"The System," As Uncovered by the San Francisco Graft ProsecutionHichborn, Franklin
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"The System," As Uncovered by the San Francisco Graft Prosecution
Hichborn, Franklin
Political corruption -- California -- San Francisco; San Francisco (Calif.) -- Politics and government
"And what are your three 'constitutional and moral'
questions,--since you have sent me a pamphlet asking an answer
to them? I will answer them frankly.
"1. Was Mr. Heney's payment by the Department of Justice
covertly for the California prosecution but nominally for other
and Federal services?
"Answer: I do not know. But I and other honest citizens will
presume in favor of the honesty, in this act, of a President,
an Attorney-General, and an Assistant Attorney-General who
proved in all other public acts that they were honest and
courageous beyond example, especially as against a man like
yourself who publishes a pamphlet based throughout on anonymous
assertions.
"2. Can a Federal Assistant Attorney-General, under Federal
salary, lawfully act at the same time as State Assistant
District Attorney?
"Answer: As to this 'constitutional' question, I leave this to
the courts, as you should. As to this 'moral' question, I say
that it is moral for any Federal officer to help any State
officer in the pursuit of crime, and that only guilty
lawbreakers could be imagined to desire the contrary.
"3. Can a private citizen contribute money to help the State's
prosecuting officers in the investigation and trial of a
criminal charge?
"Answer: He can; and it is stupid even to put the question.
Under the original English jury-system (of which you received
the benefit) and until the last century, the private citizen
was usually obliged to pay the prosecuting expenses; for the
State did not, and crime went unpunished otherwise. If
nowadays, in any community, crime is again likely to go
unpunished without the help of private citizens, there is no
reason why we should not revert to the old system. As for Mr.
Spreckels (the private citizen here named by you), his name
should be held in honor, and will ever be, as against anything
your pamphlet can say. As for Mr. Heney and his receipt of
$47,500 officially and 'large sums of money additionally' from
Mr. Spreckels, it may be presumed that he spent most of it on
trial expenses, and did not keep it as a personal reward. But
even if he did so keep it, let me register the view that he is
welcome to all this--and to more--if anybody will give it; that
no money compensation is too high for such rare courage; that
the moral courage displayed by him is as much entitled to high
money compensation as the unprincipled commercial skill
displayed by yourself--and this solely by the economic test of
money value,--viz., demand and supply.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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