A FALLEN IDOL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 13, 31 August 1911, Page 6

A FALLEN IDOL.

The latest liens' of Eugene Schmitz, Ihe notorious of San Francisco, whose name is associated with Ruef’s'in the "graft scandals in that city, isSfhat Ire was a ruined man in Mexico, where he bad ; gonc to ro-es-tablislr ](/s fallen-" furtilnfcsl A NeW York paper, which is not at all prcfavoyr of’tlic'rhan, gives an mtetqslnig and sympathetic sketch of his tlfalnatic, career, ''pclpnitz was leader lo^ 1 an orclppstra h|\4>ap Francisco when the Baqour Party made hint. Mayor. At find his rule was straight hnli t( tibfe; i9 PMr#‘^' 1 gdn. 1 rnt'o %e 'Grid's' of Ruef, who became the virtual Mayor. Schmitz sat in Iris office irr the City Mali 'and looked'Hit 1 part; while Ruef sKt in his officii v elsewhere and dealt With a continual 'Stream of callers on mayoral business; But even as a Mayor 1 under a boss, Schmitz acted honestly for a time. After his reelection scandals began to arise, and the merchants went so far as to leave him out of tire invitations to a dinner to a distinguished visitor. Then came the earthquake and the zenith of Schmidt. In that emergency ho showed liimself a man of courage, energy, coolness, and ability. Ho wits the backbone of the Emergency Committee, which he formed mainly of his bitter opponents. ’ The Mayor’s real triumph came a fow months after the fire, when, at a dinner of congratulation given by the business men of the city, ho made a speech which seemed to be a declaration of independence from the thraldom of Ruef and his gang. /“History begins with us '.with April 18th,” said Schmitz.' But, alas for human weakness, Schmitz did not shake off Ruef’s baleful influence, arid San Francisco slipped back into the old iniquities; •When- SClnilitz returned from Europe undrir , in -, Vest he was met by thousands of ’ pe'opl&'/ririd -triumphal music, but thatoWrisk IBs hist taste of popularity." Ilc'eWns -Re’ritonced to five years’ iriipuisoriitieilt',lgDt'’f)ff - on a technicality, wnSbrediidiritCd-, ' and was released on baj.lv>?"--> After that he fell on evil tiilitiSW MPfoo concerns in which he has invested money failed, and an enterpridc up in Mexico was equally unsuccessful. Ho is a broken and discredited man : “if ho entered a public room abywhere iii San Francisco to-mo) row no man would cheer him. Even-the unions distrust him.” Sch„mitz does’hot seem to have boon nearly so bad as 1 Ruef, and bis conduct at the time of 'the earthquake shows that ho had valuable qualities.