Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-18
HENEY REFUSED COMPENSATION FOR
CRAFT PROSECUTION, STATES OLDER
Editor of San Francisco Bulletin Tells the City Club Facts About
Cases That Are Not Generally Known and Exposes Efforts
to Corrupt Ctys Voters Through Poisoned Press

Fremont older, editor of the San
Francisco Bulletin, told the City club
some facts about the graft prosecution
in San Francisco at the regular meet
ing of the club yesterday that are not
generally known. One, especially, was
a refutation of the widely circulated
statement that Francis J. Heney was
paid q fancy price for his part in the
prosecution.
Mr.. Older declared that Heney had
not received one cent for his work and
that he had refused voluntary con-
tributions and returned checks sent
him by persons who wished him to
have some reward for his earnest
effort.
Mr.. older was introduced by A. ].
Wallace, Republican candidate for lieu
tenant governor, who told how Older
had begun the graft prosecution at san
Francisco how he had secured the
services of Heney and Burns from the
United States government and how he
had interested Rudolph Spreckels In
the prosecution. Mr.. Wallace summed
up his introduction by saying that Mr..
Older had largely made 1t possible for
the recent triumph of the good govern
ment forces in the state.
Mr.. Older was greeted with pro-
nounced ovation, and when the ap-
plause had subsided he said:
OLDERs ADDRESS
''Previous to the indictment of Pat
Calhoun for bribery in the trolley
cases in San Francisco none of us be-
lieved very much in the power and eff
fectiveness of dishonest newspapers.
Newspaper men with whom l was as
sociated had always insisted that the
truth could not be permanently twisted.
This view of ours was the result of
some years of experience in California
journalism. The Southern Pacific rail-
road for thirty years or more had con-
trolled certain newspapers throughout
California that had perfunctorily blazed
away on the wrong side of public
questions and had not succeeded In
convincing any great number of people
that wrong was right, but when Cal
houn was brought face to face with the
penitentiary there was a systematic
publicity campaign inaugurated Which
has been amazingly successful.
Figuring roughly, the United Rail-
roads have spent more than million
dollars In poisoning the minds of this
great commonwealth. True, the basis
was laid for changing public opinion
prior to the campaign of education in
the press. AS soon as Calhoun felt
fairly certain that he was to be in
dicted he allowed the carmen to strike
on his San Francisco system. The men
had demanded shorter workday and
the matter was under consideration
while the Oliver grand jury was in ses-
sion. Those of us who are in possess
sion of the intimate facts know that 1T
was probably the indictment that
caused Calhoun to break with the men
and allow them to walk out. Then
followed the breaking of the strike and
the disruption of the union. 1t was
done picturesquely and effectively.
This, of course, brought under the Cali
houn banner the union hating senti-
ment Of San Francisco. He had this to
start with. Then commenced the most
remarkable campaign of vilihcation
that has ever been carried on in this
country since the fight that was made
against Garrison and Wendell Phillips
prior to the Civil War.
MEN HIGHER UP
''In the beginning of the graft fight,
before 1t was known that Ruef and
Schmitz had been dealing with men
higher up, when 1t was believed that
their graft had mainly been confined
to the tenderloin or redlight district,
Heney, Spreckels and other members
of the group were regarded very
much in the light of heroes and saviors
of the city because it was generally
believed they were going to expose the
union labor administration, which was
detested by the wealthy and middle
class in San Francisco. This impress
sion also prevailed among union labor
men. They felt that Spreckels and
Heney and the Bulletin were merely
seeking to discredit labor, and they
were consequently in an ugly mood.
But when the indictment of the mill
lionaires came the worldngmen said:
'Oh, that is all right. They are going
after the rich as well as the poor Wen
stand for that
"On the other hand, the wealthy
changed and became sullen and angry,
and declared: You have gone too far.
You should have stopped with Schmitz
and Ruef and the crooked supervisors.
our people had to do it. They had to
have franchises and high gas rates and
high telephone rates. They could not
do business otherwise, and they only
did what other business would be