The San Francisco call. [volume], December 08, 1907, Page 25, Image 25

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

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PAGES 25 TO 32
REAPPOINTMENT
OF FISK IS NOW
OPENLY OPPOSED
Kahn Joins Hayes in Fight
Against the Machine
Postmaster
PERKINS' IRE
f Hostilities Over the Plan to
Continue Herrin's Man
in Office
STATECRAFT IS NEW
Bold Stand of Congressman
From Fifth Increases
Delegation's Discord
George Van Smith
The rcappointment of Postmas
ter Arthur Fisk is being openly
opposed by Congressmen E.
Hayes and Julius Kahn. They
have agreed upon a candidate to
succeed Herrin's man, whose con
tinued tenure in office is advo
cated by Senators Perkins and
Flint and, naturally enough, by
the other members of the Calif or-
The white bird of peace has
been banished from the councils
of that interesting and heretofore
pacific body of statesmen, the
California delegation in congress.
The reappointment of Postmaster
Fisk xtzm the bone over which th« Cali
fornia dogs of war begaa to growl and
soon got to open hostilities.
Hayes* proposition for a. new navy
yard on the San Francisco side of the
bay was net taken, tvs seriously by Per r
"kin*. Knowland «t aJ.. nor yet by
Hayes, &s it was designed to b« taken
fey th« voting public to th* fifth eon-
EresßiOEAl district. Harmless talk
Rbout a. new navy yard would cot do
Perklra nor his boss. Herrln. any harm;
it might <Io Kay^s some good. Perkins
VB£idV B£id Knowland were willing to co
cperate wi'Ji Hayes to the extent of
rretendteg to take bis navy yard prop
osition more- or less seriously and ex
aggerating it Into.th* proportions of a
real controversy — for public consump
tion.
DEFIES UCKRtV MACHINE
But Hayes did not stop with" build
ing rivy yards. He had taken stock of
popular sentiment in Eao Francisco.
San Francisco votes will determine
who shall represent the fifth Calif orals,
district In the sixty-first congress.
Hayes' diagnosis of the situation dis
closed such alannlng symptoms that he
decided t:pon heroic treatment. He re
solved to bid defiance to the Herrin raa
ehlse and to disagree with Herrin's
premiers. Perkins and Flint, in the
• matter of the reappointment of Her
rin's postmaster, Arthur Fisk.
Hayes Is nothing If not thorough.
Ha bad always taken his medicine
straight up til In the matter of revolt
he believed in allopathic doses. He
cained the ear of Julius Kahn. which in
the few days the statesman from the
fourth district spent in San Francisco
haA bees subjected to & series of rude,
not to say terrifying, shocks. Kahn
had been told by machine men and
antlmacblne men that he would not
do; that his brand of statecraft was
not a hit with either the Herrin ma
chine v or the, people of San Francisco.
Kahn was naturally 'enough perturbed
when he thought of the increased com
pesssXlon which he was just getting
accustomed to, and the f at , mileage
fees which SLCcrue to a congressman
from California, He had tried to draw
down his money without giving offense
to any one by rudely Interjecting him
self into the consideration of national
policies or local politics.
It was salve to hix hurts to hear
that somr one *lse, even Herrin's "good
boy," Fisk, was on the San Francisco
republicans' list of rejected patriots.
He joined with Hayes in the good gov
ernment movement. They two descended
upon "TTasuington to take a swat . at
the organization and incidentally to
fatten their batting averages at home.
