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THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL \ -AN ■ INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER-THE '■ PAPER [OF AUTHORITY" FOUNDED DECEMBER 1, UM "■ W. : 'Ww'CH A ; PIN, 'Publisher * .'■)' U.S. Attorney John L. McNab i I United States District Attorney McXab is at least as well known in this city as his superior officer, Attorney General Mcßeynolds. He is far better known than Secretary of Labor [William B. Wilson. His personal word is just as good among the people who have known Kirn since boyhood, as that of Mr. Secretary Bryan or Mr. I'resident Wilson. , -.. • The startling assertions made by Mr. McNab, and given as a reason for his resignation, are either true or not true. It is not within reason that Mr. McNab is mistaken. If he has made untrue asser tions or is mistaken In his statement his character and reputation will be very seriously damaged. No one who knows him will believe that he is not telling the truth as he sees it. . They ' can confi dently assume that as to facts he is sure and as to conclusions that he is accurate. Mr. McNab is not to be dismissed with a sneer by Mr. Mcßeynolds, with an evasion by Secretary ; Wilson, nor with a contemptuous' snub by Presi dent Wilson. - ; „ •:, This public is itself too well informed as to the Diggs and Caminetti . cases not to be . confident that Mr. McNab's position as to these cases at least is just. John L. McXab is < honest, * capable, fearless. The public of this state, at any rate, will demand on his behalf a full, free, clear and convincing answer to his charge, and will be satisfied with no other. Irreparable damage will be done to President ilson's future here if Mr. McXab's statement is not fully and truthfully answered . The Diggs-Caminetti Case i ; Deepest sympathy is felt in this state for Commissioner of Immigration Caminetti on account of the position in which he is placed. No one can blame a father for using every ounce of influence he possesses, in favor of his son who is charged with an infamous crime. The public does blame and is indignant with any public officer who will allow his public posi tion to be used for private advantage, and against the interest of justice. _*■;/. / - ,■ The wrath of the public with such prostitution of public office in the past is the chief cause for the sometimes extremely radical legislation of the present time. - ;.;■-' , The details of the Diggs-Caminetti case are too familiar to call for repetition. Both of them were married men of good social position, and they corrupted two young women who were exception ally well educated and well brought up. These two men left the state with the women, but were almost ■; immediately arrested and in dicted. Judge „ Herrington's statement summar izes the cases fairly. The federal officials were ready to proceed and were stopped by the Depart ment of Justice, save the mark! Does any one suppose that if political and per sonal influence had not been exerted to the utmost that any such stay of prosecution would have been made?. Judge llerrington, who is himself a special prosecutor of the Department of Justice for the prosecution of violators of the white slave law, is even more forcible than Mr. McXab in his ex pressions of indignation at, and denunciations of, Attorney General Mcßeyuolds' acts in this case. lie declares that the explanation that Diggs' and Caminctti's acts were merely an escapade is be neath contempt, and the evidence is overwhelming that they were guilty of an atrocious crime. There is not a scintilla of reason in law or jus tice why these cases should be postponed, except that delay possibly might result, as it so often does, in the disappearance of essential witnesses. They should be proceeded with at once, without tiny delay. \ ; ;; The Western Fuel Cases IS The v Western Fuel cases involve accusations of fraud worked upon the federal government only paralleled in recent years by the sugar fraud cases. Eight officials and employes of that com pany were indicted in February/; The indictments •were voted alter an exhaustive investigation. The investigation was first started several years ago. li was revived and forced to a conclusion by Dis trict Attorney McXab's insistence. ■The indictments charged conspiracy. The alle gations- as disclosed to the public were ■ compre hensive. They were unusually complete. Specif ically, the indicted coal men were charged with defrauding the ; government ' out of customs duties and rebates by short weights'; with doctoring [ scales and with bribing steamship employes.