AMERICAN LETTER.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 74, 30 March 1910, Page 3

AMERICAN LETTER.

OPEN DOOR TO CHINESE FAVOURED. {FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] SAN FRANCISCO, 23rd Feb. Chinese and Japanesr are more desirable immigrants than Italians or Greeks in tho opinion of the Chamber of Commerce of J.os Angeles, California. 'I his body has adopted a report in which it states, "We should open the doors of California to the Chinese and the Japanese. For tho handling of the citrus fiuit industry and for the raising of vegetables and agricultural product* California needs the Chinese and the Japanese." So it appears that even in California, where the anti-Asiatic sentiment nearly brought the United States into armed conflict with Japan a year ago. opinion is divided. Undoubtedly in tho farm* ing communities as a rule Asiatics arc in favour ; as labourers they, are far more reliable than the southern Europeans, or even the Irish. In the cities of the Pacific coast, however, the feeling continues very bitter against the Japanese, und to a less degree against tho Chinese. It is a Californian legislator, Congressman Hayes, that has introduced at Washington a Bill to exclude Japanese labourers from the United States. 'STRANGERS TO THE TUB. "More than a million persons nmonft New York's tenement house poor are strangers to the bath tub," leports Lawrence VeiUer, director of the Tenement House Committee of that city. "New York's tenements are without parallel in the world. There are ten thousand tenements of antique type, with neither sunlight nor fresh air ; there are a hundred thousand living room:, without a window. Three million persons in New York live in buildings that are in constant danger from fire." It is not very hard to understand why city-bred families die out in three generations* JUDOK BECOMES PROSECUTOR. A unique situation in San Francisco. Patrick Calhoun, president of tho big tramway company, the United Railroads, Has been once tried on the charge of bribing former Mayor Schmitz and his city fathers to grant concessions to his company. The jury disagreed, and he is to be tried again. Now the public prosecutor is Charles M. Fickctt, who was elected in iNovember on the understanding^ that he would not press the trial of Calhoun. Last week he asked to have the case dismissed on the ground that there was not sufficient evidence to make a conviction possible. His request wa» refused by Judge Lawlor, who thus became himself thd prosecutor in opposition to Fickert and Calhoun'* lawyers. The judge was forced to mako the motion for setting the date of tho triai himself. It is possible thaht he may appoint some out-side coun*?l .is fpcyl prosecutor if he sees that FLKert <•-«•- not intend to try for a co«irkt.<.'U. HARD ON THE FARMER. The hubbub over the high cost of living in America has brought forth some | excellent stories. Here is one from | Salem, New Jersey : A farmer killed two hogs, and a Salem butcher agreed to buy them. The farmer naid he'd like to have the hams and shoulders, and again tho butcher agreed. Tho fanner put the namn and shoulders on his cart, and a»ked : "Well, what's the balance coming to me?" The butcher figured a moment and replied, "There's nothing coming to you; you owe me two dollar* 85 cent*." The farmer was obliged to pay. The butcher had bought the whole hog at wholesale price, and had wld the limb piece* at retail. Tho agitation againut the high price* of food looked for awhile as though it would produce eomo appreciable effect. Great results were expocted from the boycott on meat ; but the movement ha* weakened, and the meat trust M if to teach the people to be more careful in future— has just announced a new rh<e in rate*. It has been ascertained that the price of Chicago beef in New York it id to lid a pound higher than in London. A GOVERNOR RETIREB. Governor C. E. Hughes, of New York State, has announced that he will not be a candidate for re-election at the dose of this year. His principal reason is that he cannot live on the salary paid. He finds himself obliged to »jp*nd £5000 »"ye*r, and he get* only £2000. The majority of the newspapers consider hi& refusal final, and many urge that the salary be increased. Hughes is famous throughout the nation for the honesty of his administration, and for his uncompromising attitude on questions of public interest. He ins often, by appeals to the electors, compelled tho State Jvegislature to pans measures to which tbe member* were almost unanimously opposed. The one thing which, it is thought, may induce him to again run for office is the recent revelation of the widespread corruption in the State Senate and Assembly. The alleged bribery occurred in 1901, but the accused legislators still hold office. The investigation is still proceeding, but already there it strong evidence that in 1901 Senator J. P. AlTds and Assemblyman J. L. Burnett accepted bribe* from bridge companies to induce them to amend a Bill relating to the construction of bridges. Senator Allda is leader of the Republican Party in the Senate. As Governor Hughes is also a member of that party, it is just possible that he may consider it his. duty to try to retain the Governorship so that he may ccc to it that the whole gang of "grafters" is ousted from power. MERELY A MURDER. POLICE CAPTAIN'S CRIME. "Conboy's got two men on the jury. Sergeant Mogan told me that. " So Midi one of the reporters on tlie "police beat" in San Francisco last week. H« was speaking of the jury that tried Police Captain Michael Joseph Con boy on the charge of murdering a youth, Bernard Lagan. At tho time of this speech the jury was in retirement coa■ideung its verdict, and no one wan cupposed to know what tho result of tbe deliberation' would be; but the police reporter knew. Next day it was announced that the jury had disagreed; ten were for conviction aad tv;o for acquittal. Tho two had lefused to give any reason to their fellow jurymen for their refusal to convict ; they had answered every argument wita the one btatement, "I vote to acquit." But these was not any s-candal in fih» newspapers about tbe "plant" on the jury ; everyone knew there was a "pJfcnt," ana everyone knew equally wen that it would be impossible to bring' to justice those responsible for it. Captain Con boy was himself so Mire be 'would not be convicted that he would nut even admit, while on the witn«.*t>& stand, that * hb had been drunk at tbe> time lie s-bol Lagan. By pleading «trunkenuc<<s he could have asrured himmlf against anything oiore than a manslaughter verdict ; but he knew that wavnot necersary. And besides, if he bad admitted being intoxicated, it would have spoiled his chance of being reinstated in the polict fore*, a* ho axpicU tt> bo wb*n hi* priitnt littlt troubji hu blojrn over.

