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THURSDAY " " ]
"Gunmen's" Conviction a
Great Triumph for Decency
44 npHIS verdict means the beginning of the end of gang rule in New York,"
declared District Attorney Whitman when the four young "gunmen"
*■■ were convicted of the murder of Herman Rosenthal, the gambler who
"squealed." One life was taken by the gang, under the direction of Lieuten
ant of Police Charles Becker, known as the "Magnificent." This was the
gang's warning, its declaration that it was dominant in New York. In rebuke
and in the exercise of retributive justice the law has laid the penalty of death
upon the five men—Becker, and the four instruments of his murderous will.
The law has the better of the argument.
District Attorney Whitman has saved New York city from the fate of
modern Paris. In the French capital "l'Apache" rules in his district. He tells
the gendarmes to be gone, and the police leave him to his spoils and his rav
ages, his murders and his pillage. It is said that the Parisian police never
enter the Apache quarter of their city, at least on official business. ■
New York had its perfumed young men and its suave gamblers and the
police lieutenant who was in league with them, and when one of the suave
gamblers violated the rule of his class by obeying, from whatever motrwe, the
law of the land, and prepared to testify against the police official, he was slain
in the most brilliantly lighted street in the world by four silk stockinged young
men, who drove to their bloody assignation in an automobile, as silken Flor
entine assassins would have come in a coach, or as the loose bloused high
binder of a decade ago would have swung off a Clay street cable car to shoot
a rival tongman.
The gang thought itself victorious when Rosenthal was dead. It counted
itself supreme in New York, a law unto itself with an agent of the other law,
Becker, as its sponsor.
Then came Whitman, with his fearless prosecution, and Justice Goff, of
relentless firmness, and the gang was defeated.
That it is conquered for all time is improbable. There must be a continua
tion of Whitman prosecution and Goff procedure to save New York city. But
without the services of those two men at this time New York would have been
lost, to become a second Paris of l'Apache. They grappled with the "system"
and saved their city.
President Wilson promises to be the 'man who took the Payne-Aldrich
"O" from the front of "Schedule K."
A woman will pardon her husband for being a muff if he gives her one.
✓CONSOLIDATION of the cities bordering on San Francisco bay into a
I coser union is inevitable. Oakland's present position is that it does not
wish to be consolidated with San Francisco. Berkeley has taken the posi
i 1 tion that it does not wish to be consolidated with Oak
i land, and there the situation rested on the last election
day. Now Dr. David P. Barrows of the department of
political science of the University of California, has de
i I vised a plan for a union without consolidation, a sort of
United States of free cities, "in order to * * * insure domestic tranquillity,
provide for the common defense, promote the general wefare, and secure the
blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity."
He has suggested that a county form of government be adopted by the
cities about the bay; San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Richmond,
San Mateo, San Rafael and other places within the zone organizing a county
government. It is a new idea in America, as Doctor Barrows said. Nomi
nally, it is the opposite of the greater New York idea, where there is one city
divided into counties with certain independent functions. But for all purposes
except the United States census the name of the form of government for the
larger unit means nothing.
There must be a community of interests about San Francisco. Another
University of California professor has suggested a plan for a harbor district
embracing the cities about the bay. The two ideas merge. Doctor Barrows
says that present legislation is adequate to organize the larger county. But if
it is not, other legislation can be provided.
The people living on San Franciso bay must agree that there needs to be
a centralized government to control their interwoven interests. Let them give
serious thought to Doctor Barrows' suggestion and to the plans of other think
ers. The more thinking the sooner will something be done.
Union of
Free Bay
Cities
If the Sutter street car horses only had the case to settle!
Also in Europe Young Turkey is most easily carved.
SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR FISHER has startled water power
corporations by the simple announcement that he believes that a court of
appellate jurisdiction has appellate jurisdiction, that its decisions are com
-1 I petent and will be accepted by the department of the inte
rior. He has declared that the department of the interior
will see that the prolonged litigation used by corporations
to delay final judgment must end; he has even devised a
i ' penalty to inflict upon those who contribute to the law's
delay. What Secretary Fisher did in substance was to announce that when
state authorities have fixed a rate for water or power and.it is upheld by the
state supreme court, the corporation must accept it. If the corporation tries
to prolong the litigation by appealing to the United States supreme court the
department of the interior will revoke its license to operate. The power com
panies will probably let well enough alone.
