SAN FRANCISCO "GRAFT."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 155, 25 March 1908, Page 7

SAN FRANCISCO "GRAFT."

"WORSE THAN BEFORE.' ..; pT T£I(EOIU?iI—WtESS ASSOOIATIO:*—qOPTBICHT. San Francisco, March 23. ■ . San Francisco: newspapers deolafo that . -[ graft.'' in co'nncctidn- with tho .re-building ' city is.lfrorso' than it was under jßucf pud Schmidt. . • .... v ; . ,

; A SERIOUS SET-BACK. "Tho-.Times" of January 11 contains the following from its special correspondent in San Francisco:— 1 /. Tho;causo of decency, ilia cause of reform in the United Stat6s,. has suffered the most ;.serious;:';.Set-back,;-. in. the : recent I 'his:'.tory; .of . the • -'■ country.; . Tho .; Court " of Appeal of. California,. i 11,.' it's decision handed r down to-day, 1 sets ' asido' tho c6iiviotion':of ex-Mayor .Schmitz. ' Abraham ... Ruef; also,: benefits, by the ■.■'ruling, of , tho .Court; for/ according to its decision, ho. has' ..•pleaded guilty'to an act. which is no offence ■' against, the', lawsof . the • State./ 'Schmitz was . convicted of sharing'nionoy which lluef 'exlorted.frbm . '' French /.restaurants." /-The • Court'declared-in effect that'Ruef, inob- ' /taining.; :"fees" from the - restaurants,; was . guilty ; of l no crime, even; though he divided . -tho. "fees". with Schmitz. . .... /' -V ' . /• r. ;-.The>:Court ; .directsthat: v Schraitz. bo • dis- ■ ehargod. Tllfire !are many other indictments, (■'against., Schmitz.;and Itilef, and .the aggtegate ; bail is > ohorhioitS, ■ but tho .• chances aro , ihat the.two men Will be able to obtain their •'V leaders, of' the ...prosecution' are '■ ih.dospairi One of them said: to ;me this . afternoon; that, the.' rilling of the Court' of '■4ppeal:{iyas ..tho: : worst .thing that." had hap- ; pened to the -United States since the Civil War. _ Slaking duo. allowance- for an exaggeration; natural in tho. circiimstaucesi there. ;isho ' doubt, that the. effect i'of"-" tho 'decision : ''will be deplorable.' Two of the most notorious .•" grafters" whom an 'American.municipality . ever, produced are ordorod :to. he set 'free . ■ -onipiierilo technicalities; and the iwhole campaign of-.-tho prosecution is in danger of col- -. lapsing, in spite. of the fact that the evi.denco: flgaihst.-.tlio City, Hall ring was so 1 -, overwhelming that '.practically.' no • attempt was .mado to refute it. ' Indeed, people -are ..-saying that the decision of the Court rliins Ruof's reputation as a cl&ir lawyer, for lie> /•thought the.case,agaihst;himself so complete.' . that he Mtifesscdj whereas, the threo Judges of. the Court of Appeal .find" that cbmmittad no crime. •' : ' ■ .

Tho caso was not > completed before the ' Court .till yesterday, but tho decision handed <• down: mtisVhave taken many davS'to prepare/. One paragraph of tho decision phtftically says that it. is no -crime to blackmail !■ the/ proprietor of a Saloon, since thoro is •- grave . .doubt"/. .a lieonso" is pfo- . perty. : The. action' of tlib '.Court has created ' an intense ahd inost painful sensation.