THROW DOWN* GAtTVTLET
They agreed upon a candidate for
the San Francisco postofnee and when
Perkins. suggested that they get in on.
his r^comraendatlon for the reappoint
ment of Fisk they threw down the j
pauntlet in en emphatic way. Perkins
told them that Flint was ready to join
-with \u25a0, him in the recommendation for
Flsk's reappointment and that the
postof3ca department had nothing
•against Fisk. He also quite unneces
sarily told the recalcitrants ' that the.
other members of* the California dele
gation were for Fisk. The\San Fran
cisco congressmen pointed out that the
people of San Francisco were not: for
Continued ©a P«t 31, Column a
Cats "the flonorable"
Prefix From Name
Judge Landis Shortens Work of
United States District Court
Clerk's Office v
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL
CHICAGO. Dec, T. — Jud^e Ken*saw
M. Landis has struck a blow at the
traditfons of the United States district
court clerk's ofßee. /:'' -
In the Interests of a more sweeping :
democracy he topples over a cherished
custom followed from time out of mind
by the clerks who compile the records
of happenings In the federal courts, 'it
is the practice of writing the words
"the honorable" before the name of the
trial Judge. As soon as Judge Landis
discovered that the practice existed. h»
acted with promptness.
"Do - they write out the words the
honorable' every time they mention a
Judge's name?" he asked.
"I guess they do, your honor," said
the government clerk.
"I don't 'care for a title." said the
Judge. "Hereafter you can Just leave
off that little prefix from my name. It
will make your work easier."
Now It is a question for the clerk's
office what to do about the other Judges.
To Climb Mount Wilson
on Cactus Diet
Subsisting on Burbank Freak;
Scientist Decides to Take
Exercise
LOS AXGELES, Dec 7.— Dr. Leon El
bert Landone. th<» English scientist,
who is rnaklnsc a two weeks' 'test of
the cactus, diet, is planning to climb
Mount Wilson for the sake of physical
exercise.
Just one-half, of the time which he
purposes to give to the test has elapsed
now and he announced today that he
will continue to experiment for another
\u25a0week. In five days he lost one and a
Quarter pounds. In seven days he lost
two and a. quarter pounds, but says his
strength Is quite as great as ever. He
has altered his diet somewhat and in
stead of eating nuts with the cactus |
.he has substituted - bananas, two of
which he has eaten dally for two days.-
He has received more cactus from
I/3th«r Burbank at Santa Rosa, IS or 19,
leaves arriving and one dozen cactus
fruits.
MAJOR M'LAUGHLIN'S
WILL EXCUSES TRAGEDY
Peculiar Document Shows
That He Had Fear of
Becoming Insane
6FECIAJL DISFATCH TO THE CALL
SANTA CRUZ, Dee. 7. — C. E. Lilly
applied-today for leters of administra
tion on the estate of Major Frank Mc-
Laugtolin. President "W. T. Jeter of the
Couaty bank, who was named in the
will as executor, requested that, Lilly
should act. The property left by Major
McLaughlln Includes a half interest in
the Golden Gate villa, valued at $25,000.
and personal effects worth $2,600. The
legatees are: Mrs. Louis R. McNeil, Mr.
and Mrs. W. T. Jeter, M. C Hopkins,
Fred McEachen. Eugene Johnson,. J.
Lenkun, Lena Coleman of Santa Cruz,
the last four being servants, and Mrs.
J. A. Terhune and Helen Terhune of
Newark. N. J.
The wtll ( is one of the most remark
able documents ever filed In , the Cali
fornia courts, the testament being a
defense for his crime. The will cays:
."Hon. W. T. Jeter. Santa Cruz, Cal.:
My dear, kind, patient., generous friend.
May God bless you and yours for. your
constant kindness to me. This is an
ungrateful return for all your friend
ship, but I cannot help It. I have
lived In such, a sea of trouble so long
that at last I sac madness ahead of me
If I . don't leave . this weary world of
trouble. To leave my darling child,
helpless and penniless, would be un
natural, and so I take her \ with me
to our loved one. She Is the very last
one who- could ; face this world alone.
Her*s would- be one, long longing for
our dear one and myself. I have
shielded her," as I did my dearest wife,
from all knowledge of my poverty, my.
losses, my shifts, and I have laughed
at an idea of poverty and distress, j You
are the only one who ' knows my true
condition. Only God himself knows
how I have kept up and smiled to the
world." \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0/ r \u25a0 '.
Then follows^ the disposition ?\u25a0 of his
personal effects to servrats and friends
and property to his sister in law, Mrs."
