"The System," As Uncovered by the San Francisco Graft ProsecutionHichborn, Franklin
History
"The System," As Uncovered by the San Francisco Graft Prosecution
Hichborn, Franklin
Political corruption -- California -- San Francisco; San Francisco (Calif.) -- Politics and government
"I charge that, in furtherance of the plans of the private
prosecutor to assure evidence that would involve the United
Railroads, the District Attorney has been willing to purchase
testimony with immunity contracts, purporting to grant immunity
to self-confessed criminals, which contracts I am informed were
placed in escrow with the private prosecutor, and through which
he controls a majority of the Board of Supervisors who, as a
member of the prosecution has declared, are 'dogs' to do his
bidding.
"I charge that the District Attorney was in consultation with
the members of the self-confessed criminals on the Board of
Supervisors in regard to the passage of the resolution holding
up the Geary street railroad company, providing for the
forfeiture of its license, unless it yielded to the demands of
its striking employes.
"I charge that while the best element in this community was
seeking to preserve law and order the District Attorney was in
secret conference with self-confessed criminals, giving aid and
comfort to the strikers. Shall his great office be prostituted
to the support of lawlessness?
"The officials of this company are ready to meet their enemies
in the open, and before they are through, they expect to show
to the whole country the infamy of the methods of the
prosecution, the baseness of the motives of the private
prosecutor, his readiness to grant immunity to self-confessed
criminals, and the willingness of the prosecution to aid the
strikers, even if it involved this community in disorder and
bloodshed, provided it furthered the private prosecutor's
personal ends.
"The organization of the Municipal Street Railways of San
Francisco, the attacks upon the officials of the United
Railroads, the immunity granted to self-confessed criminals,
the strike of the carmen, the hold-up of the Geary-street
Railroad Company, the forfeiture of its license to operate, all
seek one common end, the injury of the United Railroads and its
officials, and the advancement of the personal schemes of the
private prosecutor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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