- ; ' y : . The grand jury which returned the original 1 indictments concluded ' its term of service and was discharged. The grand jury which succeeded it supplemented the original indictments with other indictments for each of the accused officials and employes of the so called coal trust. District Attorney McNab announced that he was ready to go to trial immediately after the in dictments were returned. ■' Attorneys for the de fense requested delay, which was granted by the court. After Attorney - General Mcßeynolds took office, trial was delayed to enable him to investi gate the complete record in the case, which, on his demand, was sent to Washington. '. District Attorney McXab says that after his Scrutiny of the record Attorney ; General Mcßcy- THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, EDITORIAL PAGE, JUNE 24, 1913 nolds told him that there was a clear case against ail the defendants, and no reason why the prose cution should not proceed. That assertion has not been denied nor explained by the attorney general. : .- Subsequently counsel for two of the defend ants, • Bruce and Smith, requited postponement of • trial on the ground that he must necessarily ab sent 1 himself on important business. He went to Washington. After his visit there McXab was ordered not to proceed with the prosecution of Bruce and Smith. "' "- ■■ One month ago the attorney general was con vinced that there was evidence enough to warrant ,-; trial " and a conviction. Then he changed his mind as to . the advisability of prosecuting two ot the defendants. Finally he decided that the prose cution should be postponed until autumn. All the defendants were indicted by two grand ! juries. The California district attorney and the federal court are ready "• to submit the indictments to trial jurymen. -■• . Has Attorney General Mcßeynolds changed his mind about accepted court procedure? Has he decided to substitute his own judgment for that of a trial jury in determining the guilt .or inno cence of the accused? If ■he has so determined, why ? Those questions must be answered fairly and unequivocally before the California public will transfer its confidence from District Attorney Mc- Nab to Attorney General Mcßeynolds. 11l Attorney General Mcßeynolds may v ; have -",. thought he could dispose of John L. Mc- Nab with a sneer, but the sneer shows that Mr. Mcßeynolds is a smaller man than Mr. McXab. "A republican district attorney has resigned and I am shedding no tears, was the first com ment of the head of the federal Department of Justice when Mr. McXab's resignation was brought to his attention. ', . - Evidently Mr. Mcßeynolds thought he ; could belittle Mr. McXab before the American people and get away with it, but Mr. Mcßeynolds him self does not yet enjoy public confidence to that extent. Mr. Mcßeynold s next : sarcastic remark was to the effect that Mr. McNab was ''working poli tics. '' though it would be hard to see what kind of politics Mr. McNab- is trying to work if his charges are not true; for if untrue they would react both on him and his party, and Mr. McXab i< not untruthful. [■" Finding at last that neither sneer nor sarcasm produced the desired .result. Mr. Mcßeynolds at last ' says "there is every intention of prosecuting .these cases." v- »i. ; ; Jf this last statement is not a falsehood Mr. Mcßeynolds should give a satisfactory reason for his' present 2 orders stopping proceedings. Mr. Wilson's Excuse Doesn't Go 111 Secretary .Wilson says the attorney gen < ! eral postponed trial in the Diggs-Cami netti case solely upon his request, and that he | alone is responsible for the postponement. I He is not. One cabinet officer can not shift nor assume responsibility at will.J The responsibility is not that of Secretary Wil son. who knew little or nothing of the case except j what he had been told by interested parties. The responsibility is by law and in fact upon Mr. Me- j Reynolds. Assume, what is not so', that Secretary Wilson i is responsible for the delay. , If he is, the excuse j he offers is too thin. ■ •• . j The public will not accept it. They don't be-j lieve it. ~ . - "■■■ . ■ ■ ■ . . ' "• - r - Secretary Wilson dodges and trims, lie says it is nothing unusual for the district attorney to grant postponement of trial when an immediate trial would seriously ; inconvenience either party. ; I Granted. _ Who would ;be inconvenienced in I this case? Not the federal government, which was and is ready; *not the attorneys of Caminetti and : Diggs. The only person inconvenienced would be, I Commissioner Caminetti, who is not a party to ; the case, and who, presumably, is now sworn to do his duty in bringing to justice such malefactors as his own son. ; Will Secretary Wilson maintain that when the son of a man holding high public office is charged with serious offense ~ against the law, which that official is sworn to uphold, the son is entitled to delay on the father's account? ' ■ That is obviously Secretary Wilsons reason- , ing. If he has no keener, clearer perception of his public duty he should leave the : cabinet. i - V-Purely;* in the interest of the public service/ which Secretary Wilson gives as his reason for causing the postponement of the Diggs-Caminetti trial, in his mouth sounds hollow and false. Politics, Pull, Rich or Poor I .What, influences have been exerted to differ entiate the Diggs-Caminetti and the Western Fuel company cases from others that - have been developed and disposed of by the Department of Justice in this district? The grand jury which re turned the original indictments against the coal *"-"" ■'•:-"'- k 4? • * i -i ■ \ '" • r i trust officials and employes has passed out of ex istence. : ;;-/' : , - . ■ - - •-. . Indictments returned by that grand jury in other fraud and postoffice swindle cases have been tried. The accused 5 persons have been convicted and are paying the penalties imposed upon them. Baker, the bank defaulter, is in prison. vile pleaded guilty. There were no important finan cial or political influences exerted on his behalf. r- v. \" •■ ■■ ■ . •■»;... ■- v ■■• ■;■ . - ■ .