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WEDNESDAY
City's Future Largely Depends
On the Mayor's Eastern Mission
4 "pxRING home the bacon!" was the farewell word of the board
r\ of supervisors to Mayor Rolph and $«pervisor Vogelsang
as they left the city hall for Washington.
Possibly they don't need to "bring home the bacon" with them,
that being a matter of personal choice and domestic economy, but
what they are to bring home is the water to parboil the bacon in.
in support of the application of the city for the use of the waters
The mayor, the supervisor and a party of city officials go to
Washington to make what should be the city's last appearance
before the department of the interior and the national government
in the support of the application of the city for the use of the waters
of Lake Eleanor and the Hetch Hetchy watershed for a municipal
system.
The trip is of vital importance to the city. Nearly $2,000,000
of the Hetch Hetchy bond money already has been expended by
the city in land purchases, preliminary work, surveys, litigation,
plans, estimates, expert reports, trips to Washington and in other
ways. But we have yet an irrevocable permit for the water. All
the expenditures have not been judiciously or economically made.
Henceforth, however, the magic of efficiency should be instilled into
the spirit of Hetch Hetchy procedure. With a city engineer who
is paid a big salary and is worth it, with a mayor whose energy and
business talent are dedicated to the cause of administering the
affairs of the city in the best way, with an alert and intelligent board
of supervisors, there should be an efficient and economical manage
ment of the water supply development.
Our success depends upon Secretary of the Interior Fisher and,
behind him, on President Taft. Congress should act on their recom
mendations in this matter. The president and the secretary of the
interior will decide honestly upon the application of San Francisco
and as wisely as they may.
The highest purpose to which the Hetch Hetchy valley may be
put is to supply more than a million people with pure, fresh water.
We hope Mayor Rolph and his associates will be able to demonstrate
that to the people in Washington.
THAT all private land holdings in the Yosemite National park
shall be taken over by the government and that the standing
timber shall be protected from the reckless forest denudation
of private owners has been recommended by
Lieutenant Colonel Forsyth, superintendent of
the park. All Californians should support that
recommendation. But in extending govern-
Uncle Sam's
Chance to
Spare the Tjee
ment control over the entire park area no
policy should be adopted by the national government which would
defeat the purpose of San Francisco in acquiring the Hetch Hetchy
valley and the Lake Eleanor region, within the limits of the park,
for its municipal water supply.
As former President Roosevelt said, the needs of a city for a
pure water supply are superior to any other demand which may be
made upon the public lands. To dedicate the Hetch Hetchy valley—
which, it must be reiterated, while part of the Yosemite National
park, is not part of the Yosemite valley—to the purpose of supplying
with pure water a prospective population of more than a million
people, and at the same time not to destroy, but, rather, to enhance
« t r t -11-1 J I'll. J T 1
the beauty of the valley, is the highest good to which that wonoenul
region could be put.
Apart from that, there are now in the confines of the Yosemite
park approximately twenty thousand acres of privately owned land,
consisting chiefly of timber claims. There is within the park a noble
stand of sugar pine, possibly the finest in California, and, in the
opinion of Colonel Forsyth and others interested in the perpetua
tion of Sierran beauty, it should be preserved.
The recommendation is that the government purchase the pri
vately owned lands. That is a recommendation which should be
The Cnited States government has before it the opportunity to
preserve natural beauty and advance the cause of conservation. It
should act at once, for each succeeding season will add to the extent
of the denudation.and to the value of the standing timber.
"Choir singers are married," writes the headline artist. Yes, but
they don't always admit it to the contralto.
TISTORY is full of remarkable coincidences, but none now
recalled was more remarkable than that presented by the
*• ■"• reported massing of a Russian army of 180,000 men close to
" — the Austro-Hungarian border. Press dis
patches from different sources agree on this
as the numerical strength of the force that
Czar Nicholas ,11 has mobilized in the region
. I named since the outbreak of the war between
Turkey and the Balkan allies.
Here is the coincidence: The last time Russia interfered forcibly
in the affairs of Austria-Hungary was in 1840. when Czar Nicholas I,
with an army of 180,000 men—the same as now at Austria's gates —
crossed the Hungarian frontier, "in the name of outraged legitimacy,"
as the ukase announced, and overthrew the famous Hungarian
patriot, Kossuth, after Kossuth, with characteristic boldness, had
deposed the Hapsbufgs and crowned himself king of Hungary.