FAILURE TO CONVICT. The proof seemed i-o clear that Judge Dunne, ouo of tho few honest judges in San FiatKUco, remarked in discharging tho jury that any twelve honcot mm ought to have had no difficulty in reaching a verdict. Tho testimony of tho profcciutieu wa6 that Conboy wag lying helptefvly ilrunk on a sidewalk about 1.50 a.m. on 23rd June. The youth Lagan came up to n»Fixt him. 'Che Captain, who wat* in civilian drefp. pushed Jjagan ««*>•, nhouting that lit* was a "pickpocket and a thiel." He continued to hhoul thus ait«r Lagan, who van leaving him to avoid trouble; the boy became angry at Ihe accusation and came back to the captain, who wa* now ktanding, suppoiting himself against a lamp-pot>t. Lagan began pulling his coat off. Captain Conboy shot at him three times with a police revolver, and the last bullet intflicted a wound that resulted in death alter months of suffering. No defence was offered excopt this unsupported statement of Conboy's. mode in a plaintive tone : "Well, I thought he wok going to kill me." It soundest t-o weak after the defendant* own evidence of the boys pulling oft* his coat — that tho crowd in the courtroom tittered ; and up to that time no *ign of hostility to Conboy had appeared. After hearing the story of his carouse, tho jury failed to convict him of manflaughter. So another monument is raised to .Am erica" *> remarkable jury system, k> carefully devibftd to protect the innooe-nl. But some of the circumstance* of this trial i«ooni to «how that San Francisco if advancing to an appreciation oi the injustice* wrought by a political police toroc, political judges, an\J political prolocutor*-. Many people cxp«cted that the police, judge would dismiss the charge against Conboy at the preliminary trial j but such outrages o» that are no longer possible. The utmost that tho judge dared to do was to admit the defendant to bail — an utterly illegal proceeding in a murder <an.-. Then again it has been found that out of tho witnesses called by Conboy committed perjury — that be could not possibly have witnessed tb« nhoo'Jng which ho pretended to describe. And the lie has not been winked at, as. would have been expocted in the good old day*. A charge has been laid again the man. Moreovei the public prosecutor is looking into tbe record* iof the two jurymen who voted for Conboy'f acquittal. In the times when San Francisco war. really a freo city people did not worry about Mich trifles.