<■■■■■ Mr. McReynolds Sneers FERRY TALES LINDSAY CAMPBELL is an uc-umulatlon of I HERE is an accumulation of brickbats. , , « "Can you tell me," writes a Ferry Tale reader from Alameda, "why the -Southern Pacific only runs one car now on a great many of its trains to this city?" "I -would loko to know," writes a commuter from Berkeley, "what we have done to the Southern Pacific that we get only one car now on alternate trains during the day? It has a " No Smoking*' sign in it. They stopped us smoking on , the .ferry, boats In the vi cinity of the automobiles, which are placed : - where the smokers prefer to travel. Now, if we. art .unlucky enough*: to get one of these abbreviated trains we can't smoke on the train. How .about it?" ' .' 7 • ""^ ; . s X^pi^ © °:" ■ : : • The electric service of the Southern Pacific has been placed, recently, in charge of an expert in electrical trans portation, and I am told that this is one of the first r manifestations of the new broom's activity. Shearing off one car V may, be an experiment. "-. At any rate it gives us something: to kick about and that if something the S. P. has not done quite a while on its -1.,."- - "'■■■" -■ - w w ■ .S.I*-,.:*1 *- ~ :* -. '"■ ."' ■ - •'-' suburban lines. .- ? " ;; - r r- ■;'*" ; '- , o o o The "No Smoking" sign should ; not be" taken literally. , "Can't I smoke in here?" I heard a commuter inquire - the other morning as he clitnbed aboard y the .' one car train. " . ~lp \ . ; "If you smoke." replied the conduc tor, "you must sit at the front . end of the car." Smokers are gradually finding t this out. So are the nonsmokere. The forward rush of the train causes a draft which carries the smoke to the rear end of the car. Here is a letter, or : part of'one, from a nonsmoker: : : "Since the Southern Pacific : has cut down many of its trains to one car." writes the . nonsmoker, "I have been greatly inconvenienced by the fact that although there is a sign in the car for bidding smoking, smoking is freely in* dulged in and this by permission of the train crew. 1 have *no , prejudice against the use of tobacco and prob ably would smoke if I could. Tobacco smoke, however, makes me deathly sick and twice in the last few days 1 have had to leave the train and go to the city by the Key Route. Can you tell me what the S. P. is trying to do to us?" ;\ ■ . ', ' ' • ; o o o With a thankful heart that ! the set- ; tlement of these problems is no pigeon of mine I pass them along to the South ern Pacific management. .-..'- ." -,-.- './.O ; \ o' o • - I have here one more brickbat. An Oakland commuter wants to know why the Southern Pacific and Key Route managements do not recognize the fact that ; the residents ;of Alameda county attend the San Francisco theaters in large numbers. He suggests- that, be tween 11 - o'clock, and midnight, both lines operate 1 ofr'thej; day schedule, which gives, on each, line: a boat every 20 minutes, and-makega. joint service with boats at 10 minute intervals. He also wants 6 the Key Route to use the upper deck gangways on the homeward bound theater boats, on 5 ,* which : ; the crowds carried, compare in volume with the traffic during the busy business hours. . ' ; i .•''",*"- >' ■•,-:;■ :?'':.. ■ r ' i © ',: ,, o --■",:, 0 ; V :: '■... :.::.-.?■'■:--: There may be practical difficulties in the way 'of ; changing present : condi tions but if the transportation com panies are anxious, as they say they are, and as I believe they are, to give good service, they should be glad to know what their patrons think about some of ' their efforts. [ ;.; ; f No i attorney general ordered postponement of his arraignment. '. - Two grand juries have indicted the coal trust men. The •'.■ indictments are/ not the result of the ■guessing of one set of men. They are the result of the cold deliberation of two sets of chosen • iti/.ens. ; . * ■ - ...: The district attorney has been ready, to pro ceed for months. The attorney general of the United States is not ready to permit; these men accused of crime against the United States to incur the perils of a jury trial. Why? ■ -The public has raised no question as lo Hie ;guilt pf ;Gaminetti -and Diggs. accused 'men. The records' of the ' federal district court dis close that other defendants indicted under the white slave law since the indictments against Diggs and Caminetti were returned have been tried, convicted and are now serving their sent ences. Earl Fullerton, indicted two months after the arrest of Caminetti and Diggs, is now serving a sentence of two £ years at San (Juentin prison. L. Yannuchi. indicted by the federal grand jury under the white slave law about six weeks age. lias been tried and convicted, and is serving a sentence of ! one year. ;. ; ; ';'/.: The records of the federal district court show' : that neither political nor financial influence has been brought to bear to delay the trial of any in dictments returned by the last grand jury- except the Western Fuel cases and the Diggs-Caminetti r .