Terhune. > / '
"I have absolutely nothing- to look
forward to since E.-T. Earl boughtout
my G. W. Power stock last May," the
will states. "If Cananea, ' under the
management of George F. Hatton et al.,
is successful, I know my dear friend,' it
M. Ogorman, 212 Henney building, Los
Angeles, will look out for my interests.
If Judge Logan . is successful with : Pitt
river, through, my,;. frigid -De Sabla, ; I
know he will do right. . My dear friend,
M. J. Green, U.S.postofflce, San Fran
cisco, will . tell you : how, I was ' wronged
I in the G. W. Power company matter by I
j EarL"
Then follows , a^ list ; <of * Indebtedness
Incurred by. the major In San Francisco:
Majestic $120; Goldberg, $110: -Weniger,
$25; Hammersmith, $16; Bullock &!
Jones, $12. , \ -;- ;.,^'^SpßSH^(
"If you can save anything out of the
wreck. . after the ,'- bank is paid, please
see that Judge Hehshaw. and my friends
are repaid for burying us east.; Nearly
: all my jewelry, is,^pawned or. sold. ;']*; l
tell you this to sare, others' from; sus
i picion.- . FRANK MCLAUGHLIN.^ f.
SAN FEAST CISCO, SUNDAY, DECEMBER & 1907.
JAPAN PROMISES
TO PUT A LIMIT
ON EMIGRATION
Agreement to Prevent All
Laborers From Going
to America
TO .LIMIT STUDENTS
Ambassador O'Brien Re
ceives Verbal Assurances
From Hayashi
DUE WARNING GIVEN
Uncle Sam's Representative
Says Violation Will Cause
Embarrassment
TOKYO, Dec. 7.— There is reason
to believe that the entire question of
the emigration of Japanese to America
has i been satisfactorily settled, at
least for the present, after a series
of conferences, which have been held
between United ' States Ambassador
O'Brien and Minister of Foreign
Affairs Hayashi. It is understood that
at their last meeting the representa
tives of the Japanese government out
lined a plan by 'which it agreed
to limit emigration to students and
commercial men having. known means
of support, and to entirely prevent
Japanese laborers from going to Ameri
ca. This arrangement will* entail
the closest supervision on the part of
the Japanese authorities.
As the agreement was verbal," Ambas
sador O'Brien accepted it provisionally,
but maintained thaUany violation of its
terms would seriously embarrass a
friendly government.
It is said that Foreign Minister Hay
ashi has determined to exercise abso
lute control in the matter. *
Rodolphe Lemieux, the Canadian min
ister of labor, will hold a final confer
ence with Minister Hayashi and Baron
Ishll. December 9; when hd will receive
the same assurances in regard to a
limitation of emigration given to the
United States — no more and no less—
the Japanese government being deter
mined not to- give any written note on
the subject. . ; . i
It is understood that the appointment
of Baron Takahlra as ambassador :to
Washington will be made shortly after
Viscount Aoki leaves America, The for
eign office still declines officially to say
that Baron Takahira will b* appointed,
but there is no reason to doubt that his
selection is final.
SAT ASIATICS JHIW GO
PORTLAND. Ore., Dec t. — Working
men .of Portland organized the Asiatic
exclusion league here last night. As
yet the league is a temporary organiza
tion, but it will.be made permanent at
a later meeting. Stirring, addresses
w*re made against the Japanese, whose
immigration to this country was de
nounced as being dangerous to the In
terests of white labor.
During the week. circulars hay© been
distributed throughout the city bearing
the significant, words: "The Chinese
and Japanese must go!"
