The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 18, 1900, Page 12

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1900 He Admits That He Knew That If Elect- ed Mayor He Was Expected to Pro- mote Frederick L. Esola, Alias Fred- erick Harrington. Con Satisfaction spirators Literally Forced of the Dis- Bond From the Hesitating, Pledge- Breaking Chief Executive of the City. honest, Ante-Election astered. The n of of- would re- cloud the issue by 1ly partisan- oo ool dofeeldelofofolelod dufetefufiufutufetofueteiut duelelmmlell-@ foofonfonfe E i £ T * i 3 4 : 4 oo ofefofoufrfelofodrpeldoded Before election Mayor Phelan Department to A. M. Lawrence. * x 4 - 4 s uses of a dis- < s be partisanship it @+ 3 2 R 2 2 ) rmation. editor, t F. I Eso hese occasions. h tronage. SHA SION OF HIS GUILTY COMPACT, FREELY conferred with the Examiner as to the fit- ness of candidates, not deferring to 3 * discussed with the proprietor, e city editor and others the corruption in the po- lice Department and the best means of a young lieutenant of police, was He was and is a friend of the tor and managing editor of the paper. jor to the election of 1898 his friends desired him to run for Sheriff, and it was then that I first heard his name ned in connection with the office of Chief of Police; at if he were elected Sheriff he could intro- to the public and qualify himself as Chief of At no time, however, was I asked to procure his pro- motion, but T am not unaware of the fact that expected for him some recognition in the line of promotion in case 1 was elected to office—Extract from the Mayor’s re- letter in wwhich he confesses that, employing the subter- a political trickster, he conferred with seckers after pa- MELESS CONFES- its judgment, but In the Examiner on such the managing * it. on circumventing present his friends ofoefoforfenfeofoofonfofonfoofofonfoforfonfonfoforfifefe ofeforfonfeefofonts fnfenfnfonte feafeafrofete funffe ofe ferfrle st citizens who cher- their families and r the city in which they live yor Phelan cannot evade the by leaping upon the men who are to profit as a public officer. He herto unsullied reputa- e for gross malfeasance defending his name be- ustice he has fled to the n with whom he made his nd from that embrace of e has received his vindication at the D What sort of a vindication does he think he would receive if he went to the polls to-morrow? t stand would be taken by the people aid not know in No- ip, with scoundrels, gambling, thieving indorsement would the kave recetved had the November that he had spaper office and had bar- the Police Department to the the city; that he had sold it at thrive by crime; that he had yed the homes of San Fran- cisco to the evil influences of the town? What vi on would have been given » had citizens known that he had ve Fire Department to two sets of manipulators and only by could be forced to be true to what he has received, but what he w e in the light of the start- Jing expose that has whipped the mask from his face and revealed him the per- betrator of outrages that make his name 3 by-word among honest men. Does he think to deceive by referring to the ballot box? That contains too many of his pur- chased votes and the people of this city will not pay the price of his dishonor. His place for the vindication of his character is in the courts. The method is the insti- tution of a suit. Is he sunk so low that he cannot be slandered? Is he proof against the shafts of contempt that he cannot be stung? Or does he know that the proof is worse than the charge and the poor consolation ellence is wecter than none? He says that the way to expose & newspaper is to show it in its nakedness. And he ’-H—:-I—I—X—I-H—H-X—H-l-'l'l—!—l"l‘H—I—X—l-. learn of the friendly attitude of the Mayor toward him, but impressed upon me that he did not seek the position, and would not exert himself in any manner to obtain it. I endeavored to show him the necessity for an honest Board of Commissioners, what reforms would be inaugurated by a reorganized department, and that the duties of his office would be congenial. Upon leaving him he said if the office were tendered to him he might accept, provided the other members of the commission, or a majority of them, were equally independent and res- olute in their purpose to do right as he. In consideration of the Mayor’s friendly expressions, he bade me assure him The Call would refrain from any offensive caricature or personal detraction during the cam- paign, but being a Republican paper would urge with all its power the election of the party nominee. . Mr. Phelan was seen by me about a week later and acquainted with the above interview. He offered no objection to my statements. He said he looked upon Mr. Spreckels as the head of the Republican party in this State, and he would naturally consult him and confer with him regarding the appointments the charter required him to make from the Re- publican ranks. His final words were “Tell Mr. Spreckels he will have to rely upon me to do what is right.” T left him with the impression that, if matters remained unchanged, when the time came the appointment would be made, or Mr. Spreckels conferred with as to Republican B I o S e appointees. In the early part of December I sent Mr. Phelan a note reminding him of our conversations, but received an evasive reply. I have not seen nor heard from him since. After election the Mayor sought to evade the payment of the price that had been exacted in his dishonorable bargain. ences with him and came to the conclusion that the Mayor intended to give him the “double il “YOU ARE A STUFFED JURY; WE HAVE STUFFED YOU. NOW GIVE US OUR VERDICT.” made a criminal contract to deliver control of the Police cross.” Lawrence had several confer- election, felonious bond. el sfefecferfefesfoofeei] foeferferdodod foeforte sierfeleclent g 3 + sfeieieriininlei il @ .G. ‘STAFFUHD EXPOSES THE SHIFTY MAYOR'S DELIBERATE AND MALI- CiOUS MISCONSTRUCTION OF AN INTERVIEW. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 17, 1900. To the Editor of The Call—Dear Sir: Although a supporter of Mr. Phelan in his last campaign, still, in justice to Mr. John D. Spreckels, I wish to submit this statement, presuming I am the personal friend referred to in Mr. Phelan’s letter printed in this morning’s Examiner. On the day the California Regiment arrived from Manila I dined with Mr. Phelan, and, as his " friend, as well as a friend of Mr. Spreckels, expressed a desire to bring about a harmony of feeling be- tween them, as well as a unity of purpose in municipal affairs. I had previously ascertained from Mr. Spreckels that he bore no ill will toward Mr. Phelan; that he regarded him as a capable and energetic official. ¥ Mr. Phelan expressed sentiments of esteem for Mr. Spreckels, saying he had been somewhat an- noyed at the lampooning of The Call in the last campaign, but he had been successful and bore no resent- ment. I explained, then, that the proposition I had to offer was entirely of my own volition; that in making it I wanted neither money, patronage, office or preferment of any kind, and that Mr. Spreckels knew nothing of my purpose, and might repudiate my action when made known to him. I represented that both Mr. Spreckels and himself were actuated by a common desire for a better city government, rea- sonable taxation and honest administration of the city’s affairs and finances, as well as the prosecution of the many badly needed improvements looking to the cleaning and beautifying of the city. Both were men of large means and affairs, vitally interested in the prosparity of the city, and I knew of no reason why they should not pull together for the welfare of the community. I stated that Mr. Spreckels and I had had many talks bearing on the inadequacy rf the Police Department; that I knew he was interested in its re- habilitation, and as the Mayor was obliged to appoint two Republicans on the commission, I knew of no better man for one of the positions than Mr. Spreckels, and trusted he could see his way clear to tender an appointment to him. I contended that Mr. Spreckels was bold, aggressive and fearless, independent, and not to be influenced, intimidated or cajoled into doing anything he did not believe to be right. Mr. Phelan understood that I did not expect nor desire him to promise he would make the appointment, as that would be in violation of the spirit of the new charter. He said he could not and would not make promises of any kind—that he wished to state from the platform from which he was to speak during the campaign that he was unpledged, untrammeled and without patronage obligations of any nature. On the other hand, I made it equally clear to him that Mr. Spreckels was not requesting an ap- pointment nor expressing a desire for it. When we pearted it was mutually understood that I was to ask Mr. Spreckels if he would favor- ably consider an appointment on the Police Commission if it were offered to him. A few days later I unfolded to Mr. Spreckels my idea and the result of my conversation with the Mayor. he was pleased to WILLIAM el B e L S B e B B L B R S S S S S I have no doubt Mr. Phelan will recall the incidents enumerated and corroborate this statement. Yours very truly, knows, too, that the way to expose & @deinivinieieielieiriebriririmininiuinieil defrielielnefoiefufeujnls defeinienieieeieiueieeieimeieiepeeiel fofeieimi=i=~+@ went to Mayor Phelan and demanded that recreant, dishonest official is to reveal him in the nakedness of his rascality and whip him through the streets though the exhibition be an indecent exposure and a menace to the morals of the city. He cannot befog the single issue before the people. He has made the Police De- partment of this city the commodity for a corrupt political bargain. He has con- tracted to sell that department to in- fluences that will make it a dangerous menace. He has done that to satisfy his ambition. This is the issue and the only issue, and he dare not refute before any of the Superior Courts of this city that before election he made a criniinal con- tract that makes him a subject for the Grand Jury and llable to the forfeiture of the office upon which he has brought con- tempt. He admits that before election he felt obliged in the event of his election as Mayor to make Frederick L. Esola, allas Frederick Harrington, Chief of Police. About this there can be no controversy; it is his own shameless confession. The bond was given, the transaction was un- derstood, but the Mayor has not taken the public altogether