In practically all litigation over important stakes the case is carried up to
the highest court, until some persons have advanced the proposition that courts
of first instance be done away with entirely and all lawsuits be filed with and
decided once and for all by the United States supreme court. Secretary Fisher
hasn't gone that far in his position, but he has decided that the jurisdiction of the
state supreme courts in late controversies will suit him and will have to suit the
corporations. In that he has done a service to water and power consumers
throughout the west, and particularly in California.
Fisher's Word
to the Power
Companies
Identified! The lady who leaves th c streetcar door open these chilly days
is the wife of the fellow who sells Tom and Jerry at the transfer point.
0 —
A rule for chiefs of police who wish to make their captains work: "Shake (up)
well before using."
For that jobless feeling—try Bermuda.
beauty of the Hetch Hetchy valley and Lake Eleanor region will not be im
■■• paired by the construction there of a lake to supply San Francisco with pure
i - water, the contest which the city is -making to secure an
irrevocable permit from the government may be regarded
as half won.
There are two aspects of the city's fight, or, rather,
i ' two types of opponents, the nature lover and the self-lover
or corporation interest. The nature lover's argument is that it will deface the
Hetch Hetchy valley to transform it into a lake; so it would, presumably, just
as much as it would improve the environs of Mount Tallac to drain Lake Tahoe
to a marsh. These faddists are honest, capable, adroit men, whose ability must
not be underestimated, but they appeal to caprice, not to logic. Even though the
beauty of the valley would be impaired, the water needs of a metropolitan popu
lation of millions must not be denied.
With the nature lovers are the self-lovers, most conspicuous in that clan
being the Spring Valley Water company, whose loyalty, affection and admira
tion, directed to itself, can not be measured in terms of ordinary dollars and divi
dends. The Spring .Valley, company loves itself too well to see San Francisco
Opposition to
Hetch Hetchy
Grant
EDITORIAL PAGE OF THE CALL
secure a grant from the government. An irrevocable permit to the city would
mean an irreparable loss to the company.
There is no public spirit in the opposition to San Francisco's right, no recog
nition of the supreme claim of millions of Americans to pure water; only a fan
tastic plea to preserve a beauty which would be enhanced by the city and to pre
serve a corporation which should be absorbed.
San Francisco is determined to win its fight, to go to congress and seal its
victory.
The rights of the Turlock-Modesto irrigation district are important. These
are the only contestants who come with clean hands into the hearing. Their
claim is based on a question of miner's inches of water, and the San, Francisco
engineers dan demonstrate that the irrigationists' rights will be protected.
San Francisco is to have pure water.
The Hetch Hetchy valley is to have a lake and we hope that Robert Under
wood Johnson will delight in its beauty.
A. a
If this keeps up it will be only those people who are disturbed by the high
cost of diamonds who will be interested in the high cost of beef.
$>
fTIHERE is one thing about Richmond, over the bay, that must be recog-
I nized: everybody there believes in the place. By a vote of 2,342 to 291, or
* eight to one, the city on the Contra Costa shore voted to bond itself to con
' I struct an inland harbor, and, by a vote of nearly the same
proportions, to build a tunnel to the west shore of the
town, boring the same line of hills that the Santa Fe rail
road has tunneled. With a deep water inland harbor, with
i 1 its location as the terminal for one transcontinental rail
road and adjacent to the main line of another system, Richmond is to surpass
its already phenomenal growth and prosperity.
The amount of the bond issue is $1,170,000. The harbor to be constructed
will be an inland basin, which is the plan most favored in Europe. The dredger
that constructs the docking basin will lay the foundation for warehouse sites
and other harbor facilities, which the city will control.
There is room on San Francisco bay for many such harbors as Richmond
will have, but few points along the many miles of bay shore have such inland
harbor possibilities practically alongside main line railroad tracks.