Last night's meeting is the second
step of those opposed to the - Influx of
Asiatic labor, but particularly to Jap
anese, d. M. Habyl of,. San Francisco
was one of the leading speakers. Pres
ident Roosevelt's stand on the Japanese
immigration question was attacked,
and the proposition of David Starr Jor
dsji that the two races should inter
marry was ridiculed. The Japanese
were denounced as the : most immoral
people of the world.. ,
Mayor Knocks Down a
City Councilman
SPKOIAI/ DISPATCH TO THE OAIJJ
SAN BERNARDINO, Deo. 7.— Mayor
J. J. Hanford, recently elected president
of the League of California Municipali
ties, engaged in a sensational encounter
In the business section of this city to
day with David Grosvenor, *a city coun
cilman. Mayor Hanford knocked , the
councilman down ; at the end of a short
but animated Interview; and walked
away. Grosvenor, according to the
mayor, had been in the habit' of accost
ing him on the street in spite of Han
ford's repeated", warnings that he
wanted nothing to do ; with, him. Then
when a crowd : collected GrbsvenoiV wu
Inithe habit of publicly insulting Han
ford. : Mayor Hanford had once walked
away from the councilman. '
"When Grosvenor " accosted , Hanford
today; the mayor said he did not want
i to talk with him. Vwith an oath Gros
; vetior vowed he would; talk, and Han
: f oi-d struck • him, saying he • would not
stand It- any longer, (irosvenor and
: Councilman Irving, who were elected on
they same"'- ticket with iHanford, have
persistently opposed • every "'effort *_ the
mayors has made on behalf of "the city
and have seemingly.; purposely tried Cto
' provoke him into rash \u25a0 action. \u25a0 It r ls be
lieved that political enemies of the
mayor are .behind.t he ; councilm'en.
Dargie and His Newspaper the Vehicles
for Plundering Public in Alameda County
Dargie of the Oakland Tribune
Early Sunrise Saves
Thieves Five Years
Sentences of Brothers Are Cut
in Half Because Crime
Was in Daytime.
LOS ANGELES, .Dec. 7,-^-Because the
syn. rises early .In Augu/t and is sup
posed 'Jt-O have : appeared : before * they,
robbed "* "< Pasadena; home, making it a
second degree * crime, John Crawford
and Charles - Crawford, ' ;his :• brother,
partners In thlevery t will.hay** to serve
only five years each in Folsom prison.
Both • pleaded guilty before Judge
Smith and admitted 61 burglaries dur
ing a systematic looting campaign: of
four years. Had they, been caught ten
minutes earlier when . they entered the
home of. F. N. Foss. and before the rim.
of the sun's dice peeped above the hori
zon .they would have been : sentenced
to state prison -for ten ; year terms,
the court told them.
While the guilty brothers stood at
the bar of justice their parents, wives
and children of each sat silently near
them, but refused to weep. When sen
tence was • passed the gray haired
mother; still tearless,, moaned aloud In
ageny and had to be led away. It was
a pathetic scene that affected even the
prosecutors and choked the voices of
officials hardened to . scenes of grief In
many years' dealings with criminals.
Joe Cannon, if Toiler^
Woflld Join Union
But Would Hold His Might to
Vote Without Direction of
Labor Leader
"WASHINGTON, Dec 7. — Speaker Can
non today expressed <his sentfments to
ward; organized labor and Its; leader,
Samuel - Gompers, . wl^ respect* to . the
latUr's campaign for his (the speaker's)
defeat, the occasion being a call on him
by. » oomrixittee from the local union
of plate printers. : A set of resolu
tions I commending the speaker/ for his
legislative "work in 'i behalf, of the plate
workers wu presented. by the chairman
of . the* del egatlon, ' Charles T. Smi th.] -
Speaker;:^Cannon, said that -while} he
bore no enmity toward the ., president
of the American federation of labor,- he
did ; not believe that union men as
American cltlrena* would ever accom
plish, as dictatorship 'over their votes;
that If he .were a craft worker he would
ally, himself "with a, trade union, but
would hold his -franchise above -the
rlghtof any s leader to "direct. He paid
a : high ' compliment \ to \u25a0 the '_ ability of
Gompers as an' organizer. , He said he
knew that In some things Gompers mis
represented^ the • 2.000,000 men compos-.