into his confidence. He has not told the public where and when the compact was made and what stress of mind and base humiliation accom- ;lnllnled its progress and its consumma- lon. The plot, the success of which will de- liver San Francisco to its thieves, was hatched over a year and a half ago at © PHELAN DISHONORED HIS OWN PROMISES AND PANDERED TO HIS VOTE- GETTING DESIRES BEFORE THE CAMPAIGN. : “I consider that Mayor Phelan has broken his faith with me and my people. He pledged himself upon iis honor not only to lend his interest, but to give his best endeavors to the further- ance of the St. Mary's Park project. That St. Mary's got to-day the $125,000 is due solely to the fact that the Supervisors kept their faith with the churches and the good citizens who have fought for the removal of this plague spot. Mayor Phelan, in my opinion, has pandered to his vote-getting desires, and let me say that I do not think that his profits will be as large as he antici- B 3 e T ) He then sought Garret W. McEnerney, and with him went to the Mayor to demand that which his Honor had criminally promised and what he sought as a trickster to with- hold. At that conference McEnerney used the quoted words and Mayor Phelan kept his ante- MAYOR PHELAN CONFESSES HIS SHAMEFUL PLOT # L e e e e S I Seeking Desperately to % Cloudan Issue That Vitally Affects the Public Welfare by Raising a Vain Cry of Partisanship and Politics. ”"‘:\l The Story of the Crafty Ma- i nipulations by Which His Honor Bought and Sold Be- fore Election the Votes and the Influence of the Fire Department. maries had been taken he found that Sam Rainey controlled between sixty and eightly votes in the convemtion. Those votes represented a formidable opposition in the conventicn and a powerful influ- ence in the districts. Mayor Phelan wished to kill the first and command the second He planned therefore to do both. Bat the manipulators of the Fire Department would not deal with him. They knew him if the public did not. They knew hi treachery, his broken promises and un- kept pledges. They had dealt with him when that mask of the reformer had been lifted and the face of the politiclan grinned beneath. And these crafty man- ipulators would have no more to do with Lawrence than they would with Phelan. So again the services of Garret W. Me- Enerney were In requisition. He was called because he was the attorney of the department and could be trusted. It seemed an outrage to make of the distinguished lawyer a messenger boy to travel from the Mayor to the manipula- tors of the Fire Department, but that is what somebody cruelly called him, and he bottled his wrath with the thought that he was the mediator in great inter- ests. To Garret W. McEnerney, Mayor Phelan promised to keep his greedy hands off the Fire Department in exchange for the support of the department. And that support was given. The chattels of the Fire Department became the chattels of the Mayor to do with as he pleased. He voted them at his whim and on election day they won for him what he never could win before—their own districts. And there was peace and contentment in the department, and then came the crash. The Mayor refused to remain bought. He drove a usurer's bargain with the men who had been members of his conspiracy and had been party to his criminal deal. He dismissed George Max- well as secretary of the department, and the storm burst. McEnerney was In a rage. He demanded to know the mean- ing of the Mayor's perfidy. “In our agreement,” said the Mayor blandly, *‘there was no mention of the name of Maxwell.” 0 o “Do you want in a bargain of © THE RECREANT MAYOR DARE NOT DE- FEND HIS PERSONAL HONOR. AYOR JAMES D. PHELAN has convicted him- self over his own signature of the crime of which The Call accuses him. He has revealed himself as a political trickster, playing fast and loose with the scoundrels that have infested local politics and have made our institutions a shame and a menace. The Call accuses him of a crime that cuts deeper than his convenient official- ism. This charge attacks him as a man and a citizen; it re- flects upon and stains his personal honor, yet he dare not enter a court of justice to defend his good name. He dare not deny that as a cunning political huckster he bartered away a great institution as the price for votes. He pleads that he has the vindicaticn of votes to sustain him. He perhaps remembers that a Durrant pleaded once a previous good character to save his neck, but the plead- ing was in vain. That Mayor Phelan was not caught be- fore in criminal political manipulation is no sufficient rea- son why he should not be held up now to public scorn as a man who sacrificed his decency and manhood to satisfy an ambition by dishonorable means. The Call again cha'rges him with the commission of a felony that may injure the people of the whole city, and defies him to come from the nest of his pals to defend his good name. N e eieinieieieib g 2 L kind,” retorted McEnerney, “plans and specifications? Do you want the name of every man In the department? What are you going to do?” ' “Nothing,” said the Mayor, and that Wwas the way he bought and sold the Fire Department of this city for votes. And :1‘0 dare not deny it in & court of jus- ce. These are facts and charges that ought to cover Mayor Phelan in humiliation and shame. But what has he done to de- fend himself? He complains in pleading that The Call threatens to expose his private character. The Call has attempt- ed to do nothing ¢# the sort. It knows nothing of his pflvate character and does not want to know. But what is there in it that will not bear the light of inquiry? 