The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 10, 1902, Page 6

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THURSDAY JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. £ ¢éress All Communicstions to W. 8. LEAKE, Manager. A TELEPHONE. Ask for THE CALL. .The Operator Will Connect ‘You With the Department You Wish. PUBLICATION OFFICE...Market and Third, S. F. EDITORIAL ROOMS 217 to 221 Stevenson St. Delivered by Carriers, 15 Cents Per Week. 4 Single Coples, § Cents. Terms by Mail, Including Postage: DAILY CALL (including Sunday), one year. DAILY CALL (including Sunday), 8 months. DAILY CALL (including Sunday), 3 months. DAILY CALL—By Single Mont! SUNDAY CALL, One Year. WEEKLY CALL, One Ye; All postmasters are autherized to receive subseripti; _ Sample coples will be forwarded when requested. Mall subscribers in ordering change of sddress shouid be perticulér to give both NEW AND OLD ADDRESS in order 1o insure & prompt 2nd correct compliance with their request. OAKLAND OFFICE........cc0...1118 Broadway C. GEORGE KROGNESS, Manager Foreign Advertising, Marguette Building, Chicago. (Long Distance Telephone *‘Central 2619.”) NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE: STEPHEN B. SMITH. . 30 Tribune Bullding . NEW YORK CORRESPONDENT: C. C. CARLTON..... Herald Square NEW YORK NEWS STANDS: Hotel; A. Brentano, 31 Union Square; Waldor!- Ast: Murray Hill Hotel CHICAGO NEWS STANDS: Eherman House; P. O. News Co.; Great Northern Hotel; Fremont House; Auditorium Hotel. WASHINGTON (D. C.) OFFICE.. .‘140‘8 G St., N. W. MORTON E. CRANE, Correspondent. BRANCH OFFICES—S27 Montgomery, corner of Clay, open unti] 9:30 o'clock. 300 Haves, open until 9:30 o'clock. 633 MeAllister, open until 9:30 o'clock. €15 Larkin, open until 9:30 o'clock. 1941 Mission, open until 10 o'clock. 2261 Market, corner Sixteenth, open until 9 o'clock. 1098 Va- lencla, open until ® o'clock. 106 Eleventh, open until 9 o'clock. NW. corner Twenty-second and Kentucky, open untll ® o'clock. 2200 Fillmore, open until § p. m. e e e T0 SUBSCRIBERS LEAVING TOWN FOR THE SUMMER. Call subscribers contemplating a change of residence during the summer months can have their paper forwarded by mail to their new addresses by notifying The Call Business Office. This paper will also be on sale at all summer resorts and is représented by a local agent in all towns on the coast. VENEZUELAN POLICY. HE republic of Venezuela was the beneficiary of T the active interference of the United States to settle the boundary between her and British Guiana, which had been sixty years in dispute. This benefaction does not seem to have left a lasting im- pression upon the Venezuelan politicians of the Castro type, who follow the magnificent bandit policy of Guzman Blanco. A study of the constitution of that country and of the practices of its Government reveals a scheme of goyernment under which stability, prosperity and se- curity seem to ~be- impossible. The government changes, not by election, but by revolution, and the constitution and laws expressly provide immunity for revolutionists who are not caught and shot down. The turbulent condition of the government prevents commercial and constructive enterprise. The citizens of the country are wary about acquiring wealth in such form that it may become the spoil of a revolu- tion. For this reason everything that goes to com- mercial development must ‘be supplied by foreigners or not be enjoyed at all. There ‘are important foreign interests and invest- ments with value that tempts the revolutionary politicians. In order to safely prey upon it the con- stitution provides that foreigners shall not have the right to appeal to their own Governments for the “protection of their property, or for reclamation of its value when it is seized or destroyed by the Govern- ment. As this feature in the constitution is new, and has been created by the Government of Castro, it catches millions of foreign property invested there prior to this constitutional warrant for stealing it ‘from its rightful owners. \ The latest news, coming by way of the Port of Spain, in the island of Trinidad, is that Castro’s Government troops are c@mmitting all sorts of «atrocities upon Italian, French, English, American and German property-owners. Their property is being confiscated and their personal liberty interfered with in the most flagrant manner. Castro relies upon the warrant of his constitution to do these things; but he may find out that Venezuela cannot repeal inter- national law. It is amazing that so many of the Central and South American countries regard revolution as legi- ‘timate, and turbulence as preferable to stability in government. They have even sought to originate a new system of international law, under which aliens shall have no recourse against robbery and confisca- tion. Calvo, a very keen-witted Argentinian, has “published a very pretentious treatise on international Jaw intended to support the Latin-American view, that aliens are outlawed as to personal and property rights. fendorf, Hall and all civilized writers on international “law, and yet they are insisted upon by nearly every country south’ of Mexico. If spoliation continue in Venezuela it may be that this country, England and Germany may teach that Government the futility of the impossible system of Calvo. —— From New Jersey comes a story of 2 woman «ho three years ago swallowed a cherry-stone, -A short time ago she was seized with a violent fit of cough- ing and spat out a young cherry tree. The stone had stuck in her throat and after three years had decided to grow. It seems to have been doing well when