“It is well enough, my fellow-citizens, to meet as we do to-night, and to applaud the sentiments of patriotism, and to echo the voice of indignation uttered upon this rostrum. But another and more imperative duty devolves upon every one of us individually, and that is to give his and her moral support to the officers of the law. We must not content ourselves by merely adopting a set of resolutions, and then going home and forgetting about it, placing all responsibility upon the constituted authorities. This is not a case of the constituted authorities. It is the case of the people of San Francisco. And unless the people of San Francisco do their individual duty in supporting the prosecution, the officials of the courts and of the law must fail in their efforts.”—Walter Macarthur at the mass meeting called at the time of the attempted assassination of Heney.

COPYRIGHT, 1915
by
FRANKLIN HICHBORN

San Francisco
Press of The James H. Barry Company
1915

FRANKLIN HICHBORN’S
BOOKS ON
CALIFORNIA POLITICS

Story of the California Legislature of 1909$1.25
Story of the California Legislature of 19111.50
Story of the California Legislature of 19131.50
“The System,” as Uncovered by the San Francisco Graft Prosecution1.50

CONTENTS

Chapter Page
I.The Union Labor Party Movement[11]
II.The Ruef Board of Supervisors[22]
III.The San Francisco Ruef Ruled[30]
IV.San Francisco After the Fire of 1906[49]
V.Graft Prosecution Opens[73]
VI.Ruef’s Fight to Take the District Attorney’s Office[87]
VII. Oliver Grand Jury Impaneled[96]
VIII.Ruef Loses Fight for District Attorney’s Office[107]
IX.Ruef and Schmitz Indicted[110]
X.Fight to Evade Trial[121]
XI.Ruef a Fugitive[130]
XII.The Trapping of the Supervisors[139]
XIII.Confessions of the Bribe-taking Supervisors[154]
XIV.The Source of the Bribe Money[168]
XV.Ruef Pleads Guilty to Extortion[186]
XVI.Schmitz Convicted of Extortion[208]
XVII.Schmitz Ousted from Office[215]
XVIII.The Real Fight Begins[240]
XIX.The Glass Trials and Conviction[269]
XX.The Ford Trials and Acquittals[279]
XXI.The San Francisco Election of 1907[300]
XXII.Higher Courts Free Schmitz and Ruef[320]
XXIII.The Defense Becomes Arrogant[335]
XXIV.Jury Fixing Uncovered[357]
XXV.The Shooting of Heney[370]
XXVI.The Calhoun Trial[388]
XXVII.The San Francisco Election of 1909[405]
XXVIII.Dismissal of the Graft Cases[425]
XXIX.Ruef’s Last Refuge Fails[440]
XXX.Conclusion[455]