This proclamation of Russia's right to interfere in that territory.
so largely peopled with Slavs, kinsmen of the Russians, was followed
by a belated offer from the hopelessly defeated Kossuth to provide a
law, through the Hungarian diet, guaranteeing the equality of all
nationalities on Hungarian soil, but the law was worthless, owing
to the helplessness of Kossuth.
Russian intervention in this case, however, availed the Slavs in
Austrian territory hardly at all. for, while it relieved them from
Hungarian oppression, it resulted in Austro-German domination.
In effect it was but a change of masters, as irksome today at it was
in 1849.
IS It
Coincidence
Or Threat?
A situation not greatly dissimilar now confronts Austria-
Hungary and that empire's Slav subjects.
Is the massing of another Russian army of the same size as that
of 1849, under a czar of the same name, only a coincidence, or is it
a threat?
city, makes an important suggestion regarding the conduct of
he municipal grand opera house which is to
:>e built in the civic center.
The league's bulletin says:
In this city there are many lovers of grand
opera who can not afford to pay regularly the
high price of admission. There is also a large
class who love music and who would be educated to grand opera, but
who do not feel inclined to pay excessively for that education. It is for
these the Convention league makes suggestion to provide, our idea
being that 500 or 1,000 scats should be reserved , (in the municipal opera
house), at a regular rate of 25 or 50 cents, for just such use.
The plan of having popular priced seats in the opera house
should be adopted. Great credit is due the public spirited and music
loving people of San Francisco, whose liberality in purchasing boxes
and seats will make possible the construction of the opera house;
but the institution will be, in a sense, the donation of the whole
The "People's
Balcony" at
Opera House
EDITORIAL PAGE OF THE CALL
Looking for a Place to 'Light
people, for most of the tax payers of San Francisco pledged them
selves by their affirmative votes on the civic center bond issue
amendment to contribute their pro rata of taxes toward payment
for the site. The purchasers, of seats receive a visible and valuable
return for their money; the tax payer receives only the reward of a
good conscience. »
The municipal .opera house must be made part of the city's life,
and in no way can that be done so effectively as by having a ''people's
balcony" with seats at a low price, where the mufeic loving citizens
of San Francisco can be accommodated in their own theater.
If some New Yorkers do know how to commit murders, the rest
of the city knows how to convict them.
to steal $53.39 or $261 worth of butter and eggs as it is to sell
a franchise. Of course, the material harm
done is not big, nor the example as evil, but
the personal intent is as reprehensible.
"Butter, Eggs
and Pound of
Cheese" Graft
oil cans from a merchant's warehouse and then go around to the
front of the store and sell them back to the merchant.
The state board of control declares that it has discovered evi
dence of the petty graft that existed under Warden Reilly and that
the former prison official has been forced to refund to the state $261
or his share of the "spoils" of the hen coop, while a clerk has
refunded $53.39.
In recovering for the state those sums of money the board of
control has done a good work.
It would be interesting to have the comments of the prisoners
who are incarcerated for larceny on the scandal of "butter, eggs and
a pound of cheese."
PERSONS IN THE NEWS
SAMUEL A PERKINS, s newspaper publisher
of Tacoma and a national republican commit
teeman of' Washington, beads a party , of
yachtsmen from the north who hare come here
to confer with Sir Thomas Lipton relative to
an international race here In 1915. In the
group are Klwood Wiles, and George S. Shep
hard of Portland. Miller- Freeman, John Gra
ham and C. W. Clinndler of Seattle. They
have apartments at the Palace.
* ♦ *
P. H. SMITH, a capitalist of Los Angeles, Iβ at
the Palace, with Mr*. Smith. He has many
fine horses training at Pleasanton and has
come up from the sonthland to look over their
condition.
* * #
EDWARD BERWICK, a rancher of Pacific
Grove, who takes an active interest in the
affairs of the Commonwealth, club and other
civic bodies, is at the Palace with Mrs. Ber
wick.
* ♦ *
JESSE WALKER, a lumber man of Humboldt
county, and Miss Walker, are registered at
the Sutter.
* * #
AUGUST STREITWOLF, an attorney of New
Brunswick, New Jersey, is staying at the St.
Francis. He is an assemblyman from his
district.
* * #
NORMAH R. WATT, a miner of I>awson City,
Is among the arrivals at the. Dale.
* # *
CAPTAIN OXAR J. HUMPHREY of Seattle Iβ
is among the recent arrivals at the Palace.
* * #
SAMUEL PARKER, a planter of Honolulu, is
at the Stewart with his son, James Parker.
* » •
T. M. EBY, secretary of the state board of
equalisation, is a guest at the Argonaut.
* * ♦
M. S. PROSSER. a business man of Honolulu,
is spending a few days at the Fairmont.