she interrupted it, for eight good-sized sprouts had germinated, and had she managed to refrain from coughing she might have had genuine cherry lips to brag of in a few years. By the new constitution in Virginia State, city and county officials are forbidden to accept ra;lroad passes, and, what is worse, the convention declared the constitution to be the supreme law of the State Wwithout giving the officials a chance to 4 get a pass at it - Far off and alone by themselves the Democrats of ,Maine in State convention have reaffirmed the Kansas City platiorm, and now the country is ex- pected to wait and see if they can elect as much as a member of the Legislature on it; His theories entirely overturn Vattel, Puf- | 4 THE S MORE- DELAY. l N the action for criminal libel brought by Governor Gage, one thing is neces- sary to his fame and one thing is required to secure the ends of justice. That one thing is a prompt, public and judicial investigation at such place, and in such accord with judicial procedure, as will secure complete revelation of all the facts, through an impartial and qualified court. The Governcr has striven with much ingenuity to so locate the trial as to prevent, or impair, such an investigation. “This is in pursuance of his idea that only he and those whom he pursues vengefully are concerned in the matter. With great prudence and economy he seeks the needed vindication at the expense of the public, and strives to make it as expensive as-possible by seeking a jurisdiction 500 miles away from the loca- tion of the witnesses and documentary evidence. ; His methods give the public, the people, the taxpayers, a very direct-iriterest’ in the proceedings. Under the law any citizen can intervene as a prosecuting witness, and: can institute a judicial investigation in a’jurisdiction that will enabfe’a full and complete revelation of the facts, with economy to the taxpayers who have to:pay the Governor’s ex- opened the case in such convenient jurisdiction. The forum sought by him‘has:the pub- lic confidefice, the Judge is able, his court convenient to the evidence, and the saving of money to the taxpayers, by joining issues before him, is not denied. ; S But the Governor wants none of this. He does not want'a trial. that »can»develovp all the facts, and he is careless of the cost, for he does not have ‘to.pay;it:- He insisted: that his reputation was damaged nearly two months ago and needed immedia rgi)aifs., He declared that only judicial treatment could heal it. Yet when he is offered prompt judicial remedies he avoids them. In pursuit of this policy he obtains a ‘writ of prohibi- tion to restrain the convenient court from taking jurisdiction, and# within ‘.t'w'enty—iofir hours of the beginning of the trial invokes legal machinery to prevent-it. 50 To do this, he charges collusion between the citizen who 1éu;ffllly sought conve- nient jurisdiction and the defendants charged with loosening the hoops of the Governor’s' reputation and spilling it out in the gutter. As the law permits that citizen; or any citi- zea, to seek a jurisdiction and begin such a proceeding, it should be evident that the law, does not intend to defeat its own ends by permitting implied collusi when such a course is taken. The motives of a citizen in such a proceeding may be as numerous as the issues in the case. He may want to promptly vindicate the Governor. He may de- sire to economize for the taxpayers who are compelled to pay the expense of the Gov- ernor’s search for whitewash to garnish, or civet to sweeten, his reputation. - Whatever his motive may be, the law seems to regard the end sought, which is the prompt trial of the case and the judicial revelation of all the facts. The Governor’s attorneys have appeared in the court from whose jurisdiction their client is hiding, and have roared “farce” at its jurisdiction. If that be so, then the law proyides for a farce, for the law is behind the proceeding and creates the juriysdiction that the Governor’s attorneys bellow at. It must be a rather serious farce for them and their client, when it has to be interrupted within twenty-four hours of the time when it would become the means of giving him what he pretends to want, a complete investiga- tion. But for this interruption the case would now be proceeding. The ' evidence would be coming in, and the people would be exercising their jurisdiction in a proceed- ing in which they are paying the Governor’s expenses, by judging for. themselves whether he has been libeled and the virgin down rubbed off his reputation. \- The Governor should have some regard for the reputation of courts. He does great injustice to the bench before which he seeks to have the trial. He takes the posi- tion, either that there is only one trustworthy court in the State, or that-there is only one that he .can fix and make the result a sure thing. Courts are the ladies of our sys- tem, and gentlemen do not tamper with their reputations, El ABSENTEE OFFICIALS, UBPENAS have been issued for Warden M. S G. Aguirre, General Overseer J. A. Aguirre, Commissary Francis Foley, Assistant Commis- sary Victor Gilardin and Shipping Clerk George E. McDougall; all of San Quentin prison, but up to this time they have been issued in vain, The Sheriff re- ports that not one of them is at the prison. So far as is known the ‘prison is getting along fairly well without its officials. It is not suffering from anything like absentee landlordism, even if it may not be said to be enjoying the benefits of self- The convicts are still there, and so are WASTES AND BY-PRODUCTS, NE of the most interesting -bulletins issued O