The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-04-07

was corruptly used by Dotn tho Pactie
States and the Home Telephone com
pany in the matter of telephone fran
chises. | shall also give fully all the
facts connected with the overhead
trolley permit of the United Railways.
which was a deal consnrnmated before
the fire, and was not after the fire
emergency hold up, as has been main
tanned on the part Of the United Rail
ways.
II shall give full account of the
famous Santa Cruz convention, which
nominated Governor James N. Gillett
and of all my conferences in relation
thereto. shall give circumstantial-
ly an account of all my meetings and
conferences with Calhoun, Ford, Null
LAZY, Umbsen, Green, Croker, Drum,
Halsey. Wetweiler. Herrin and others
iE the matter referred to. The pre-
paration of this document will take
some time, but l have fully determin-
ed to write it and to tell the whole
truth In doing this l hope not only
to give the public an insight behind
the scenes which will be of benefit to
them, but also, in some measure, to
compensate for my participation in
the events which | shall relate
Following the foreword, Ruef, still
under his name, tells how he first met
Boss Higgins the old time polite
al king of San Francisco and, how,
though at first disguised by the Ven
- H. odriftod with
the machine" and in time became the
subservient tool of the big interests.
His personal narrative. which ends
for the present with the opening of his
intimacy with William F. Herrin, of
the Southern Pacific, begins as fol-
lows:
With others, / co-operated in sell
ing out the city of San Francisco and
so am in a prison cell. 1t has taken
these stone walls, this area six by ten.
where the only light or air is that
which comes from narrow wicket,
to bring me to the full realization of
the iniquity of this betrayal.
Il started life huoyantly When
left the university had the idea of
the average young man Of that period.
How and why my life flew so wide of
| its mark am now determined to
trace and to write in detail in the
hope that it may prove of public
benefit and may make amends for
what society has lost by my work.
However harshly / may write, yet it
will be without malice or i'll will. and
with no desire to have others suffer
as have suffered
! He describes how when he was "a
! sanguine young man of 21,' he, Frank
| lin n Lane, John Wigmore and 9TH
ers organized club for civic reform.
corresponding with similar bodies ZEN
ldeavoring to awaken American public
conscience one of which was repre-
scented by Theodore Roosevelt. He
adds
To-day Franklin X. Lane holds the
| position of interstate commerce COM
missioner John H. Wigmore is dean
i of the Northwestern University, pro-
lessor Of law and authority of note.
am in prison cell. They live in hon
or, | in disgrace. Their words are
4 listened to with respect speak only
with the consent of the guards and
under their censorship. They are
high in the councils of men-I in the
lowest degradation. They live the
lives of men--I the life of felon.''
Declaring that Ruef's confession
would be OF a great educational
value to the people of America" the
/ Bulletin is moving to|obtain a parole
for the ex-boss Asking for approval
OF this stand the paper wired a mum
Der OF prominent men throughout the
country.
Every response printed was favor
able. They came from Clifford Pin
chot. James Kelley, Lincoln Steffens
Lawrence Abbott, William S. Uren
Charles Edwards Russell, e. A. Van
valkenburgh, Judge Ben Lindsay, Nor
man Hapgood and William Nelson.