The San Francisco call., 1909-11-01
"SABBATH OF JUSTICE" HAS
NO PARALLEL IN POLITICS
Prayer for Civic Decency Backed by Militant
Pleas of Ministers

was an appeal to all voters to declare
against the proposed liquor ordinance.
MUST ACCEPT THE ABUSE
Harris Weinstock, before reading a
message from Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, |
made a short address. He said:
If men occupying such exalted pub
lie positions as did Washington. Lin
coin. Grant and Roosevelt could not
escape calumny and vituperation In
public life how can we hope that one |
occupying so humble public Office as
assistant district attorney of San Fran
cisco shall escape the abuse and SLAM
der of the selfish and the unscrupulous
who have been and are being brought |
to justice for wrongdoing?
we are told by those who revile him |
that If Heney is elected San Francisco
would be lowered in public estimation.
1t would be regarded. they say. that we
are in the thrall of grafters and are
trying to get out. On the contrary, II
Heney is defeated a moral certainty
will sweep over the country that we
are so far in the grip of grafters, or
that our moral senses are so blunted
and stunted that we do not want good
government when we can get 1t. The
world will say, There is a community
that was graft ridden. whose entire
municipal machinery was absolutely in
the hands of as petty a lot of political
pirates and scoundrels as ever bios
somed in the worst thief ridden Amer
lean community. Here is a man who
did the seemingly impossible job of
oustfng these thieves from their rock
ribbed entrenchment; some of them he
has driven to Jail, some he is still driv- |
Ing to Jail, and all of them are forever
politically dead He has been instru-
mental in giving the city instead a
municipal administration that is the
best in the citys history and one of the |
best in the history of American mu-
inequalities. His reward at the hands
of the people whom he has thus cour-
ageously and faithfully served is 1u- |
initiating defeat at the polls
WOULD BRAND THEM INGRATEs
Such an act would brand the people |
of San Francisco before the world as
being base ingrates and as indicating
preference on their part to wallow in
political filth rather than to enjoy po-
litical decency.
Il know whereof I speak / have
had forerunning opinions of the worlds
judgment in the event of Heney's de- |
feat. My more recent contact with
thoughtful men in many lands, who
freely expressed to me their low esti-
mate of the political morality of the
people of San Francisco in so long toll |
Grating under the Schmitz regime po-
llt1cal fraud and corruption, and their |
poor opinion of our criminal laws |
which make it so difficult to bring no |
torious wrongdoers to justice, tells me
that Heney's defeat will strongly en-
phas1ze the poor opinion held through |
out the world of our political morality |
We are further told that If Heney
is elected. foreign capital now look
ing this way will be frightened off
because of the likelihood under a
Heney administration of continued
unrest in our midst.
There are two kinds of capital
predatory capital and legitimate cap
ital. l confess that Heney's election
will frighten away predatory capital
and the capitalist who is seeking
weak municipal spots and who is
looking out for investments where,
by bribing public officials, millions of
dollars worth of special privileges
can be bought for thousands. / confess
that Heney's election will frighten
away that sort of capital and capital
lists, who will be given notice that if
they come here they must expect to pay
the people hundred cents on the dol |
lar for whatever privileges they want. |
WOULD INVITE CAPITAL
But Heney's election will invite to
our midst capitalists representing many
more millions, who simply want honest
investments, fair dividends and q
III
their capital in communities that are
corruptly controlled and where, in con-
sequence, the moral hazard is the
keeper of the: low dive, and the pros
titute. These all come to fatten off the
community, not to help 1t. These come !
to impoverish and degrade, not to up
build one and to enrich.
Predatory wealth is just as harmful
to a community as is the bambier
Legitimate capital goes where, first
of all, it feels secure The highest Sc
curity a community can offer investors
is clean, honest government. This lis
what Heney stands for This what he
has been instrumental in giving the
city This is what has placed San
Francisco under lasting obligations
to him.
Had there been no Heney, Schmitz,
Ruef and other satellites would still be
reigning supreme, would still have
their iron heels on the helpless necks
of this people, would still be making
justice and equality before the law
mockery in our midst, would still be
setting an example that silently and
surely would go on eating away the
moral fiber of the community, corrupt
ing. the youth of the city and sowing
the seeds of disintegration of free gov |
ernment.
PEOPLE HAVE PAID PENALTY
The people of this city, because of |
their past neglect of their civic duties |
because of indifference shown in their
selection of public officials. have paid |
the heavy penalty of getting under the |
Schmitz regime. vicious city govern !
ment and by losing the worlds SYM |
pathy and good opinion.
'Heney's defeat viii spell even worse |
government for San Francisco in the |
future, with no man to rise after |
Heney's defeat to take his place, and |
with the finger of scorn and contempt |
deservedly pointed at US by the rest /
of the world, whose good opinion we I
deliberately Will have forfeited
II can not, however. bring myself to |
picture such a possibility l believe |
that the great majority of the voters /
of this city will rise again as they |
rose at the election two years ago and |
show by their ballots that we stand for
civic righteousness and for political
decency"
LETTER FROM RABBI WISE
At the end of his own address. Vein
stock read the letter sent by Rabbi
stephen S. Wise of New York to the
chairman of the mass meeting, refer