2 Seeking to cloud the serfous issue that he has forced upon the people of the eity Mayor Phelan says that he has been at- tacked because he would not appoint the proprietor of this paper a member of the Police Commission. In this he tells a de- liberate, malicious lie that possesses no more significance than its cheap cunning. He declares that had it not been for the objection of M. H. de Young he would have appointed the proprietor of The Call to the commission. Again he lies, as M. H. de Young declares that he voiced no oblgectlon to any appointment. rantic In his desire to escape the con- sequences of his official crime, he raises the smoke of religious controversy that he may escape in it from the castigation of honest men. He says that The Call threatened him with the libelous publi- cation of the words of a Catholic priest. B B B B B B S B B R S R D R R that [ e e e B o e B o B B B B e e L T e e e e e e S R S W. G. STAFFORD. he appoint the men who had been chosen for Police Commissionerships. The Mayor hesitated. ““You are a stuffed jury,” Me- Enerney shouted. “We have stuffed you. Now give us our verdict.” And the verdict was given. It was the Police Commission of San Francisco and Frederick Lawrence Esola, allas H: - ton, Chief of Police. And the Mny:::gfe not deny it in a way that will make the denial worth the utterance. He can find space In the columns of the newspaper of his fellow conspirators, but why not? As a purchased official he would be worthless 1f exposed. The Commissioners whom he has en- pates.”—Excerpt from an interview with Rev. Father Otis at the conclusion of a meeting of the Board of Supervisors on September 18, 1899. Mayor Phelan considers this inter- He knows where to seek redress. view libelous. B B i i R R R R R e Bartlett Springs, when the Mayor, Esola and A. M. Lawrence—a preclous trium- virate—sought the health resort. At a conference, to which another was ad- mitted, the scheme was perfected to make the sleepy guard with an alias Chief of Police of San Francisco. The public know the men and these men know the fourth conspirator, who seven months ago told of the conspiracy that now threatens some of the most sacred inter- ests of this city with disaster. That was the origin of the plot. Mayor Phelan, in his letter to the Examiner, has related some of the other incidents which happened in the office of the Examiner. He has suppressed others that are inter- esting. The election was held and Law- rence demanded the satisfaction of his bond. Phelan squirmed and Lawrence threatened and stormed. The Mayor had sold his manhood and he had not reached the stage where he thought that the price was sufficlent. Lawrence sought counsel. He consulted with Garret W. McEnerney, who Is now defending Esola against the accusations of indignant citizens. “I belleve that Phelan intends to give me the ‘double cross,’ ™ declared Law- rence to McEnerney. “I don't belleve that he will keep his promise to force the elec- tion of Esola.” “You leave him to me,” was McEner- ney’'s reply. “Give me your proxy and T'll make him yield.” And together they trapped would rebel against him and re- pudiate the pledge that makes them the petty automatons used to work out a dishonest deal. The public would be warned against him and on their guard against his pernicious, blighting influence in other fields of municipal power. And he has been at work in other directions, buying, selling, promising. Fraternizing with political scum, associating in fellow- ship with blacklegs, selling the cherished institutions of this city to endow new San Francisco with shame and clothe himself in the garb of a satisfied ambition. He has been among the firemen of the city and has sold the Fire.Department to two different cliques of politicians. He wanted votes, and blinded to every obli- gation of an honorable public policy he cared not what they cost to the people of San Francisco. When the vote of the pri- That priest is one who has earned a po- sition of respect in this community. The words he said were in righteous indigna- tion of the Mayor’'s duplicity. They were not published because The Call did not then wish to introduce a religious bit- terness into a political campaign. They are published now to prove to the Mayor that they were not, libelous. He dare not attempt to prove them otherwise. And thus he stands, his character smeared by dishonorable actions, his pub- lic life exposed as a cheap and dangerous sham, masking a selfish ambition and a criminal conspiracy to make those that have elevated him to office the victims of his future. He has sold away the people’'s rights. He has delivered them bound to blackmailing schemers. He has set on foot the machinery of bribery, corruption and offiglal crime. Will the Police Com- missiofrs of San Francisco consummate the conspiracy that will drag them down to the low level of dhhomrin which the Mayor reposes?