from the Census Bureau is that recently pub- lished giving statistics of the'utilization of wastes and by-products. It appears from this report that in any one of our highly developed industries in these days there is hardly any such thing as waste, Science has come to the aid of industry and has de- vised means of making use of almost the whole of what in former ages-was regarded as refuse, slag or trash. The science which has been most effective in the work is chemistry. Of that science Dr. Lyon Play- fair has said: “Chemistry, like a prudent house- wife, economizes every scrap. The clippings ‘of the traveling tinker are mixed with the parings of horses’ hoofs from the smithy, or the cast-off woolen gar- ments of the poorest people, and soon afterward, in the form of dyes of the brightest blue, grace the dresses of courtly dames. The bones of dead animals vield the chief constituents of lucifer matches. The dregs of port wine, carefully rejected by the port wine drinker in-decanting his favorite beverage, are taken by him in the morning as Seidlitz powders to remove the effects of his debauch. The offal of the streets and the washings of coal gas reappear care- fully preserved in the lady’s smelling-bottle, or are used by her to flavor blanc-manges for her friends.” In some respects the operation of chemistry in utilizing waste is highly attractive. Thus we are told “her wand has only to touch the most noisome sub- stances, when the most ethereal essences, the most heavenly hues, the most delicate flavors and odors, instantly arise, as if by magic.” That sounds excellent; but when we are told that fusel ‘oil is' used in making the oil of apples and the oil of pears; that oil of pineapple “is best made by government. the guards and the subordinate employes. Doubt- less the affairs of the prison are well administered and no-violations of law, falsification. of records or forgeries are being committed. So far, then, as the prison itself is concerned, no. great complaint may be made, and that feature of the 'situation may be passed without further comment. Whether the officials are as serene without the prison as the prison is without them is a matter of some interest. ~ Also it would be worth while know- ing why so many of them departed at the same time and whether they are on a vacation or are working something. Is it San Pedro or Dom Pedro that occupies them and keeps them away from their of- fices, causing them to neglect the work they are paid to perform+and for which they are going to draw. salaries in duc time? ; Public interest in the strange and mysterious dis- appearance from San Quentin of so many officials is not one of curiosity merely. The officials are needed to give ‘evidence concerning the manner in which the affairs of the prison have been managed by them. Grave charges have been made of various violatiens of the law, including such criminal offenses as falsi- fication of prison records and forgery. Why should those officials be absent from their posts just when they are desired to come into court as witnesses and answer whether those charges are true or false? It is a difficult task to get this case fairly on trial. The Governor applies for a writ of prohibition, and the Warden, the general overseer, the commissary, the assistant commissary and the shipping clerk are found to be absent from their posts when wanted to come into court and give evidence. Difficult as it is, however, the issue will be brought to trial sooner or later, and in the end those who are looking for this particular set of officials may be able to find some of them at least at the prison, as they ought to be. 1 the action of putrid cheese on sugar, or by distilling rancid butter with alcohol and sulphuric acid”; that “one of the most popular of perfumes has ajnong its ingredients material obtained from the draining of c®w-houses,” and that the very garbage of great cities is made to yield a grease which s employed in the manufacture of oils for human use, one is inclined to doubt whether chemistry has been an absolutely un- mixed good. While hardly anything achieved by man in the nineteenth century is. more remarkable than the de- velopment of the use of the by-products of various industries, there still remains a great deal to be done before we make full use ‘of all the material that ‘passes through our shops, factories, furnaces, mills and slaughter-houses. It is believed that in the end nothing will be regarded as waste. Everything will be utilized. 'Such economy would be no more than an ‘imitation of nature, w}_xere, as has been said by a great chemist: “Animals live and die, their dead bodies, passing into putridity, escape into the at- mosphere, whence plants again mold them into forms of organic life; arid these plants, actually con- sisting of a past generation of ancestors, form our present food.” - President Roosevelt has issued a peremptory order that no political influence may be used in connection with promotiors in the public field which are under civil ‘service. In thus attempting to interfere with the almighty “pull” in politics the President will find that he is trying to untie a knot which really only became tied when he sought to untie it. England is very seriously disturbed over the condi- tion of her foreign pclicy, and the wise heads of the empire have bumped together to suggest a remedy. ‘Why not invite her dear cousin Uncle Sam to the conference and let him tell his horrible experience .of interfering in other people’s business? France has just seized ‘another strategic point of Chinese territory, but as she announces that her in- tention is