New-York tribune., 1909-01-03
BLAMES E. Il. HARRIM AN
BEHIND SIN FRANCISCO
GRAFT, SAYS HENEY.
Responsible Through Southern Pa
cifc Control Prosecutor asserts
in Philadelphia Speech.

Philadelphia. Jan. at the long table
luncheon Of the City Club here to-day Francis
J. Heney. OF San Francisco, who prosecuted the
graft cases in that city. declared that Z. II.
Hartman Of New York, through his control Of
the Southern Pacific Railroad. was responsible
for the graft and corruption that have been found
in the Golden Gate city. With ABE" Ruef and
Hartman Mr.. Heney linked the head of the
United Railways of San Francisco. but the real
boss, he said sits in New York and has as one
Of his chief agents in California W + Herrin.
general counsel of the Southern Pacific Rail
road.
san Francisco is ro worse and 10 better
than the average American city" Nj Henev
said with the single exception OF course Of
Philadelphia. and even here YOU have nothing
like what We uneaTthed iu my city. but the
causes OF corruption are the same i'm ali cities
In san Francisco We found two clements at
work. Coming from one source was the Public
Service Corporation ana from another We're the
saloons and dives. while behind our backs these
forces joined hands.
In this unholy alliance the boss Was the con
Meeting link bHt ro v-- simply the agent OF the
real boss-the big business man who wanted to
exploit the Public Service Corporation. The po-
ItiCal boss was really the small duck in the
pond. Behind him was tn Public service Cor
poraton and the Southern Parih, Earoad
"Acccording To my deduction. the head OF the
legal department of the Southern Pacific Rail
road. W. F. Herrin, the boss behind the
apparent boss, but ! convinced rnat Herrin
was. after all. the tool Of the actual b"ss-Har-
riman"
For moment the auditors sal dazed 10y the
daring character Of this Indictment and then
burst INTO prolonged applause.
We must reason from cause TO effect" Mr.
Heney went on. The corruption Of the city life
in San Francisco was not found in the deals
made by Reuf. but was due to the fact that
Hartman wanted to use certain men. our real
boss sits In New York city and reaches across
the country in working out MS schemes.
They say when these things are discussed
that they mus, employ such means. They argue
from the same premises that Jimmy Logue did
when H. planned to rob bank-that he was in
need "f the money. The public service corpora
ton and the railroad wanted something for
which they We're not willing TO pay the public.
which owned the franchises they wanted to get
under their control II was easier Jo purchase
the political boss and the councilmen. so the
respectable business man sends his agent into
the public market to get the goods.
Other cities have had similar experiences,
and | have even heard it said that something
Of the sort has been attempted in Philadelphia.
Il would Hike to talk to YOU about the san
Francisco fight. but it would take me an hour
or an hour and a half and my ply sican says
I must not make a speech. But what Is the
remedy for this corruption i'll municipal life?
The American people. who have tried popular
government for much moro than a century,
have been slow to work out their problems.
Why is this?
we have voted ballots that the boss could
see all these years. We could not give any time
10 think out our problems, but went away down
in the corner of the Pacific ocean To Australia
10 find a method for the ballot. Why did not
WE. think this out? Simply because the brains
Of the country engaged in making money
and some of the ablest IF our men applying
their poue IN corrupting political life.
How shall get people to exercise their
rights? Never by the convention plan Then
why not try the remedy of the uniform primary
ballot end wipe out the boss? n man is bad
public servant because he has bad master ana
responds TO him. Enter the primaries. Fight
the battle there. Let the people be the master
and there will always be good public servants
The politician will always respond to his mas
ter"
Mr. Henev hurried to the railroad station i'm
n1rdiateIv after making his sIecch. as he was
Obliged to return to New York, and he was
loudly cheered he passed from the clubhouse