Ing .tie .organization^ wh Jch he ;' leads,
and that , he \u25a0 (the j speaker) had proved
by appealing ; to the •• people from Gom^
pers'- arrs-lgnment of , him. 'He said that
In " his latest j re-election there was cast
for him o?*farger \ union labor vote than
ever before In his political life.' and that
he took this as : a' decisive verdict. ;.•
TTORIiD'S : SUPPLY OP COTTOX
\u25a0:.- - NEW,; ORLEANS. * Dec 7.— -Secretary
Hester's statement ; : of \ the I world's vis
ible I supply sof cotton shows, a \u25a0 total of
4,023,155 T bales'; against 3,815,770 ;Jba1es
lastjw^lc. Of ; this_ the 'total of \u25a0Ameri
can i cotton •is'c 8,171.279 .bales, against
3.ol4,B9^balesflastlweek..
Postmaster at Alema
Stabbed by Robber
Store Keeper Mortally Wounded
in Fight With Masked Mam
Who Manages to Escape
SPECTAU DISPATCH TO THE GAlij
S? AN RAFAEL, Pec 7.— His refusal to
throw up his hands when ordered to do
to by a. masked robber may result In
the death of Postmaster Antonio . Mar
tenelli. of Alema, who was stabbed four"
times in .the body while grappling with
a. desperado in his store this afternoon.
Martenelll was alone when the robber
entered with a pistol and ordered him
to : throw up his .' hands.' Martenelll
sprang at the robber's throat and bore
him to the floor. Martenelll succeeded
In getting hold of the thug's revolver,
but before he could turn It on his as
sailant the robber- drew a knife and
plunged it four times Into the postmas
ter's back and breast.
Martenelll had nearly $7,000 in the
store safe at the time,' but this money
was'not taken. The cries of the wounded
man : were heard •by his . brother, O.
Martenelli, who hurried to the rescue,
but the robber escaped. The sheriff and
a posse of citizens are searching - the
country for the highwayman. Martenel-
H*s life is despaired of. • The robber
wore blue . overalls and jumper.
Two Prospectors Find
Gold Under Cabin
Cellar of Dead Indian's Home
We/ds $1,500 in Coin
to Searchers
" SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE OAIX
t- AL.L.EGHANT. Dec : 7.— Tom Chambers j
and Mike Walsh, two prospectors, dis
covered ; $1,600 in gold buried beneath
the'.fioor of an old cabin on- Mount Ma
riah yesterday and have : brought their
find to :this town. The men were given
inf ormatibn several days . ago v that an
: pidi Indian who ' formerly occupied the
: cabin.' but who has been dead a number
I of ; years,' was computed • to be
| considerable .wealth. They, decided to
I investigate* and left the cityeariy yes
terday morning for that purpose.
v'After searching ', almost the entire
day they found a can in a'corner of the
cabin : cellar which ~ contained the . coin.
They, think . that \ there is more . money
in- sthe5 the [placet and will" continue , their
search. J\ _
DEATH CHEATS X SECTION \\
EMPLOYE OF FORTUNE
Greek .Who Inherited Estate .Recently
Succumbs to Injuries Re
ceived in Collision
SPECIAL DISPATCH sTO THE CALX*
SAN RAFAETj, Deo.\7.-^Martin Zoppi,
a ; : Greek ; section|employe of ,the North
western "c* Pacific *: railroad, .who r a^ few
days 'j ago i fell : heir "i to la' small fortune,
died ? today [of = concussion ' of \u25a0 the brain.
Zoppi -'had 5 struck • head r- foremost 'on > a'
.boulder,.' in -jumping^ f rozp Ta i handcar
near;Marshalls < statl on. gg^^^^|^BHißi
".:rA"i special ' train i conveying Roadrnas
ter J7 H.\Ughes,* ln'charge of Conductor
R: P. : Clark and Engineer Hl gby,; struck
the handcar, on : which \u25a0 Zoppi i was riding."
Zoppi' and ; Robert <Groening," v a * section
boss;' jumped ;' and "both ,; were \-_ injured.