to use it sclely for hospital purposes the ‘powers will not protest. No civilized nation would attack a hospital. G It has been noted in Nebraska as a sign of the times that there was no scramble for places on the fusion ticket in that State this year. Indeed, Mr. ‘Bryan ‘was the only man who did any scrambling at all, and the aim of hi_s activity was to escape a nomi- nation. Venturesome dare devils“in the frozen north are now suggesting a project of dredging for gold in the Bering Sea. This ptobably is the suggestion of somebody who wants to commit suicide in a novel way. The unfortunate man in Washington who was discovered by ‘the yeilow sheet of -this city as the murderer of Nora Fuller was simply suffering from the disease of his discoverer. He had\a bad case of delirium tremens, A J. Pierpont Morgan has lunched with Emperor William. It would be interesting to know who felt that he was the recipient of a compliment in this dainty little affair. ‘ FRANCISCO CALL, THURSDAY, penses in the suit. A citizen has availed himself of the permission ‘of- the law, and has| JULY 10, 1902. GAGE IS AGAIN ON THE RETREAT TO ESCAPE A TRIAL IN COURT Governor's Tactics in Appealing for a Writ of Prohibition to Stave Off the Judicial Inquiry Concerning San Quentin Rascalities Will Excite Public Derision. HE newspapers of California are very nearly un: San Pedro to bring his action day will excite general derision investigation in a court where witnesses could readily respo: be produced without loss of time he beat another retreat an Anything to stave off ‘the trial until a that The Call has ample documentary San Quentin prison and he is afraid surrounded with a large staff of lawye come into court and squarely meet the Men who have traveled extensively publicans-are’ candid and frank in their opposition to Gage’s nomination. would be beaten out of sight at the general election in November if the party should commit the folly of against The Call. throughout the State. fter the primary election is what Gage 'is evidence to sustain its charges touching to meet the issue in any court rs, nearly all of whom are office charges published by The Call throughout the mining and agricultur: within easy access of the public records. -holders on the State pay roll, but he does ~mot Every citizen of ordinary intelligence: must be convinced, in the light of the Governor's second appeal for delay, that he was not sincere when he lnuqtu!ed proceedings o 3 Pedr i rietor and the managet of The Call in Justice Downing’s court at San Pedro against the prop: ) diatricts o2 Cullformin vt that' the. Re- There is a very general impression that Gage animous In condemning Governor Gage for retreating to far away Gage’s second flunk which took place in San Francisco yester- When he saw the immediate danger of prompt judicial nd and documentary proof of San Quentin rascality d sought the protection of.a writ of prohibition. playing for. He knows by this timie the scandalous management of -affairs at He is nominating him. Republicans who do not care to take sides one way or the other in the many personal quarrels and co?x}troversle. in which the Governor is engaged remark that the question of Republican success and party preservation is the main peint to be considered., ‘The:plain truth that Gage is unpopular and discredited cannot be ignored. of the country—the 'farmers, . workingmen and merchants—do not have confidence in his judgment and they have no re- The common people spect forhis political associates. It has not escaped the notice of the country press that Gage is appealing for heip to the notorious-bosses of the Democratic party. Repudiated by orderly fellow men of his own party and dl!!cred“gd by the leading Republicans who were foremost as speakers and workers in the campaign of 189, he is now playing for the support of Democratic’ bosses. The people of California surely have had enough of Gage, Kevane and Aguirre. Com- ment of 'leading newspapers is readable: LOS ANGELES TIMES: At the ‘hearing of the Gage-Spreckels-Leake case in’San: Pedro jon- Monday, _when, it Was asserted. by Mr. Bacon, counsel for Messrs. Spreckels: and -Leake, that. the Wittman cer- tificate “‘would stand in all the courts of Call- fornia,” Governor Gage made. haste to reply: ‘“You miean in all of the Spreckels courts.” /' It seems incredible that the Governor of the State—who_ is also an attorney of supposed good- standing in his profession—could -so far forget himself as to' give 'public utterance to 0 base an insinuation against the integrity ot ‘the courts of California. His remark could have meant. nothing less than that, in his opin- ion, ‘some of the courts ‘are ‘owned’ be purchased by Mr. Spreckels. This is an in- sinvation that is utterly without warrant. It is.an insult to every court in the State—and the insult fis. all the more flagrant as coming from one who occupies the position of chief magistrate: It is not to be believed that there are any- where In the State of California such things as ‘‘Spreckels courts’”’ or Gage courts, or any kind of courts save courts of justice, where citizens are equal before the law, where the rights of all are respected and adequately pro- tected. If Governor Gage knows of any such courts, he should be specific in his charges, £0 that the odium may be placed where it be- longs, instead of making vague, unprovable essertions, calculated to cast reproach and sus- pleion upon the judiciary in general, without bringing charges against any one In particular. It is not easy to find words in which to ex- cuse, defend, explain away or apologize for Governor Gage's *‘bad break” in