seems to be that
Ford was but a servant who did only
what he was told to do. The business
men of San Francisco would make an
awful clar1or If Calhoun was con-
victed. They have already. They
claim that l ought to quit after I've
finished with Schmitz and Ruef and
that it's going to hurt business to go
on up after the big fellows
But whether California wants Cal
houn convicted or not, he must go to
trial, and if he is convicted-well,
there will be REIMBURSEMENT of politi-
cal dealing by Wall Street financiers.
1t hurts millionaire to so to jail