Political corruption is nothing new
Political corruption is nothing new. Even at the local level, it can be a problem in many places — especially in larger cities.
My great grandfather, Virgil Bruschi, could tell you all about it if he were still alive. A sample of it is in his memoirs about life in San Diego during the 1920s.
Seems in 1925, a newspaper editor named Abraham Sauer of the San Diego Herald wrote an editorial accusing three city councilmen, Virgil Bruschi, Don Stewart and Harry Weitzel, of being underhanded. He called San Diego the most corrupt city of its size in America.
Like our president today, Grandpa Bruschi was not a professional politician. As a local businessman, he was well-respected for his honesty and kindness by those who needed essential supplies but did not always have the immediate funds to pay. This practice later cost him his business during a prolonged Southern California drought.
His memoirs reveal that in 1916, friends encouraged him to run for an opening on the city council. Bruschi wasn’t interested at first but later was “persuaded.” His campaign slogan was: “fair play for everybody.”
The handle-bar-mustached Italian served for 12 years, including reelection twice by a substantial majority. He got the “biggest primary vote ever polled by a politician in San Diego,” according to the San Diego Sun newspaper.
Bruschi claimed he never turned people away from his office, no matter what their stature was in life.
But Sauer’s attack triggered assembly of the county grand jury and a summons for my great grandfather to testify. In
July of that year, the jury indicted
Weitzel on charges of bribery — accusing him of accepting money for his vote.
However, Sauer was convinced politics being what they were, Weitzel would go free.
He believed the judge in the case would be on the wrong side of justice, as His Honor was from San Francisco — a place where the editor claimed corruption was commonplace. (Maybe things haven’t changed much over the last 100 years?)
The primary witness against Weitzel was a man named Edward Fletcher. The businessman was trying to sell his water company to the city. Fletcher claimed Weitzel was looking for a kickback to make the deal happen. According to his testimony, the councilman wanted $100,000 (about $1.5 million in today’s inflated money).
In return for the bribe, Weitzel would assure favorable votes from both Bruschi and Stewart.
Bruschi and Stewart were called to testify. They vehemently denied any knowledge of Weitzel’s plan and both said they had never taken money for votes.
Fletcher testified that neither he nor his business partner ever accepted the offer. Weitzel denied all accusations, but later a trial jury found him guilty of soliciting a bribe.
Sauer’s knowledge of corruption may have predicted Weitzel’s fate. Several months after that trial, an appellate court overturned his conviction holding it was not a crime for a councilman to offer a bribe — only if someone agreed to accept it.
Grandpa Bruschi, a man who always prided himself on honestly and integrity, was soured by this entire political experience. With his reputation tarnished by unfounded accusations, he decided not to run for reelection. It was reported that as he wiped his big white moustache, his parting words to other council members were: “You’re all a bunch of (censored).”
Grandpa’s last store remained in the family for several years into the 1990s.
We faithfully paid the property taxes on it even though over time, parts of the neighborhood had deteriorated to skid-row standards.
We hoped that someday our fortunes would change. But with the Gaslamp Quarter and the new baseball parked developing nearby, you can bet the city fathers had other plans.
The property, although in good condition, was seized by the city through eminent domain, reserved for a favored developer and turned into a highrise hotel.
Obviously, events from the 1920s to the present have left cynical attitudes among my family members toward professional politicians.
After reviewing media accounts regarding a relative of one national candidate allegedly profiteering from foreign governments, I think it’s probable to say that political “ethics” practiced by many of the old pros haven’t changed much in 95 years.
Nor sadly, have they evolved to a higher standard in some of America’s greater cities as well.