this matter. o % le There s no test to which a man can be subjected” that is better calculated to bring out the best that is in him, or to_reveal the weaknesses of his character, if serious weak- nesses exist, than the placing upon him of the duties and responsibilities of an exalted pub- lic'position. The man who has qualities of true greatness finds these qualities coming to his aid in the presence of supreme responsibility. He rises to the occasion. He grows in intel- lectua] stature and breadth and depth as the responsibilities of his position grow upon him. The man of small and narrow intellect, on the other hand, grows intellectually smaller and meaner in ‘the presence of great dpties and great responsibilities, which he cannot ade- quately compreh®nd. His intellectual limita- tions are a most serfous handicap and they become more and more conspicuous in contrast with his own inadequacy and weakness. The. little man in a great office reveals his littleness in a thousand ways, by reason of the conspicuity conférred upon him by the of- fice, as in like manner unsuspected qualitles of greatness are revealed in the man ‘‘entirely great,” by reason of unusual demands upon him. ' In the case of the small man he be- comes petulant, intolerant, dictatorial, vain and vindictive. To use o commonplace but e pressive term,. he ‘‘cannot stand prosperity. He conceives himself to' be “‘the whole thing, and: he proceeds steadily and persistently upon | that assumption to his ultimate downfall. The force of thesé remarks 1ifs in the ap- plication thereof, as our old friend Jack Bunsby might have observed. The applica- tion is not far.to seek. The people of Cali- fornia have before them a conspicuous exam- ple of a very small man in a large office; the office of Governor, not to.put too fine a point upon it. When this incumbent entered the gubernatorial office, it was, with the hope and expectation .of his party that he could fill it with at least some credit to himself and to those Who elevated him to that high position. That hope and that expectation have not been fulfilled. The pettiness and the utter inade- quacy of the man have become steadily more and more conspicuous. Failure is stamped ir- revocably upon him and his administration. man who resorts to the methods of the pothouse politician and the shyster lawyer has no just cauSe to complain if his party and the public at large place that estimate upon him. It is impossible to fire a thirteen-inch shell from a toy popgun. Neither can a good, ser- viceable whistle be made out of a pig's tail. It is just as impossible to make a good Gov- ernor out of poor and Insufficient material. The Republicans of California know this to be impossible, for they have tried it and have failed. They will hardly be so foolisi*as to try the hopeless experiment again. If they should do so, the second failure would be even more complete and disastrous than the first. — SACRAMENTO BEE: There's an old saying that a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client. This was perhaps not- intended to apply to lawyers who appear in their own behalf, but Governor Gage is certainly no exception to the rule. In his prosecution of the charge of criminal Iibel against Spreckels and Leake the Governor : has made a curious spectacle of himself. With characteristic pettiness he instituted the pro- ceedings before a village Dogberry in Los An- geles County, hundreds of miles away from San Francisco, the documentary evidence and the ‘witnesses to be produced for the defense. The object of selecting the Justice’s court at ‘‘the dirty little town” of San Pedro was manifestly to subject the defendants to loss of time and annoyance. 3 it was likewise characteristic of Gagé, in conducting the case before his Dogberry friend, to declare that the defendants stood ™'in the light of escaped crimingls’’ because they had failed to appear at San Pedro. This was bom- Dbastic to the last degree. As a matter of fact, the defendants had played a legal trick upon. Gage, beating him at his own small game, by causing a llke proceeding to be instituted in the Police Court at San Francisco against themselves. Under the circumstances this was justifiable. But the Bee believes the defendants Would have done better had they gone to South- ern’ California with their lawyers and given Gage all the fight he wanted at his own time and place. As the case stands, it Is scarcely more seri- ous or dignified than a scene from comic ‘opera. Gage may take himself seriously in this business, but no one else does. Had he desired @ real vindication in the eyes of tHe public he should have proceeded in a manner to command confidence. He should have immedfately called upon the State Board: of Prison Directors to in-\ stitute a searching investigation of affairs San Quentin, ahd, in particular, of The Call's charges affecting him personally, such as the statement that he had received 'priSon-made furniture for his home in Los Angeles. ~1f that statement bey true, it is dueithe public to say whether or not the furniture was paid for, or, it not, why not. And surely the Governor's private ‘“‘investigation” of Warden Aguirre's books at San Quentin was not of a kind to in- epire much confidence in the public.mind, in .view of the charge that the Governor was Rim- self a ‘‘beneficiary’ gf the Warden's alleged ‘wrong-doing. % It the Governor is innocent of any wrong in this matter and in reality disposed to aid in the | punishment of any sins which his friend the ‘Warden may have committed, he has exhibited lamentable lack of judgment and tact in his| behavior. Nor has he helped