The San Francisco call. [volume], April 21, 1907, Page 24, Image 24

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

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SUNDAY
The San Francisco Gall
JOHN D. SPRECKELS Proprietor
CHARLES W. HORNICK. • General Manager
ERNEST S. SIMPSON \u25a0\u2666• • . -Managing Editor
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PATENT PLANS FOR MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
THE Galveston plan for the government of cities ia in. the, way
of acceptance by a considerable 1 number of the minor municipal
ities of the country. lowa has enacted a law empowering cities.
in that state to govern themselves after the manner of Galveston,
and Dcs Moines is already taking steps to that end. Kansas and
South Dakota have passed similar laws, and Memphis, Term., is
planning a new charter on the Galveston model. Houston, Tex:, is
already most successfully governed in that way, and other southern
cities are preparing to follow thdexample.
In its essence the Galveston plan means concentration of re
sponsibility, combined with simplicity. The whole city government
is put in the hands of five commissioners, who are heads of depart
ments. The mayor, who is one of the commissioners, is head of
the police and -fire departments. There is no board of supervisors
or common council as such, the legislative powers of the municipality
being exercised by the commissioners. The mayor has no veto
power.
This centralization of power has worked admirably in Galveston
and Houston. The commission took hold of Galveston after the
flood that destroyed the town, and has. rehabilitated the municipality
under the most trying conditions. , In Houston the commission has
paid off a troublesome floating debt of $400,000, paved the streets,
built schools, improved the water supply and reduced taxes. In a
word, the taxpayers got full value for their money.
Naturally the question arises whether San Francisco would not
be better off under some such simplified form of government and
centralization o! authority. The answer. is that there is little virtue
and no magic in political machinery. The San Francisco : form of
government provided by charter is good enough if it were honestly
administered. Indeed the central idea of our - charter is the
concentration of responsibility in the mayor. The charter makers
refused to consider the possibility that the mayor might be a;
dishonest man. It was the experience of the city that the long line
of mayors had been almost uniformly good. But the law makers
neglected to take note that under the old consolidation act the mayor
of San Francisco was little more than an ornamental, figurehead. It
was largely an honorary position, and the candidates were usually
chosen to provide respectability to "the ticket*." The place was
scarcely worth the attention of a man with a genius for graft like
Ruef.
Now if we should put the whole city government in the hands
of five men the result might be admirable or it might merely multiply
Schmitz by five. The last state would be as bad as the first. It
could not be worse. '
We have not much faith in patent plans of government. San.
Francisco must work out her own salvation in her own way.: This
the city seems in the* way to do, but the responsibility, cannot be
shifted to the form of government. It is often said that under out
popular form of government the people get just as good administra
tion as they deserve. It sounds true, but it is absolutely false in
practice, because it takes no account of the corrupt politics that
comes in the way of government by the people and of the people.
A municipality is purely a business proposition. Politics and
business will not mix. The Galveston commission was successful
because the candidates were selected for business and not political!
reasons. That is the way of .safety.
MAKING FACES AT THE PRESIDENT
HENRY H. ROGERS, the king of Standard Oil, hates Roose
velt, but if he were a wise politiciatrhe .would carefully conceal •
that fact. In an interview given out at Baltimore the other J
day Rogers said: "I believe that the sentiment oi the country
; will have so crystallized within a few months. that there will be
1 practically ttnanimous conservatism in the conduct of the gov
! ernment." . ;\u25a0 i
The appeal to conservatism is, of course, a direct slap at I
j Roosevelt, whom Wall street classes as a vicious disturber for pre
} suming to meddle with the hitherto game of watering
i stocks. In the same interview Rogers went on to say: .
There is more wealth in the country today than ever known before. |
I Conditions, requirements and methods of carrying on all kinds of business,
i including fanning, have so changed in recent years that general stagnation j
:,is almost impossible x today. The people throughout the country will seek
; to invest their surplus funds in bonds and other securities, and they will i
i demand that conditions exist whereby these investments will. not be subject
ifto disturbing influences, and that important development enterprises are not
i hampered by unnecessary and continued agitation. j
In the vocabulary of Standard Oil "agitation", means any ef-!
j fective interference with the Wall street game as laid' bare in all its
] naked deformity by the investigation of Harriman's methods. When
i Rogers speaks of "agitation" he means Roosevelt. BaSl
The Rogers forecast is not worth much. The captains of in-
I <lustry are poor politicians. They have never learned the game, 1 j
j and their prognosis is not valuable. Colonel Henry vWatterson,. who
I does know the, game pretty thoroughly, sized up the situation the
j other day in these words : ~ , ' .
