Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber's Note

Footnotes have been gathered at the end of each chapter.

There are numerous apparent spelling or typographical errors, including those that appear in the copious quoted material. These have been corrected, and are noted in the detailed notes at the end of this text.

Italics are represented here using the underscore character as _italic_. Bold text uses the equal character as =bold=.

"THE SYSTEM"

AS UNCOVERED BY

The San Francisco Graft Prosecution

BY

FRANKLIN HICHBORN

(Author of "The Story of the California Legislature of 1909"; "The
Story of the California Legislature of 1911"; and "The Story of the
California Legislature of 1913.")

"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 1911 1.50

Story of the California Legislature of 1913 1.50

"The System," as Uncovered by the San Francisco
Graft Prosecution 1.50

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

APPENDIX.

Judge Lawlor's Ruling in Motion to Dismiss
Graft Cases i

How the Supervisors Were Bribed vii

Gallagher's Order Removing Langdon from
Office of District Attorney xii

The Ruef "Immunity Contract" xix

"Immunity Contract" Given Supervisors xxi

District Attorney Langdon's Plan for Reorganizing
the Municipal Government xxii

Roosevelt's Letter to Spreckels on the Graft
Situation xxv

Governor Johnson's Statement Regarding Ruef's
Imprisonment xxviii

Schmitz's Attempt to Control San Francisco's
Relief Funds xxxiii

Receipts and Disbursements of the Graft Prosecution xxxiv