■:■■;■■.".■;.".■■:■,7; ■', ■; ,,, *-i->■•"■■■■■■.■ ■■'-',■■■■ '■'■'' ■■•■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■ ■•■ ■■•■ • ■■'■"■ ■■■■■' 'white; slave 1 cases. . • '. Xo other defendants have been able to reach the attorney general's office. Baker is in prison. So are Fullerton and Yannuchi. They have no friends in high office. They have no money. The ■■■■ .■ .■*■■.. ■ ■ ~.r ■;*•■' i. ■■■■■■.■ ;~' ■■"■* ... v." »..■■'..■■■ '._■... ; ■■■■■■ ■.. , '■-~■> ■■■■■'■ r :•■■ ■. ,■ ■■■ .>:■ .■ "■■■., administration is not indebted to them. They are just convicts now. They wear stripes. They an swer to numbers. .'Attorney General Mcß.cynolds. will not permit life - . ~,.-. lhe|trials' of -the'coal trust men or of Caminetti and Diggs. Xo one is stupid enough to believe that his attitude is based on anything but political and financial influence. . - Are politics and pull to stop the wheels of jus tice through the agency of Attorney General:Me- Reynolds? That question must be answered by the attorney general, and by his superior, Wood row Wilson; president of the United States. fgjpAncUiow about,the poor|and^friend!ess?/.rHo\v VOICE OF THE PEOPLE -■ » Sense and Nonsense Editor '; Call: In reply to an editorial In The Call recently in -regard to the killing of seven women of late by au tobiles', would say that it would'be' a good idea for those who put themselves in danger . by crossing, the street to carry - small dynamite - bombs so -; that when they : got killed they would • blow up the automobile ana. contents at the. same time. I would al.«=o suggest; one or two subways in Van Xe&s avenue and ' Market T ,'stretrt ft .' or temporary bridges the same as they had in New York at Pulton street and Broadway in 1870. Those carrying dynamite '-bombs,'. however, ; should Ibe compelled to carry a red band on their arm. : . :" - : ' ' .1. T. SLAMBATSKY. —«• — *. "Market Street*' Not Esthetic ; v' Editor Call: That San Francisco is awakening Ito its -importance as ' the great metropolis of the Pacific is evi denced by • its : fine class of .buildings and grand emporiums, displaying the -choicest products, from all over the world in a most attractive and artistic manner in stores and - shops that are palaces and t marvels of l beauty -in . fit tings and j appearances. ;i Yet with all .this refinement it is strange . that « a about those people who may come in conflict with, the law, and see how there seems to be one for the poor and another for the rich or the man with a political pull ? y What will be the attitude of the general public when it realizes how the wheels of ■ the car of jus tice are clogged by influence? ~ This is not a creditable exhibition of the justice of democracy, nor even of - the principles of the democratic party. We recommend to the officers of this administration that in connection with this case they ponder on the words of Thomas ; Jeffer- I son .in his -first inaugural message when he pleaded for "'equal, and exact justice to all men. of what ever state or persuasion, .religious or political.' , j The truth is harsh, justice is uncompromising , . , Mr. Me Reynolds and the : two Wilsons will, of course, remember that in such matters as trials i for white slavery at least, before they are generous lor '"humane." they should be just. • ■ Dress the Kahn Resolution H:^ As 7 for "working politics,' as Mr. Me Reynolds , says, it can best be decided ' who is doing it when it is seen if the house of representatives will support the ''resolution introduced by Congress man Julius Kahn or not. ~ . . Congressman Kahn - has introduced , two reso lutions calling on the attorney general for all the papers in the Caminetti-Diggs; white slave case, and also for those in the Western Fuel case. .