Richmond is the most fortunate little city in California, the most business
like, for it has planned to realize on its natural advantage.
Richmond
Makes a
Wise Move
THE BUSY BEE
Author of "At Good Old Siwash."
The busy bee Is a small, fuzzy animal with
a great habit of minding its own business and
almost unparalleled facilities for encouraging
the casual passerby to do the same.
The bee is small and could not lick a grown
man In a fist fight. But very few men rare
to creep up to an Industrious bee and look
over Its shoulder to see what It Is doing. If
a bee must be approached It is best to meet
him face to face and treat him with distant
respect. Even those who love the bee do not
stroke him on the back. Those who have been
led in enthusiastic moments to do so have
acquired a hand which could be wrapped up
and sold for a Virginia ham.
The busy bee gets up at daylight and toils
with tremendous industry until dark, gather
ing honey and storing it away. He is the
most Industrious of all insects and is pointed
out by philosophers as a model to the human
race. While ma n is dwadllng over his break
fast, or reading four acres of useless newt,
or trying to annoy a large automobile Into
action, the busy bee is nobly lugging honey
to his hive In minute quantities without even
pausing to admire the scenery.
Thousands of lectures have been written on
the bee's Industry, but very few philosophers
have paused to deprecate the bee's thick head
edness. No one works harder than the bee or
gets less out of it. Instead of sticking to the
woods and hiding his honey where it will do
him the most good in winter, he allows him
self to be tempted into a hive in the back yard
of a conscienceless farmer, who permits him
to toll over hours all summer and then smokes
him out in the fall, takes his honey away and
feeds him through the winter on sugared
water.
For this reason we can not admire the
bee's Industry. He is too much like the com
mon man who Is encouraged by earnest in
spirational writers to rise at daybreak and
toll with great fury In order to supply him
self with enough prosperity to enable the
trust magnate to. raise the price of beef
(Copyrighted by George Matthew Adams.)
; $ _
FLATTERY
Road Hog (after mishap in which puppy has
been run over)— Madam. I will replace the
animal.
Indignant Owner—Sir, you flatter yourself 1
•-rLondon Opinion. >- -*••**»,
GEORGE FITCH
Well Done, New York!
EXPLAINED
"My husband Is always cracking up the vir
tues of his first wife," said Mrs. Hlnkley, with
a sigh, "though, as a matter of fact, they got
on very badly."
"Perhaps he understands her better, now
that she has been translated," said Mrs.
Wlggs.—Harper's Weekly.
THE PATH OF THE POET
"I have lost that poem submitted by Wom
bat," said the magazine subeditor. "Guess
we'll have to pay him for It."
"Dear me," said the chief. *T wonder if he
would not be content If we returned him two
poems by another author."—Washington Her
ald.
NEVER TOO LATE
About the time a man gets too old to do
wrong he begins to do right.—Dallas News.
ABE MARTIN
It takes a good jiltin' f git some
fellers.off to' swingin' rings. A Ben
Davis apple looks almost good enough
f -eat.
PERSONS IN NEWS
W. H. BULLEN, agent of the Grand Trunk
lines at Ix>s Angeles; Franklin Helm, a
promoter of the same city; D. J. Cahill, vice
president and general manager of the West
ern Hardware Lumber company, and John
E. Marble, a dealer In mortgages, make up a
group of visitors from the southland who
registered at the Palace yesterday.
I.IFITEIVANT J. C. BIRIVETT, U. S. N., re
tired, who was- in charge of the branch
hydrographic office here for a number of
years, and who left here when relieved
from that duty to make his home In the
east, has returned to San Francisco to
spend the winter. He will make his home
at the Union League club.
* *. *
S. I.AUTERBACH, a clothing merchant of Dos
Angeles; Edgar Hafer, a real estate oper
ator of Medford, Ore.; David Keith, a bank
er of Salt Lake; H. F. Andrews and Mrs.
Andrews of New York, and H. Weber, a
publisher of Leipzig, Germany, make up a
group of recent arrivals at the St. Francis.
