Show 40 IMMUNITY FOR RUEF From hints that have bae been let fall by Prosecutor Heney Hene it seems possible that In return for testifying against Patrick Calhoun and some other emi eminent eminent nent citizens citizen of San Francisco who are accused of giving bribes Abe obe Ruef Huet the arch arili ar h conspirator and criminal is isto Isto isto to be given gien absolute Immunity The Herald has heretofore expressed the opinion that the man who gives a bribe is as bad as the man who accepts a bribe or worse We have said that in inmany Inmany Inmany many cases the man m n who takes bribe money does doea so 00 because of some press pressing pressIng ing lug necessity because he sees in the dirty money escape at least temporarily temporarily arll from an extraordinary embar embarrassment embarrassment Nor Is there any reason for changing our view on these matters In com corn common common cornmon mon justice it should be beI I pointed out though that Ruef Ruet is 15 no ordinary or ina bribe bribo taker He is in no sense sen a victim of circumstances He is on n the con eon contrary contrary a criminal of an unusually unusual braz brazen en type type He Is a creator of the cir circumstances circumstances circumstanceS that have led to his arrest and his confession of guilt Piece by piece and bit by bit he built up the most elaborate machine for municipal corruption that this country has ever seen He was as a unblushing and as impudent In his criminality as though ho were vere conducting a business that was perfectly legitimate The man was born with criminal In Instincts instincts instincts He went Into politics with a aview aview aview view to getting money out of It IL Whether er he got the money honestly or not was ot of the smallest importance to him Indeed from tram his hl hi actions fl a he ha h actually preferred the unclean n to t the th clean II It I ItIs Is entirely probable ble that the thet t pliant tool to l of ot Ruef Ruet R ef was w t honest In his instincts when Ruef discovered him He had a chance to make a great name for himself and it is impossible to be believe believe lieve that in the beginning he did not want to do so was of a weak weaker er personality than Ruef though after the first few false steps he need much coaxing to take many more And toward the end the figure of was more admirable than the figure of Ruef if the word admirable can be used in InthIs this connection at all Perhaps it would be better to say that was less despicable At least he had the courage to stand by his pals He faced a prison sentence without betraying them and he has never made a confession Ruef Thief on the theother theother theother other hand chose the cowardly course When the end of his rope r pe was reached he betrayed betra ed his associates in the hope of saving saYing himself Of Ot all the San Francisco conspirators offenses ara are the blackest if it there are degrees in their guilt he is the guiltiest He thoroughly deserves to go to the penitentiary for the bal balance balance ance of his days It I he Is s permitted to go scot free even though he lie pur purchases purchases purchases chases his freedom at the expense of other men much of the value of the San Francisco crusade will be lost |