himself In public estimation by his sneer at “‘Spreckels’ courts,’” by which he meant to convey the impression that certain Judges are under the control of one of_the defendants. Is this. Gage's way of vindicating ‘“‘the fair fame of the State,” of which he has pretended to be so jealous when denying the oft-proved fact of the existence of plague in San Fran- cisco? Yet to a mind so peculiarly constituted as that of the Goyernor J may seem mors a re- flection on the ‘‘fair #me’ of the State to truthfully admit the accidental presence of an imported disease than to unwarrantably smirch lhi 1udlcllhr};.of 'cfllfornln. £ While the Bee often condem: acts of Governor Gage, It had always boiic in his_personal .honesty, and the accusations made by The Call in connection with prison furniture it was very sorry to see. And it would be glad to ind The Call mistaken in the matter, so far as Gage is concerned, because it common honesty is lacking in high places the very foundations of our Government are bei undermined. Yet if that paper's statements of facts was correct, and its only error was un- warranted deductions from the facts, of & na- ture to throw suspiclon upon Gage, it fs most unfortunate ‘for the Governor that he.has met pursued a different course in the effort to se- cure a vindication in the public eye. An innocent. official, unjustly accused, may always confidently rely upon the sympathy and support of the public. But or can ol he must so act under accusation as to inspire confidence, not ' deepened sus- piclon. Suits for libel, either civil or eriminal, do not have much weight with the people. They are the slowest possible way of securing exon- eration. And when brought in such a manner as to indicate an insincere Intention, a dispo- sition to gain time rather than to secure full and immediate publicity for the truth, the pubiic are much more apt to sympathize with the ac- cusing newspaper than the official under fire. It would have.been vastly more dignified and infinitely more wise in the Governor had he elected to bring suit in Sacramento as his place of residence, because the . constitution makes it so, though as a matter of fact he may not be here often. The charges of The Call do not relate to his private affairs, but to his of- ficlal conduct. And here are the vouchers, on fle at the State Capitol, that are needed in the trial of the issues involved. This city would have been convenient to the defendants as well as to the august plaintiff. And here the courts would have given a fair trial. bzt S & POMONA PROGRESS: The more people think about it, the morz unreasonable seems the act of the Governor in bringing his libel suits in such an out-of- the-way place as San Pedro, 500 miles from where all the evidence is and where the of- fense was committed. If it is true that the courts of San Francisco are under the domina- tion of the newspapers of that city—which is conceding to them a good deal more influence than they have ever been credited with before —why did not the Governor begin his libel suits in Sacramento, which is the State capital and his cfficial residence, where the State records are, and where his adherents claim that he is popular? It looks decidedly queer for these suits to bé brought by the Governor so far from the seat of government, PSR It is hard to understand why men will con- tinue to urge the candidacy of Governor Gage for the Republican nomination for Governor, when it is apparent that the opposition to it is as universal throughout the State as it is deep seated among many of the oldest and most stalwart men of the party, who have no per- sonal interests to serve. The temperament of the Governor may explain his pugnacious per- sistence in remaining a candidate, but the party ought to have men presiding over il destiny in_ this State who can see the hand- writing so plainly inscribed on the wall, Friends of the administration claimed before the San Jose election that the result of that contest would show to the State that there Wwas no foundation for the claim that the peo- ple were against the Governor and the boss rule that his administration stands for. They expected McKenzle, the Governor's favorite henchman and aphointee, to Win out. But when the contest cama off and Mackenzle and the Gage forces. were thoroughly routed from the top to the bottom of the ticket, they tried to make it appear that the, election had no particular significance. It would have been Eeralded as a great victory if the Gage forces had won, And then news soon began to come. in from various counties up the State that had elected their delegates to the State convention; and up to this time out of thirty-eight delegates elected twenty-nine. of them have in- structed for Flint and the rest have been structed against Gage. When has such an ex- pression of sentiment been known before? When has the handwriting been 50 plain on the wall? And right In Los Angeles, the Governor's home city, a Flint club has been -organized in the Seventy-fifth Assembly District with about 150 members; and throughout Southern Cali- fornia the opposition to the candidacy of the Governor is open and earnest. And throughout the State it is those who have received or ex- pect some political advantage from the Re- publican bosses who are shouting the loudest for Gage. Among those who are not after any of the political pie the sentiment is overwhelm- ingly against him, for he has been tried and found wanting, —— FRESNO REPUBLICAN: ‘‘Gage is certaln of nomination,” says the San Francisco Post, the Governor’s official and avowed organ, and then proceeds to sustain the assertion