GRAFT IN SAN FRANCISCO.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8324, 4 January 1907, Page 5

GRAFT IN SAN FRANCISCO.

ATTEMPT TO SEIZE LAW'S

MACHINERY.

NEW'YORK, November 10. Faced by the certainty of an indict-ment-by the grand jury for .corruption, Ame Ruef, the "boss" of San Francisco, has attempted the boldest and most unscrupulous coup of his career —nothing less than the seizure of the law's machinery by the concentration of the prosecuting power in his own person. William H. Langdon, district attorney of the city, who since his election a year ago has proved himself a terror to wrongdoers, has suddenly announced his intention of initiating prosecutions against Ruef and all the city officials undefr Ruef's thumb in order to set at rest the charges of official graft, and Jhad named as deputy in his office for this especial purpose Francis J. Heney, the lawyer who won the thanks of President Roosevelt Iffor successfully .prosecuting Senator Mitchell and others in the land fraud cases. The announcement was a stunning blow to Ruef and his subservient army of city officials. A counter move was necesdary. The impudence of that move shocked the city, and for a few days attracted attention to San Francisco from all parts of the continent, j Ruef had Acting-Mayor Gallagher—- ' Mayor Schmitz is at present in I Europe—call the Board of Supervisors together in special meeting. On I the recommendation of Gallagher a I resolution was passed removing the honest Langdon from office, as the charter permits. Then, to crown all, .Gallagher named Ruef, the chief of the rogues, the man who was in immediate danger of indictment, district attorney. The news of the appointment of the bossjhimself tojjthe office of public prosecutor—for that is what the district attorney is—took away the breath of San Francisco's citizens for a time. When Ruef _ appeared in court in his new official capacity, 5,000 people gathered outside, and the police had difficulty in preventing a riot. But meanwhile Langdon had obtained from the Supreme Court a temporary injunction restraining Ruef from assuming the office, on the ground that Langdon's removal was unconstitutional. So at present the latter is still in control. This lamb-like obedience of the acting-mayor and the supervisors in removing Langdon at Ruef's command is indication of what everybody in San Franciso knows to be the case, namely, that they are merely his creatures. i One of the accusations against ' Ruef and the city officials is'that they accepted a bribe from the United Railroads of £IOO,OOO in'return for passing an ordinance allowing the Corporation to instal throughout the city an electric car service with overhead electric wires, instead of with underground wires, which is what the citizens desire. Some of the. public-spirited men of San Francisco, headed by Rudolph Spreckels, have pledged Langdon a sum of £20,000 with which to carry on the fight against the lawless gang.—Melbourne Age Correspondent.