Eye witnes3e«'_say^that ;had>the a men
remained Jon", the handcar, neither, •would
havei'been iinjured.'i as,~the 'train was
runhingryery slowly.; S
First-Chapter in Career of Man
Who Is; Evil Genius of Cdmmimit}*
Rapidly Outgrowing Inherited Honestyjribunes
I -Editor Becomes the Apt Pupil of Moffitti
The worst thing that ever happened to Oakland and Alameda
county was William E. Dargic.
. If Dargie had never controlled a newspaper Oakland and Ala
meda county might have endured him indefinitely; he would have
been a rascal means to make rascality effective or profitable,
a burglar without tools. Through his newspaper, the Oakland
Tribune, Dargie • became at once and has been ever since the . evil
genius of his community.
The Gall has carefully and painstakingly investigated the public
record of Dargie. Today it begins/the publication of that record. This
publication will be continued from time to time until Dargie and his
Tribune are generally known for what they really are — the man as the
advocate and associate in villainy and in profit of the political and
civic corrupt of Alameda county, and his newspapenas the organ of
graft and the tool and weapon of public plunderers.
William E. Dargie began life "at the'
foot of the ladder."' So did Jack Shep
pard. Yet if an indictment were
sought for Dargie hejcould not be
classed among triose "higher up." His
Venality; is of the Lonergan and Box
ton caste.'and is parasitic rather than
predatory. His function is 'to* take
bribes; not to give them.
OUTGROWS HONESTY
may have been the (po
tential moral tendency of the Dargie
entity, at the inception of its "career,"
it cannot .be denied that the nascent
journalist fulfilled in- that formative
stage .the necessary requirement of
every "self made" man. -He was poor,
and presumably . honest— his poverty
having been thrust upon him and his
honesty -conferred temporarily by
hereditary .transmission. How' he
overcame the handicap of poverty,
and how" he" outgrew his hereditary
instinct comprise\the sum arid sub
stance of.' the life history of the gen
eral.; manager and putative owner of
.the Oakland Tribune. It is x also a
large and conspicuous chapter in the
Newgate calendar of Alameda county.
Thirty- two years ago William E.
Dargie was learning to "set type** in
the office of the San Francisco Bul
letin. 1 Occasionally he . was "taken
from the case" to. fill an assignment
as ' a reporter.- One' or- two of
these odd jobbs* at reporting attract
ed the attention of George K. Fitch,
the owner of the Bulletin, who sug
gested that if young. Dargie desired to
make -journalism -his profession he
would - find ' an education admirably
adapted to that purpose and wholly
essential if. success were to be
achieved in that direction. Mr. Fitch's
advice was meant kindly enough, for
he was a kindly man and charitable.
He " certainly, intended that his inter
est in the apparently honest and am
bitious young man whom, he thus
adopted as his protege should be pro
ductive of good results. That his in
terest was misdirected and that he
misjudged the r object of his benefi
cence must not De laid to the. dis
credit of ,the editor of the Bulletin.
How could he lift the murky veil be
hind which lay the future of William
E. Dargie? * ;.;;: -
. .So it happened. that Dargie "took a
course,"., or : began a course at
the State • University, . intending to
i return \ ' and his .way up"
on-"; the {I Bulletin. : The ," facts, or
something . equally . - potent, ordained
otherwise; and thehonestly conceived
efforts of George K. Fitch were
balked almost at Xtheir inception.
TAKES THE SHORT CUT
While Dargie was; trying, to lay the
basis of an . education that should fit
him for • a place in 'honest journalism,
he • learned that the Oakland Tribune
was .for- sale. The Tribune at that
time .was "owned- by .Ben Dewea, and
supported ' chiefly, by a subsidy from
the) Central - Pacific *" railroad corpora
tion.'/ Dewes was /dying of consump
tion; • but ;\u25a0 the subsidy -was healthy
enough to. begets a progeny that
aided ' in the support \u25a0 of >the Tribune
from -that -day 1 to this. The price of
the paper was small— just sufficient,
it is said .to carry Dewes to the tomb
and pay. the funeral • expenses. But : it
was v beyond .the " purse ' of" Dargie,
whose • was still insistent; and
whose "honesty had not yet been
tempted:- -He. determined^ however,
to possess ; himself "of ; this Voppor
tunity" and .take his chances in jour
nalism without^ the; assistance of the
education,; that. 3 had \ been advised by
his 5 friend /and 'benefactor, George K.