by the following five extraordinary reasons: ““The nomination of Governor Gage Is now assured. Combinations have been effected in this city which will result in a union of the forces of the Republican Mutual Alliance and the County Committee on the day of the pri- mary election.” “‘With the delegations of San Francisco and Los Angeles at his back, Governor Gage need bave no fear of defeat in the State comven- tion.” “In State conventions, usage has made it a rule for candidates for minor offices to do bus- iness with the most powerful gubernatorial orce.’” 3 ““The Democratic party is split in factions, and many of its best members loudly declare their intention of casting their ballots tor Henry T. Gage.” “‘Colonel Dan Burns is still at Hopland. Un- der his direction, however, politics are running smoothly in this city. Tt is likely that he will in August appear at Sacramento as the leader of the Republican convention.” These are the reasons, and all the reasons, ‘given by the Governor's own organ .for ex- _pecting _his renomination. And such reasons! There 5 not one mention of the Governor's standing, it he has any, with the people; not ‘one suggestion that Gage Is to be the Repub- lican candidate because the Republicans voters iwant him: not one hint that the action of a party has anything to do with the sentiment of the members of the'party. -Politics is treat- ed throughout as a game, and since the cards 'have been stacked.for Gage It Is assumed that 'he will capture the stake. .. On_these grounds, and these groun: ‘the “Gage shouters base .their hopes that there are ‘‘combinations” In San Francis- cg; second, that a similar game has been set up in Los Angeles; third, that the minor can- didate will “‘do business” with Gage; fourth, ‘that Democratic votes will be cast at the Re. publican primaries for Gage; and, finally, that politics are ‘‘under the direction” of = Dan Burns, and he will be “the leader of the Re- publican® convention.'* Could the {ssue be more sharply drawn be- tween politics as a game and politics as the manifestation of public sentiment? Governor Gage. stands frankly on the side of politics as @ game, and his support'is @lmost wholly from the gamesters. The people are against him, and he’knows it. Emissaries of the *‘push’’ have been sent up and down the State looking for .Gage supporters; and have not found them. Except for the few' who are bound to him by personal or political favors, or are in gome way oblizated to hjs ma- chine, practically everybody in the State 1s positively opposed to the renomination of the Governof. The Governor knows this, but he thinks it will be possible ‘to capture the nomination in spite of the people by pack- ing the convention. Even if he were otherwise unobjectionable as a candidate, this fact and this method would be enough to condemn him. The issue between the people, who cast the votes, and the bosses, who pull the wires, is too sharp to be surrendered. The boss victory must not be permitted. The only way to pre- vent it is'for all the people to turn out at the primaries and vote for delegates to the State convention Who can be trusted to represent thelr constituents. and not “‘do business” with any -political trader. ds only, Firz 3 PRGN T B SAUSALITO ADVOCATE: ‘Whatever may be the ultimate decislon upon the merits of the libel suit of Governor Gage against the San Francisco Ca!l, it is apt to ba the opinion of the people of the State that its executive lacked courage of the fighting sort When he brought proceedings in a little town in the southern part of the State, instead of walking into the camp of the enemy. If he Were afraid of the courts and juries of San Francisco, as his friends intimate, he could have had'the case heard in Sacramento, which Would have been ground at least not unfavora- ble to himself, £ ey T Gase 1n Bt o e Saaa to o e 2 man ernor of o1 and :::( a to succeed himself. If, on fhe other the charges were false, then thers:is” itoo bitter thiat can be 'said of his-detractors, and no punishment severe eriugh in the laW. What is wanted 1s & quick trfal. sMr. Gage owes it to himself to be freed at the earliést day pos- sible of the stigma which he belleves has been thrust upon him. If the charges are false, then he will have the sympathies of all classes, and his desire to succeed himself will be as- sisted. What the people admire is a fighter who, being nted, goes after his enemy hot footed. The long distance duelist has long been an object of ridicule, even in France. —_———— EUREKA STANDARD: The arrest of the editors of The Call or the filing of the complaint at San Pgdro has dona the Governor no good. It shows a peftyness that the Governor should not possess. If The Call bas libeled or siandered Henry T. Gage it has done so in his capacity as Governor and the trial should take place at or near San Quentin, where the records .and the witnesses can be secured. To drag the defendants and the witnesses down to San Pedro, four hun- dred miles from the records and thewitiiesses, is certainly an outrageous procedure. The Governor's home, his legal residence, s at Sacramento, and consistent with thas dignity of his great office he might have brought sult in Sacramento. He lives a large share of the time at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, and he might have brought suit before one of the Justices or Judges of that eity, but to annoy and vex and delay the trial, so it seems to us, he brought suit in'am obscure town in Los Angeles County. Nobody who cares to see the chief executive deport himself with becom- ing dignity will take any pride in this act of