* * *
ERNEST PITBCH, a clothing manufacturer of
Berlin. Ik staying at the St. Francis.
* * *
M. B. HEIM. a husinesß man of Zurich, Switz
erland, is staying at the St. Francis.
* * #
CHAS. L. MCCARTHY, a stock raiser from Mel
bourne, Australia, is at the Bellevue.
* * *
GEORGE A. SMITH, owner of a ranch near
Corcoran, is stopping at the Argonaut.
* * *
W. A. BONYNGE, a Los Angeles banker, ar
rived yesterday at the Union Square.
FREDERICK A. BTEVENBOX, general super
intendent of plants of the American Telephone
and Telegraph company, is at the St. Francis
with Mrs. Stevenson. They make their home
■t Croton on the Hudson. W. D. Staples, who
is associated with the company at Kansas City,
is also in the party.
* * *
CHARLES P. FOX, editor of the California Oil
World, is up from Bakersfleld, and is regis
tered at the Manx. W. C. White of Los
Angeles and James M. Smith of Chico are also
registered at the Manx.
* # •
J. RUTLEDGE and Mrs. Rutledge of Victoria,
B. C. are at the Union Square. Rutledge
is a well known business man of British Co
lumbia.
* * #
JESSE W. CHURCHILL, a banker of Yreka. and
Mr, and Mre. J. p. Churchill hare apartments
at the St. Francis.
* * *
RAT T, BAKER, who was formerly warden of
the state penitentiary of Nevada, is at the
St. Francis.
* * *
ROT WELCH, who owns a stage line at Wil
liams, Cal., Iβ at the Stewart with Mrs.
Welch.
* # #
J. F, HARRIS, a manufacturer of WatsonTille,
is registered at the Argonaut.
* * *
GION W. GIBSON, a ranciier of Colusa, is at
the Stewart with Mre. Gibson.
* # *
J. LIRTCHMAK, a Long Beach real estate man,
is staying at the Stanford.
* ♦ *
J. B. CASTLE, a planter of Honolulu, is at the
Fairmont with his family.
* * *
L. J. KLEMMER, a merchant of Willows, Cal.,
is staying at the Sutter.
* * *
REV. GEORGE W. HTTHTER. of Loe Angeles, is
staying at the Baldwin.
* * *
H. L. JACKMAN, a lumberman of Eureka, in
staying at tbe Palace.
* # *
H. WHITE WICKHAM, a New York clubman,
is at tbe Bellevue.
# # *
R. MUELLER, of San Jose, is a guest at the
Columbia.
* * *
L. F. KOOREHEAD, at Loe Angeles, is at the
Baldwin.
By GEORGE FITCH,
Atrthor of "At Good Old Slwash."
HEN the architect of the universe
Whad finished making the United
States he had a large section of
material left over for which he
had no use. That was a great many
years ago. No use has been found for
most of it yet.
{This waste pile waa finally made a
state because the republican party
needed two more senators. "When It
was admitted it had 60,000 inhabitants,
of whom 20,000 afterwards escaped.
For many years there were only 40,000
inhabitants in all of Nevada's 110,000
square miles. Most of them were en
abled to exist by reason of the sena
torial contests which were held every
three years.
Nevada is a large patch of sand
hills, sage brush and alkali, tied up
with a state line and mitigated here
and there by extensive, gold deposits.
The gold in Nevada makes it palatable
like the sugar in medicine. Most of
the state is as devoid of humanity as
the moon and the man who will go
Into eastern Nevada and settle down
will have 100 miles of front yard all
by himself. When the Union Pacific
trains cross Nevada the portera lock
the -windows and pour tar in the
cracks, but even at that no passenger
gets out of the state without carrying
a full line of real estate samples with
him.
Nevada exists for the encourage
ment of prospectors, politicians, pugi
lists and bored married folks. Its out
put per year is a ton of gold, one legis
lature, a few prize-ring champions and
several hundred divorces with high
(Copyright. 1912, by George Matthew Adams)
ANSWERS TO QUERIES
NATURALIZATION PAPERS—B. C, City.
Where must oup apply for naturalization paperi?
The following courts are the only
ones that have the power to naturalize
aliens: "United State's circuit or dis
trict courts now existing, or which
may hereafter be established by con
gress in any state; United States dis
trict courts in the territories of Hawaii
and Alaska, also all courts of record
In any state or territory, now exist
ing, or which may hereafter be
created, having a seal, a clerk and
jurisdiction In actions at law or equity,
or law and equity, in which the amount
in controversy Is unlimited." In this
state you make application to either
a federal court as above, or to a su
perior court.