* * *
I. O. ZIMWALT, an attorney of Colusa; F. M.
Rose of Colusa; F. W. Kellogg, a business
man of Altadena; Sheldon Morris, a manu
facturer of show cases of Los Angeles, and
L. L. Day, who was formerly in the govern
ment service In the Philippines, make up a
group of recent arrivals at the Stewart.
E. W. COWEIX and E. A. Cowell of Chicago.
C. R. Devereaux and Mrs. Devereaux of
Concord, J. L. Mears Jr. of Seattle, and L.
B. Christopher, a dealer in leather goods
In San Jose, are among yesterday's arrivals
at the Manx.
~ ~. PITTOCK. proprietor of the Portland
Oregonian, is at the Palace with his family.
Miss' E. J. Leadbetter and Miss Campbell
also are in the party.
* * *
W. m. REAMER, a topographer in the United
States geological survey, is at the St. Fran
cis, registered from Washington, D. C.
* * *
LOUIS TORGE and Mrs. Torge, Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Torge and Miss Eva Torge of Sala
manca, N. V., are guests at the Manx.
* * *
U. E. ANDERSON, a real estate operator of
Tacoma, is at the Palace with Mrs. Ander
son and Miss Ruth Anderson.
FRANCIS E. WEBSTER of Philadelphia and
Dr. G. W. McKinnon of Areata are guests
at the St. Francis.
* * *
L. B. BRANDSTETTER, manager of a grain
ranch near Hanford, is registered at the
Argonaut.
W. H. STANTON of Bakersfleld, Interested In
the oil fields near Maricopa, is at the Union
Square. >
J. B. FULLER, a fruit grower of Grldley, Cal.,
and Mrs. Fuller are stopping at the Argo
naut.
C. J. DRYNESS, a well known hotelman of
Chicago, is at the Court with Mrs. Dryness
* * *
C. M. SHENCK, a banker of Denver, i s at the
Court with Mrs. Shenck and Miss Shenck
* * *
JUDGE HENRY C. GESFORD of Napa is stay
ing at the St. Francis with Mrs. Gesford
* * *
A. J. PRENTICE and F. W. Ramsey of Cleve
land are guests at the St. Francis.
* * *
H. E. COX AND WIFE of Woodland are
among the arrivals at the Sutter.
W. S. BUTTAB of Vancouver, B. C, is at the
Fairmont with Mrs. Buttar.
J. S. BROWN, district attorney of Sacramen
to, Is staying at the Colonial.
DR. A. T. MULLIGAN, a physician of Modesto,
is a guest at the Argonaut.
* * *
C. R. DOWNS, a mining man of Sutter Creek,
is registered at the Stewart.
E. S. MAUDE AND WIFE of Santa Rosa, are
registered at the Baldwin.
* * *
W. R. SULLIVAN, a Chicago merchant, is
registered at the Sutter.
W. REDDING AND WIFE of Downieville are
staying at the Sutter.
* # *
H. C. MABKLEY, a Marysville rancher, Is
staying at the Dale.
* * #
C. L. MARCUS, a silk merchant of India, is
at the Columbia.
* # *
T. E. RICHARDS of Los Gatos is stopping
at the Baldwin.
* * *
SAM DAVIS of Nevada is among the arrivals
at the Dale,
L NOVEMBER 21,"1912 ~jj
Ferry Tales
WHEN the ferry
steamer that
should have
reached its' slip at 8:49
falls to arrive until 8:52
o'clock, the Indignation
of the commuter finds
free and lurid expres
sion, both on upper and
lower decks. This Indig
nation is as nothing
compared with the rage of the homeward
bound commuter who misses his boat by a
narrow margin. The fact that he missed It
because It started strictly on time brings no
balm to the lacerated feelings* of the man
whose final rush has been, rendered futile by
the slamming in his face of the ticket col
lector's Iron gate.
The ticket collector, under ordinary condi
tions a courteous, uniformed employe attend
ing strictly to business, is transformed. In the
eyes of the belated t commuter. Into a crueV
monster. The collector's smile of sympathy
becomes a grin of fiendish glee and the man
that missed the boat just knows that he was
the victim of a deep laid plot.