pettishnesa. A trial of the issues, without de- lay by an imuartial court, i3 what Governor Gage should desire, what he should dg If he has been slandered by The Call or its editors they should be punished, and there are courts in Marin County, at Sacramento and in San Francisco, either of which would give the case an impartial hearing and do justice by Governor Gage. It is to be regretted that he was not broad enough to col the situation and wise enough to do the right thing in this case. He has made a serious miistake. SAN DIEGO UNION: . The spectacle of the Governor of & great commonwealth going into an inferior court and there taking an active part as counsel In & libel case in which he is the complaining wit- ness is not edifying to people Who bave old- fashioned notions about" decency. and the dig- nity of the gubernatorial office. - But"this is precisely wha@ Governor Gage did _in the Justice’s Court at Wilmington ‘last Monday, and he did it in a manner calculated to make even his friends wonder whether he possesses the faintest sense of propriety. Not content with plunging into the proceedings with alt the quibbling zest of a. police court practitioner, the Governor insulted the judiciary ef for- nia by a reference that: could be inter- preted as charging that some courts of the State are 'under the control of!éne’ of ‘the de- fendants in the case Which' the Governor s prosecuting as complaining witness, and what, not. g ko It will be interesting to mot w! in_the future proceedings in these libel cases onor Gage will be equally oblivious of the dignity and delicacy which the people of this State have been wont to expect in thé conduct of their executives. IR HUMBOLDT STANDARD: It appears that The Call has outwitted the Governor in his attempt to have its editors tried on his criminal libel charge at San Pedro instead of tryink them at his own home, Sacra- mento, or in the place of the publication of the newspaper, San Francisco. A ‘man cannot ‘be twice- put in jeopardy’ for the same offense. Spreckels and Leake have both been arfested in San Francisco on charge of libeling Gov- ernor Gage and the case iS to be tried on an information made by Loujs P. Boardman. be- fore Police Judge Frita.” It fs not necessary that the person libeled should make the com- plaint. Any citizen who is cognizant of the facts may swear to a criminal complaint; and no matter what influenced Mr. Boardman to preter the complaint, if the alieged crime. be the same as that complained of by the Gov- ernor, the trial of the case i San Francisco will put an end to'the other proceedings. The Call is at home in San ncisco and will have access to the records at San Quentin and -to the witnesses it wishes to summon. The Call alleged that it would justify on the statements it made, and if the trial proceeds we shall be able to know who has told the truth. TULARE REGISTER: > * The San Francisco organ of -Governof” Gase tells its readers why the Governor is sure of a renomination. Among the reasons given are these: .That combinations have been -effacted in San Francisco and Los Angeles which will insure Gage delegations from those citles; that disappointed Democrats will get in and' Help to elect Gage delegates; that candidates for minor offices will find it to their interest. to do_business with the Gage push: ' that' the greatly disesteemed Dan Burns will be at Sac- ramento in August to lead the Republican con- vention. Do these reasons not disclose politi- cal methods of which an aspirant high office of Governor jof California be proud? It is that kind of politics has made Gage distasteful fo the voters-im: the Republican party. The people do not want him. Nothing has been more clearly demen- strated in the political history of Califorala, and the ‘“‘push’ must be prevented from con- summating their pians. r ALAMEDA ARGUS: Governor Gage has not helped Bis lbel.sults in the forum of public opinion by his tactics of haling the accused libelers to the out-sf- the-way bailiwick of San Pedro. The general public is not a3 interested In “the row as either side appears to think; still, ‘it-will size up the merits in some degree from the way the parties conduct themselves. The public will see no point in bringing the suits except to punish for Injurious and - unlawful acts, This could as well be done in one plice a8 an- other, and to endeavor to cause noyance by bringing the action in an out-of-the-way place 1s sure to be set down by many who are Impartial as mere pettiness. Py —_——— NAPA DAILY REGISTER: Had Governor Gage, on the heels of the pub- lication so offensive to him, chdllenged The Call to prove its charges before any” reputabls and disinterested tribunal in San . Fran- cisco or Sacramento, .and do it fortwith with- out any circumloeutionary steps is part, TenXntoe s Sive R the tameriiy ~ = bave emerity 10 Sppose him in his a differ- fight for a renomination would him on. But the, Gaveraor Lo ent course—one that has won for criticism than sympathy. B e — —— FRESNO MIRRO Short is not a Gage famous falsehood to say that he able for the same jectionable. Mr. cal ideals and would not be to further his any. MODESTO HERALD: lvra genuinely m:t if the Governor will ceive even one vote from the San Joaquin V; ley delegation, representing one-sevent counties of the State. iy gul poli i ¥ Eooon————— 2 Prunes stuffed with apricuts. Townsend's.» —_———— Townsend's California Glace fruit and candies, 50¢ a pound, in artistic fire-etcl bcxes. A nice present for o g €39 Market st., Palace Hotel building. * —_———— Special information su ed dally to

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