Fitch. .< Perhaps \u25a0Dargie's perspicacity
wasrWeener , than., that'^of the honest
editor) of the •BulleUn.vand perhaps jhe
could I penetrate farther \u25a0 behind that
murky veil which shrouded-the future
of vWilliamE.- Dargie. It sometimes
PAGES 25 TO 32
happens that the agent is more clair
voyant than the percipient. Anyway,
this was, in the opinion of Dargie, a
shorter cut to success in journalism
than had been suggested by Mr. Fitch,
and he resolved to ta&e it. The "short
cut" ha* been Dargie's favorite path
in pursuit of his prey ever since, but
however short the cut it has invari
ably been as crooked as the trail of a
rattlesnake and as tortuous as the
spoor of a jackal.
Dargie's indorser* on the note with
which he bought the Oakland Tribune
from Ben Dewes were A. K. P. Har
mon and Samuel Williams. A. X- P.
Harmon was an Oakland capitalist!
who wished to launch his son in jour
nalism, and Samuel Williams was one
of the editors of the Bulletin, whol
like George K. Fitch, had taken a
personal interest in the poor and sup
posedly honest young man.
ESCAPE OF THE HARMONS
This, was in 1876. and it may bs
said that the "career" of William
E. Dargie dates from that time.
The "career" of young Harmon
also dates from^ that period, but' it
has not paralleled the career of
William E.' Dargie, who3e first essay
in occult diplomacy was to rid him
self of this unwelcome partner. Tha
Harmons have always charged that
the Dargie method of dissolving the
partnership was unscrupulous and
treacherous; but notwithstanding the
righteous wrath of these people who
had befriended Dargie" in what was
deemed his honest need, those fa
miliar,, with the transaction are in
clined to congratulate the Harmons
on what they ought to consider a
most fortunate escape from complicity
in the servile and mercenary enter
prises of William E.' Dargie.
On the other hand, it may be urged
that young Harmon would have se\-
ered the unsavory connection of his
own volition as soon as he discovered
the character of the person with
whom he had become associated. The
incident is mentioned only as show
ing the early tendency of Dargie. In
gratitude is a commonplace defect of
human character, and it is perhaps th»
least of the crimes that can be charged
against Dargie. In any event, this
episode is buried deep in his past^and
completely overwhelmed by a mass of
mottled ' iniquity that has involved a
dozen -dynasties of corrupt politics
and malodorous civic administration
in r Alameda county during the -.'32 "
years of the Dargie regime.
It wotdd be unfair to lay all the
blame of Dargie on Dargis. It must ,y
be taken into consideration in - re- '
viewing the career of the manager of
the Oakland Tribune that he/was very
poor in those days — his poverty was
even more pressing than that
which lay upon poor Lonergan
when he accepted the bribe that
scorched his soul to a cinder
and buried his integrity in in
famy. Dargie was like the hungry
apothecary of Mantua whom sharp
misery had worn to the bones and to;
whom the . world afforded no law to",
make him rich — his poverty rather
than his will consented.
INTO CORRUPTION POOL
It may have been .that it was to
appease : his poverty rather than to
serve his will that Dargia . entered^
upon a career so diametrically- in ojhT
position to that which had. been ad-J
vised by his kind friend George K.i
Fitch. It must be remembered^ too,
that '[ Dargie never completed his'cdu-]
cation, as prescribed by the scholarly^
editor of " the Bulletin. Not that edu-5
cation would have saved the con--;
science of Dargie; from warping arid!
shrinking, but if he had " persisted in"
t his college course ? instead of plucg-;
Continued on Fage 31, Column - 1