Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1909-11-09

OF nght1ng vice have not accomplished
the desired result?"
Inc newspaper use of the wore
vice" reserves 1t almost exclusively
as definition of the term .'socia
evil" and Heney and the League O
Juslce have done more than to try tt
suppress gambling and eradicate the
red light district. They did consider
able Of this incidentally, but the mair
work was to overthrow Schmitz, Rue
and board of grating supervisors
AS long as this was the program the
district attorneys office Of San Fran
cisco had the applause of all the big
business interests of the city. The
chamber of commerce and the mer
chants exchange dined him at the
magnificent Fairmont hotel and ap
plauded him for what he was doing
and also when he said that he would
go after the higher up" men who
brihed the board of supervisors. They
didn't take that statement seriously.
When the olivor grand jury indicted
Patrick Calhoun, president of the
United Railroads, Louis Glass, vice
president of the Pacific States Tele-
phone and Telegraph company the
heads of the San Francisco Gas and
Electric company and many others,
when 1t became apparent that the
graft night might go on and overthrow
the power of the Southern Pacific in
California, then everything possible
was done to thwart Heney and the
graft prosecution.
These indictments were brought in
by B. P. Olivor and his fellow mem
bers of the grand jury against men
with whom they had had intimate busi-
ness and social relations extending
over many years, and because Of his
devotion to public trust, pressure has
been brought to hear in such a way
that Olivor has lost practically all of
his former extensive real estate busi-
ness.
Weeks were consumed in obtaining
juries. Ruef, Schnitz and Glass were
convicted in trials where Judges
Dunno and Lawler were all but insult
ed; where Heney was constantly IN
suited and badgered beyond endur-
ance, and where Heney was daily
saved from assassination only by the
presence of armed body guards.
Ford and Calhoun were tried in
trials, where their attor-
neys used every available technicality
and delay; and even when Schmitz
and Glass were convicted, the appel
late court reversed the findings of the
superior courts of San Francisco on
grounds that made intelligent laymen
and honest lawyers say: "How in
Il could it happen unless the ap-
pellate court was fixed?"
1t has been an uphill struggle and
the financial interests endangered by
the graft prosecutions and the good
government of Mayor Taylor have not
hesitated to ally themselves with the
touts of the race track, who hated
good government more than ever after
the Legislature wiped out race track
with the petty cigar stands
and saloon interest who were bereft Of
the money slot machines, with the
keepers of high grade assignation,
houses and the more humble and
numerous dens in Chinatown. And so,
an unequal fight has been made
against crime, graft. vice and corrupt
financial power by the League of JUS
lice, in whose membership is to be
sound hundreds of honest business
men, leaders in medicine, law and
divinity, and almost the entire
'aculties of the University of Cali
ornia and Stanford university.
1t is true that some magazine
articles have been too lavish in their
praise of Spreckles, Heney and Burns,
out on the whole, correct accounts of
he misgovernment of San Francisco
lave been furnished to the American
people. Mr.. Heney never was, and is
lot now, classed as one of the gref+
awyers Of the San Francisco bar, even
lfter his successful work for the Unit
ID States against the Oregon land
hieves. His temper is quick and he
las made his share of mistakes. But
le ranks high as a man of honor and
who sees his duty and does
lot hesitate to do it. Mr. Heney has
allied in the courts and now at the
'olls in San Francisco, but this does
ot lessen the honor due to him: nor
oes it mean that because Fickeret
eat him by 1900 votes that Fickert
ad the right and Heney the wrong
ide; nor does it, mean that the men
yho have stood with Heney believe
hat by defeating him San Francisco
as been good to herself.
1t does not matter so much whether
ou win or lose, but it counts for a
reat deal on which side you stand and !
ght. Charles Peach