"You mean wretch! You did that on pur
pose. You saw me coming and there was
plenty of time," I heard a well groomed
woman hiss the other day, through the bars
into the face of the benevolent old gentle
man who had closed the steel gate a second
or two before she reached It.
Even a veteran commuter like E. P. Fish
loses his temper at the slammed door. Fish
Is one of the oldest commuters and has missed
his homeward bound boat only twice in 30
years. The second time was 1 the other day.
His watch was 17 seconds slow. Instead of
taking out his watch and moving the laggard
hand forward, Top," stood up as close as he
could get to the iron fence and said things
about the veteran on the other side that al
most marred the new aluminum paint. He
was sorry afterward and gave that same col
lector a very fine Havana cigar -when he
passed through five minutes later. But It
just goes to Illustrate the constitutional an
tipathy of the free born American toward
anything in the shape of physical restraint.
It was different in the case of Alexander
Davidson of the United States customs service.
He really has a kick coming and if you haven't
heard him make it that's because you have
not met him lately.
For the convenience of commerce the cus
tom house permits the discharge of dutiable
cargo after regular hours In cases where the
ship owner or agent makes timely application.
A special fee Is charged for this privilege
and part of this fee goes' to the customs officer
detailed to supervise the -work and look out v
for the government's interest. This oppor
tunity to make a little extra money is eagerly
sought by federal employes, ■whose regular pay
Is but modest and when Davidson was de
tailed to a steamer at Oakland long wharf
the other evening he saw a chance to get
that new hat on which his mind had been set.
"You'll have to hurry," he was told. "The
captain doesn't know that the permit has
been issued and will start for this side unless
you get there on the next boat."
There was only a few minutes for the next
boat and Davidson started for the ferry
depot on the run. He was Just in time. He
bought his ticket. As he reached the col
lector's gate the "all aboard" bell rang. Pos
sessed by the fear of missing the boat after
all, Davidson took the gate with a rush. He
went through with such speed that the ticket,
which he aimed to drop In the chopping box
provided to receive it, flew wide of the mark
and fluttered to the floor, unseen by the col
lector.
The collector's: "Here, where's your ticket?"
fell on unheeding ears. Atifull tilt the In
spector crossed the Waiting room, passed
through the big doors and down the apron to
the boat.
The collector's yell, however, had been heard
by a member of the railroad police force. Just
as t£e ferry boat crew was in the act of rais
ing the apron and casting off the lines, the
policeman jumped aboard, grabbed Davidson
by both arms and rushed him ashore.
"You can't beat your way on this ferry,"
said the policeman.
By the time Davidson had explained and the
policeman had found corroboration in the
ticket itself which was discovered lying under
the collector's perch, the boat had gone. The
next boat was too late.
If you meet Davidson and he asks you:
"Have you heard anything about how I lost
$4?" you can save him the trouble of repeat
ing the story by showing him this.
Through the still morning air of North
Berkeley this was 1 wafted over the fence of
the Newlyweds' home.
"Roy helped me with the washing yester
day and It made It so easy," said a fresh,
young voice that fairly vibrated with Joy and
gladness.
"And what did Roy do? How did Roy help?**
This voice was different. It was the voice
of a lady skeptic. It was tinged with hyster
ical sarcasm and If it vibrated the disturb
ance was caused by unholy glee.
"Why he sat on a stool and talked to me
all the time I was working."
Good for Roy. He helped me too. -but he
doesn't know it LINDSAY CAMPBELL.
INDUCEMENT
"Aren't the walls of these houses rather
thin?"
"Yes," replied the enterprising salesman;
"they were made that way on purpose. Only
don't say anything about it to tho man next
door. He is an eminent pianist and our con
struction enables you to hear his magnificent
performances without paying a cent." Wash
ington Star.
BEING AT PEACE
"What must a man do before he can live at
peace with all the world?" demanded the ex
fa orter.
"He must be dead," came a voice from the
outskirts of the crowd.—Philadelphia Rec
ord.
< $ _
PROVED
"Do you believe that money makes the mare
go?" asked Dubbleigh. are
"Sure." said Wiggley. "As soon as a man
gets money he buys an automobile, and tha
mare goes for what shea worth."—-HarDers
