The San Francisco call. [volume], March 18, 1899, Image 1

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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VOLUME *LXXXV-_SO. 108.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY
OFFERS A BRIBE TO BARNES
CALL HEADQUARTERS/
SACRAMENTO, March 17.— |
This city is the scene to-day of
one of the greatest public scan
dals that ever dishonored Califor
nia. Dan Burns and the South
ern Pacific Company have given
to the State an incident of ill fame
without comparison in -the' polit
ical history of the State.
An authorized agent of the
Southern Pacific Company has
offered General W. H. L. Barnes
a bribe of his own selection to re
tire from the Senatorial contest in
favor of Burns.
This is a statement of the situ
ation that has no parallel in State
legislative annals. B. U. Stein
nian, an ex-Mayor of this city,
claiming to represent W. F. Her
rin and the Southern Pacific
Company's interests, has asked
General Barnes to name his price
to retire as a Senatorial candidate
in favor of D. M. Burns. The
bribe so audaciously offered was
refused by Barnes, not only as a
grossly impudent personal insult
to him, but as an attempted out
rage upon the people of the
State.
The affair has created the sen
sation of the legislative session.
Assemblymen and Senators are
discussing it in indignation in the
streets. Sessions of both houses
have been interrupted by the
eager and resentful comment of
members. Political gossips of the
town are whispering the secret of
shameful facts that are now pub—
li*- property.
D. M. Burns has taken one
step too far in his disgraceful ef
forts to steal the honor of repre
senting California in the United
States Senate.
He has surrounded himself
here with a band of political
thugs. He has chosen as man
agers and lieutenants men noto
riously known in political circles, j
He has employed methods and
used artifices to cajole, threaten
and debauch legislators, and has
1 • 1 A 1 r 1 •
covered with the shame 01 his
conduct the sessions of public
"men who will not accept dishonor
by honoring him. He has allied j
himself with the giant corpora- j
tion — the Southern Pacific Com
pany. His agents have offered
bribes to legislators and have
sought to corrupt public men
where corruption suggested itself •
GENERAL W. H. L. BARNES.
The San Francisco Call.
B. U. Steinman Tenders Him Big
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Money to Withdraw.
I w r» Bf In IS v *# \ W* «_ 'ff wf ij F-3 i*L __« i i 9 Xhk_JJL ¥A €_*y^9_-» t_f J_f &
as a vehicle of success. .And now, I
to reach an evil climax in his dis
reputable campaign, an author
ized representative of W. F. Her
rin attempts almost openly to
bribe a formidable and honorable
aspirant to get out of the race for
Senatorial honors.
The facts of the affair are thor
oughly known. At io o'clock
last night B. U. Steinman asked
General Barnes to accept a bribe
in order that William F. Herrin
might succeed in electing Dan
Burns to the United States Sen
ate. General Barnes was in his
headquarters at the Golden Eagle
when Steinman called. Ex-Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of
California John Currey. Thomas
V. Cator, Theodore Reichert and
others were present at the time in
the general's rooms.
Steinman entered and asked
| General Barnes for the courtesy
of a private interview. Steinman
is a man very generally known in
this city.
He was once Mayor of Sacra
mento and is the man who sought
and accepted admission to the
home of his closest and dearest
friend in order that he might
have the opportunity to debauch
that friend's wife. To his evil
credit Steinman succeeded in
making himself a dastard. He is
a man who still possesses great
influence in this city. He is a
banker, merchant, tradesman and
political parasite of the" Southern
Pacific Company. He enjoys
privileges from the corporation
and is recognized as its official
representative in affairs that will
not bear public scrutiny. Inci
dentally Steinman is the controll
ing spirit of the Farmers' and
Mechanics' Bank of this city.
When he asked last night for
a private interview, General
Barnes readily accorded it and
ushered Steinman into an adjoin
ing room. The visitor was not j
long in explaining his mission.
"General Barnes," he said, "I
know that some of your support- j
ers are tiring of their allegiance
SAN FRANCISCO; SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 1899.
ACTED FOR BURNS
Vile Proposition by the
(~* in. n+ -st - * Vv *% Siljfe t i~\ &*§ *__* A _f^ _£* M T
Corporation's Agent
Spurned.
"BUT IT WAS ONLY AN IDLE DREAM."
to you; as they wish to be released
and, be given an opportunity to
cast their votes for Colonel
Burns. 1 come to speak to you
in reference to the matter."
Barnes was dumfounded. He
had heard of no defection among
his supporters, nor of any (threat
ened desertions from his ranks.