-■>■ . When these papers are forthcoming, as they ought to be. the public itself can judge whether Mr. McXab or Mr. Mcßeynolds is right. . Of . one fact the public may now be well as sured. Owing to the nationwide publicity given to the two cases the prosecution to a finish of both of them must now proceed ■: to a conclusion. No administration could afford to drop these leases after all that has been said and done on both sides. ■ ' ■ • . ■ ;■■' If Mr. McXab's resignation results in nothing else thau the enforced public prosecution of these cases he will have performed a public duty at grave* cost to himself, and we look, to see a new attorney general in President Wilson's cabinet as soon as that astute politician thinks public opinion has become settled and public sentiment is satis fied on the subject. ' Wait a Minute I city beautiful like dear old San Fran cisco should be satisfied, to allow its principal thoroughfare, one of the fin ; est boulevards in the world, to be ! called plain, common. Market street. It makes a name that jar* the sensitive temperament of all esthetic people. '•■■/■ Kvery little town and village in the land if possessed of but one trading or.business place has its Market street. Let us leave the suggestive name to them and adopt , some glorious title, . some beautiful creation in nomencla tiwe that will ' linger' musically in ; the memory of every individual that ever enjoyed a promenade er participated in the revels and gayeties that give eclat and add ; popularity to our bril liant boulevard. ' ' /■' "Let the Outdoor Art league and other fashionable'clubs am favor of a city beautiful include pretty and euphonious names; for our v public - places in • their list ;of desirable' reforms, and .' start the campaign by eliminating that uncouth name and give it one that ie honorable and classical and more in keeping with the dignity and aspirations of our mag nificent metropolis. - ~' - I I suggest as a substitute for Market street, the Promenade, or Boulevard Sequoia, In honor of California's giant redwood, the most majestic tree in the world. , '\\ '■■.*": '■ ** .-••-. C. K. ; LOBBY GOSSIP Next Congress Republican Former Senator Nathan B. Scott of . i Wheeling-, - W. Va., one of the real ■ "standpat" republicans of the old 'school, is la San Francisco visiting ; relatives and incidentally regaining: hie health. Air. Scott- was for 12 years a member of , the United : States senate, j for a long time serving as chairman of i various -senate; committee?. v } "The next house of ? representatives i will have large' a j majority of repub licans as the present house has demo crats," said. Mr. Scott, at the Palace, • "and the same thing applies to the sen ate. West Virginia went republican for all offices except that of president, . and Roosevelt was the reason. Roose- ' velt is 'the reason' we have a democrat in the White House today. He split the G. O. P. wide open, and his political career is at an end. ' 'The majority of the people are ; not tin -sympathy with the democratic tariff tinkering,; and for that reason, if the J republican forces are headed by a good map in 1916, we will sweep the country. So far as 1 can judge, former Vibe President Fairbanks is the most likely candidate for president, although this is merely an opinion. "The changes in San Francisco since my last trip through with. the Taft party in 1905 are nothing short of mar velous. i was advised by dpctore to spend some months in California, and from, what I can see,, the medical men , knew what they were talking about." /-or ■■■ © © -•> ';-_ Japan Loves United States K. iijima. consul general from Japan to New' York city, who was formerly stationed in Calcutta, arrived here yes terday, en route to his new poet. Mr. lijima is known in his own country as"■•; I a progressive. He is one of the flnan |cial powers of the 'government, besides being a student of diplomacy and a cul tured gentleman of wide knowledge. ■ "Japan' regards the United States as ' its very best friend," said the-consul general at the St. Francis, where he is . stopping with his party. "Reports of . mass meetings held in Japan to protest against the California anti-alien *land law : were much exaggerated,., and in 5 many cases absolutely untrue. A few individuals tried to foment trouble, but they belong mostly to the lower classes. You have the same class here in Amer-■■'" ica—men who speak on the streets and who don't believe in law, and-order.' • "Japan will never—no, never—cease to regard this country as its friend and good ally. We- believe absolutely .in American justice and sense ■of - fair play.",. *. -'"' -■'. ■ ' '.. '.'J -'. .J_ ~ COO u^Nevada Has Great Future .. Hugh H. Brown, , general counsel for the Tonopah-Goldfield railroad com i pany, with headquarters in Tonopah. believes that , Nevada has a future sec ond to no state in the union. Mr. Brown is in San Francisco with M.B. Cutter of Minneapolis, president of the road, and W. D. Forster. traffic mana- - *ger. : The party has recently finished a i tour of inspection. •The mines of Nevada are working full blast; and the output has - never been equaled before," said Mr. Brown at the Palace, where -the party Is regis tered. "Crop conditions "are satisfactory, ■:, although we have had several dry sea-" sons. The state is being rapjldly set tled by the best class of American farmers, who are tilling the lands ac-, cording to scientific, methods. Irriga tion projects are ' under way, and ■ withJ plenty ;of ■-water Nevada can be made to blossom like ~ the rose. . \ "Stock , raising industry is not .flour ishing at present. . Lust year the raid ers sold off most of : their j cows because prices■:-were.' high, ; and consequently th? herds are much depleted." / ; .;. :-;■" i.