The San Francisco call., 1909-09-05
Langdon Speaks

as lOllONS
This splendid and patriotic outpour-
ing OF our best citizenship shows there
is feeling Of sympathy in this city
for any movement that makes for hon
esty and decency in government. In
the coming struggle. when the forces
Of evil are lined Cp against the forces
of righteOusne ness-when the forces of
evTl are lined mp in 2 fight against is
sues that have been carried through at
the greatest of personal sacrihee-San
Francisco VIII raise its head and say TO
the world that q man has arisen to
strike these forces of evil down. That
man has returned today. We must bid
him GOdspeed in the work he has un-
iertaken. In this cOmbat.the man you
have the honor OF meeting tonight
stands for the principle you must sus-
tain. His motto is equality before the
law And my friends when the time
comes in this republic that there is one
law for the rich and another for the
poor. then democracy is a sham and
anarchy reigns supreme The time has
come in California and in the United
States when the people demand to
know where a candidate stands We
know where our candidate stands Can
as much be said of his opponent? In
November. when the people have de-
clared their choice at the polls, it will
be found TO be the man I now take
pleasure in announcing as my successor
in Office-the Hon. Francis J. Heney
Vote for him as you cheer for him and
San Francisco's moral record will be
safe"
Heney's first words were: II do not
want to step on the American flag"
small flag had fallen at his feet Pick
ing il up. he continued:
Equality His Slogan
Equality before the law. Is il not
worth fighting for? Was it not for that
the revolution was fought in this
country Was it not for that the civil
war was fought?
Why, friends. if one thing in human
nature has appealed to poets in all
ages, II is the one great passion called
love. I say ii is just as important in
these United States that love of justice
prevail as the love of one another; for.
after all, the man who loves his fell
lows loves justice. 1t is only by Justice
and the square deal that man can have
the opportunity to carry out those
things il was the aim Of the constitu-
ton to establish in this country.
If there be any here tonight who
expect to hear me discuss individuals
they viii go away disappointed If
anyone thinks there is anything in the
record Of the prosecution that requires
apology, or even eXpla nation, he will
go away disappointed.
Cites Folks Record
About seven years ago in st. Louis
young man who had not made a
name was rendered a nomination for
the district attorneyship by a boss who
represented the public service corpora
tions on the one hand and by those
who live on tenderloin vice on the
other. This young man took the nomi-
nation. but asked that it be under
stood that if he took the office he
would perform his duty. The men who
offered il TO him smiled and said.
that is just what we want you to do
"One time while ] was prosecuting
the land cases up'in Oregon I met Abe
Ruef on Montgomery street. He stopped
10 shake hands and said:
q" Frank. you are doing fine. Go to it,
I've been going to it ever since Not
only that-Tll go to it for some years
10 come.
This young man in St. Louis was
elected. Afterward he deceived the
boss who gave him the nomination to
debauch the public offices. He prose-
cuted Butler. the boss Butler was
convicted, after having had three
changes Of venue and three trials. One
man went to the penitentiary. That
man was a poor, miserable supervisor
Governor Folk, then district attorney.
was not able 10 present cases so as to
avoid techniealities when the criminal
b was influential and rich. But the little
fellow showed a clean bill of health
and served his time.
BOSSES MADE MISTAKE
AT the time Folk was governor