* * ♦
MISBIXO SHIP—W. F. S., City. Hae the
British ship Lord Spencer, which sailed from
this port about 15 year* ago. ever reached its
destination or has it ever been beard from?
That vessel, commanded by Captain
Leahy, loaded with grain and carrying a
crew of 30 men and several passengers,
sailed from this port for Liverpool via
Cape Horn, April 9, 1895. It never
reached destination, was not heard of
for a year, was registered as "missing"
and is still so registered.
WEARING CREPE—Subscriber, City. For
what members of his family ehould a man wear
crepe oa his arm, and for how long a period?
The custom of going Into mourning
for relatives is becoming more and
more restricted every year, yet th*e
men who still believe in this outward
show of grief, wear mourning for
father, mother, brother, sister, wife,
uncle and aunt. The time varies from
one year for father, mother and wife,
down to three months for uncle or
aunt.
* » *
RESIDENCE—Fred Harris, Humboldt Coonty.
Do the laws of California or the ordinance* of
San Francisco require that the contracting par
ties to a marriage shall be residents of the city
and county for a prescribed time before they can
obtain a license!
i No. * >,
The Piano
By the POET PHILOSOPHER
WHEN Paddy Roosky takes his seat
and thumps the shining keys, his
hearers cry: "They can't be beat
—such harmonies as these!" Delighted,
they applaud and laugh, and gather
round his chair, and ask him for his
autograph, or ringlets of his hair. It
Is a noble instrument, this thing of
keys and wires; when handled by an
expert gent it beats ten thousand lyres.
But when it's played by some galoot
who lacks the artist's knack, it's fiercer
than the iron boot, the thumbscrews
or the»rack. Ten million blacksmiths
daily pound the keyboard, might and
main, and every day the horrid sound
drives nervous folks insane. Such play
ers are the weirdest bunch beneath the
sun or moon; regardless of your grief
they punch the stuffing from a tune.
You may be lying sick in bed, and
longing for repose, with plaster casts
upon your head and splints upon your
nose; it matters not—piano cranks will
slam away next door, until you tie
yourself in hanks, and roll upon the
floor. Your house may be a house of
gloom, the undertaker there to take
your uncle to the tomb; and while you
tear your hair, pianos in the houses
near increase your tears and woe by
murdering poor "Golden Deer," "White
Wings" or "Jungle Joe." Of sorrows
we shall ne'er be stripped, they'll cling
like cockleburs. till all pianos are
equipped with Maxim silencers.
!^B»W~iirti. t lta, ty**:
Sure Sign
"It's almost certain that she'll marry
that good for nothing chap."
"Has the engagement been an
nounced?"
"Not yet. But they'll get married all
right."
"What makes you think so?"
"Her mother and father have both
started in to knock him." —Detroit Free
Press.
Near Wise
"Why is it that so few people seem
anxious to talk to Mr. Carpington? Hβ
seems very well informed."
"That's just the difficulty," answered
Miss Dimpleton. "He's one of those
dreadful men who know enough to cor
rect your mistakes when you quote the
classics, and who don't know enough
not to do It."—Washington Star.
Look Out
Beware of, a meek looking man or
mule. It may not last. —Chicago News.
NEVADA
•100 Miles of Front Yard All to Hlm
■elf."
class, imported principals. Reno, Neva
da, is the center of the divorce indus
try and no wife who desires to ex
change her husband after finding a
more attractive model need despair as
Ipng as she has the money for a ticket
to Reno.
NevadaTs service to the Union has
been to provide Mark Twain and Bret
Harte with western experiences, but
she is now preparing to be useful agri
culturally, thanks to the Truckee river,
whose attention has; been diverted from
waterfalls to drainage ditches. These
ditches are turning the desert into gar-
dens and Nevada is filling up with real
estate agents. It now has 80,000 peo
ple, a new railroad, several commer
cial clubs, Tonopah, Ryolite, Goldfield,
Bull Frog and some brand new grain
elevators. Watch Nevada growl
goods under <v thin cloth, while still
damp, will remove the shine.
* * *
TWO STEAMERS—T. 0.. Bay Shnre. Wbtt
haa bpoome of the steamrrH Zelandia and the
Th« former was turned into a barge
Abe Martin
Be it ever so mortgaged ther's no
place like home. Th , pen is mightier
than th , sword, unless it's a pustoffice
Pen.