He has made an honorable,
straightforward contest, and the
men who have supported him
have done so from an honest con
viction that he is, of all the con
testants, the best fitted for the
honor.;
What you tell me surprises
me." he said. "I have heard
nothing of desertions among my
supporters, but if any of the men
who have voted for me wish now
to vote for somebody else I can
• not prevent them. I have no
claim upon them other than their
| own opinion that I am worthy of
J their votes. That opinion and.
i nothing else has dictated their ac
| tion in voting for me. I have
i made an honest, honorable and
I open contest; for the ,'■ United
I States Senatqrship and; if any of
I the • men .who : have : voted : for me
| wish now to vote for somebody,
I else all I can; say is that; they, are j
the arbiters of their own ac-
tions, and whatever they do I
-
.thank them for the support they
have given me and for the honor
they have conferred with their
votes upon me."
. Steinman seemed to be puzzled
at this reply. Something was
wrong somewhere, as his looks
then and his words later clearly
proved. He decided, however, to
come directly to the point, to tell
who and what he is, to refer to
his masters and make the dis
graceful offer that he believed
would prostitute a man into a dis
honorable act. r yfy^y.
"General Barnes." said Stein
man, "the time has come when
you ought to get out of this fight.
As I have told you, your support
ers want to vote for " Colonel
Burns and you are in duty bound
to give them freedom to follow
their inclinations. I recognize in
this matter that you, as well as
they, have rights. I know that
you have been here for nearly
three months under great ex
pense. You have necessarily neg
lected your practice and should
be reimbursed. If you will make
a reasonable estimate of the
money that will represent to you
a financial consideration for your
loss of time and your expendi
tures I will give you a check for
the amount upon my bank."
Barnes jumped to his feet
angry and threatening. There
could be no misunderstanding
now of the motive of Steinman's
visit.
"You contemptible scoun
drel!" shouted Barnes; "what is
there in my career that gives you,
despicable as you are. or any one
else the right to insult me by the
offer of a bribe? I have acted
honorably while I have been in
this contest and I will go out of
it as I have acted in . it. . Get: out
of here or I will kick you out!"
Barnes' angry words were dis
tinctly heard in the adjoining
room. Barnes rushed to the door
to carry out his threat.
Steinman. . confused, bewil
dered and utterly off his guard,
expostulated. explained and
pleaded in eager tones. It was
then that he betrayed the secret
of his criminal trust and exposed
the part that the Southern Pacific
Company is striving, with its
money and its bribe givers, to
play in the political affairs of Cali
fornia..
"My God, General." pleaded
Steinman: "I have offered you no
bribe. Haven't you heard from
Herrin?"
Barnes had opened the door.
"Get out of here, you cur!" he
cried. "I haven't heard from
Herrin and have heard too much
B. U. STEINMAN, "Business Man" for
the Southern Pacific.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
from you. Get out!"
Steinman went, and the mci
dent that has supplied the gross
est scandal of Dan Burns' dis
honorable contest was over.
I • Barnes btirsf excitedly into the
adjoining room, where ex-
Chief Justice Currey, Thomas V.
Cator, Theodore Reichert and
others sat and had heard the
stormy meeting between Stein
man and the General. Barnes
was trembling with excitement
and rage.
"A currish agent of the South
i crn Pacific Company, this man
; Steinman." he said, "has offered
! me a bribe to get out of this fight.
; I have kicked him out."
A few words from ex-Justice
| Currey calmed Barnes.
"Why did not you control your
i temper?" said Currey. "An of
fense of this magnitude is some
. thing more than simply personal
to you. Steinman should have
been trapped. You should have
calmed yourself and called me
into the room. You" then could
have explained the character of
the bribe to me, and under the
pretense of considering it asked
Imy advice. We would have had
i the scoundrel caught, and per
haps could have rendered a pub
lic service by trapping his mas
ter, the Southern Pacific Com
pany."
It was not long before the de
tails of the disgraceful affair cir
culated through the streets.
Burns and his managers had
passed even the line that marks
their dubious notions of inde-
I cency- — Honorable men of every;
i political faction are indignant
I that the Southern Pacific Com
: pany and its parasites have
I brought this disgrace upon the
\ State. The Mexican and his sup
! porters are being denounced from
every quarter.
Steinman lost no time in leav
ing town after his disgraceful
duty to the railroad people had
been performed. He took the
morning train for San Francisco.
At i .30 o'clock this afternoon
General Barnes called a confer
ence of his supporters, to whom
he related the incidents of the
meeting with Steinman. These
men are now more than ever de
termined to stand with their
leader, if for no other purpose
than to repudiate the shameful
effort that has been made to drag
their names into the dishonored
service of political tricksters.