NOVEMBER 20, 1912
Ferry Tales
I AM in receipt .of
a sheaf of re
quests that I
record in this col
umn the protest of
a large army of
communtera against
the grewsome ad-
vertisement installed by the Society for
the Prevention of Tuberculosis in the
downstairs Southern Pacific waiting
room in the ferry depot. '
My attention was first attracted to it
by the expression of terror on the
face of a girl as she gazed at the ob
ject of this storm of indignation. Phe
was pale and trembling, but rooted to
the spot as if fascinated with the hor
ror of It.
It is located on the east wall of the
wajting room, at the side of the big
doorway through which commuters pass
to the lower deck of the broad gauge
boats. Unless you crawl through the
doorway you can not help seeing It.
The purpose of the exhibit is to
public attention to the prevalence and
danger of tuberculosis. On a framed
card the words of warning are printed.
In the upper left hand corner is a
crimson cross. In the center an eleo
tric lamp, underneath which is a brief
statistical record of the white plague's
work In a year. And then, in letters
of black, the information: "Every
time this lamp flashes somebody in, the
United States dies of tuberculosis."
As an example of the old fashioned
fire and brimstone style of preaching,
brought up to date, it Is an eloquent
success. The champions of a material
hell, however, trusted to their powers
of description and the imaginations of
their hearers. The inventor of this
modern device for arousing attention,
if he had been a preacher of the John
Knox school, would have required a
brazier of burning coals on the pulpit
to emphasize his predictions.
"It gives me a chill," writes one com
muter, "that I don't get over until I
have reached home and mustered the
family."
"I have lost my appetite for dinner
ever since it was installed," says an
other.
"From a psychological standpoint, it
is all wrong." This comes from Berke
ley.
"It is more calculated to promote a
morbid state of mind," writes still one
more, "than to enlist intelligent sup
port in the campaign against the dis
ease."
# * »
The harbor commissioners may see it
your way and order its removal. * |
hope they will. The homeward bounrt
commuter, loaded flown perhaps with
the products of his wife's shopping
tour, needs to be cheered and comfort
ed. The end of a hard day's work is
the time we begin to look for the sil
ver lining. The anti-tuberculosis so
ciety may be very much in earnest, but
its methods are not exactly esthetic.
All of which has nothing whatever
to' do with Herr Franz Bopp's chickens
that wouldn't lay eggs. Bopp Is consul
general, representing his imperial maj
esty Emperor William of Germany. He
lives in Berkeley and is one of the best
known commuters. Some time ago his
small boy expressed a desirg to keep
chickens and the consul, who is also a
devoted parent, went out forthwith an,!
bought six of the handsomest chickens
he could find in the market.
They were installed in a scientifically
constructed coop in the consul's back
yard, and they were fed according to
the directions found in such works as
"Poultry Catering," "The Chicken Fan
cier," "Every Man His Own Kgg Trust."
"How to Make a Hen and a Half Lay an
Egg and a Half in a Day and a Half,"
"How to Keep a Chicken From Cross
ing the Road," and so forth.
But never an egg- did they lay. Herr
Bopp, satisfied from the proud appear
ance of his chicks that they were get
ting a proper ration and assimilating
it as they should, called Major Gerard
of the British consulate—another Berk
eleyan—into consultation. He suggest
ed that Henri Merou, the French con
sul general, who also lives In the col
lege town, might be able to assist.
As a result of this diplomatic con
ference it was decided that there was
only one explanation. Every chicken
had a iiiore or less gorgeous comb on
the top of Its head. Instead of cackling
In a ladylike manner they crowed
rather boisterously, and they were very
quarrelsome. It must be that they were
all roosters.
While Bopp was wondering what he
would do about it there came from the
campus, which his home overlooks,
cries of: "Give 'em the aJkl Give 'em
the ax!" It was ah inspiration, and
four of the chickens went to the head
man.
Mindful of his promise to the young
ster, the consul went forth again and
succeeded in buying six sure enough
hens. Everything would be all right
now. The youngster would be happy
and there would be fresh laid eggs for
breakfast every morning.
The roosters, however, welcomed
their fair fellow prisoners with such
outbursts of crowing, each trying, per
haps, to demonstrate his fitness for the
presidency of the little republic, that
the neighbors complained to the city
authorities, who referred the matter to
the city attorney, who found an ordi
nance forbidding the maintenance of
feathered republics except under con
ditions that the limits of the Bopp lot
would not permit.
Herr Bopp is again paying go cents
a dozen for his eggs, but by way of
consolation has the memory of a euc
cession of very fine chicken dinner*.
Young Bopp has transferred his af
fection to a family of rabbits.
XJNDSAY CAMPBEJU*