The Roosevelt-Harriman quarrel will probably constitute a seven days'
« wonder and then make way for a new sensation. r Mr. Harriman ia i at a signal
i disadvantage. The whole. crowd of high, financiers in politics are', a flock'of I
\ sheep, weaponless, and protected only by their. wool fnd. fat. The president
I is a mig-hty man of war; : the ablest practical politician of this or any other,
j day. His resources are boundless, his ' wit '.-; keen, his , popularity - immense;
: while Mr. Harriman has nothing.; except his Jmoney? to fight .with/ "and? Mr.
\ Hearst will be able to tell him how ; impotent , money is ; with no : moral I force
; behind "it. I; do not think Mr.' Rqosevelt will seek the nomination for himself. I
: I take him at his word. . - . .. / \u25a0\u25a0"•.-. V I
If 'evidence were needed' of the quality of political wisdom de- 1
; veloped by a Wall street training it would be supplied by -the
I spectacle of Rogers talking. at Roosevelt, riot daring to mention; his
[name, but unmistakably. indicating, him as an object of hostiU^.^o
EDITORIAL PAGE
Cartoonist Bwdr's jßeyiew ofsW^ek^s News
policy could be devised that would more surely tend to arouse a
popular feeling strong enough to compel Roosevelt;/ to; accept a
third term nomination. We are quite certain that Roosevelt wants
nothing of the sort, but the Standard Oil crowd can very easily
force the game.
MR. RUFUS I JENNINGS, the Peacemaker, Js abroad in: the
land. He; leaves behind him a broad trail ; of good feeling.
He is the advance agent of prosperity, a sunburst in boots,
difftising the rosy light of peace and plenty, at a price.
"How doth the busy bee improve each shining- hour." If you
remember, it was -the late Dr. \Watts who wrote that: Our" Mr.
Jennings is the California Watts, who writes like this, for instance-
Let dogs delight
Mr. Jetmings, it is:true, ,does^not write much poetry/ but lie
distributes his^ passionate "prose in ' bales. =He vhis mission
of brotherly love) from Siskiyou ' to \u25a0 San Diego. He looked upon
Los Angeles and;saw'th^[it:w^gooid^ With^him^the olive branch
has become -an article of commerce. Take one with him or r he
will make yoii eat it. ' ; •
Mr.. Jennings comes back, to us from Los -Angeles with ;a
message; of brotherly, love/ 'The ;. papers down there— we mean
nothing offensive by "down ; there"~-are printing handsome ; articles
about : the rebuilding ,of - San Francisco, ; for which thanks, and may
thershadow of Los' Angeles^ never : grow less but ; more, until the
cows come homeland are- included^ in the census.
: Then Mr. Jennings preadies a. little sermon to the newspapers'
m ; ;his most agreeable vein. "If * papers,*' he says, "would ? print
occasional articles about goody things in other localities it would
do a world^ of good." Most and if \ Mr. Jennings ; knows
of a "good thing" anywhere ;.- he bought to > share ;it^with^his; friends^
whose* name i is j legion. 'pThen;Mr; Jennings adds, from the fullness
of his heart:: v '
; They; are ,, doing '": a large amount^of building in Los Angeles and "^are
sending up quite a nurnberi of steel frame "structures. The city has 2a! busy
*!r! r ??d 'is u majking ;r¥jyd~ stnd^^
ciation^whose annual meeting ; ,r attended; \u25a0,'was' in"a r good ffameof mind toward
thelwork^necessar^to!: build; tip? CaliforniaV and ?!•-. was?glad^toin6te?that!in
all the addresses thereiwas;a"torie of friendship 'toward "alUparts" of 'ttfe stated
{There: is still-, some] talk about s stateMiyision" down there/but j nearly every^ one
now sees that'such a proposition f is : impracticable. "/ '\u25a0' '"":'\u25a0' v *; :; . « .
Mr. Jennings is a whole peace corifefence, \yith a beHbwsi attach-:
ment. InjtheV\yofds of the'poet:i ; >v .- ; /; •: \ idf'-A'- \u25a0\u25a0 ••" --j -
?' -;.". ;. Buried , was the, blopdyvhatchet, ~ ' V ' -
n>Biiried v^SjtheTdrcadful "war; club, •\u25a0 _' . •
.Buried wereTall? warlike Vweapdns, ' • \u25a0: k v
t ,rr ,: - 'And -the war cry was forgotten. • -
\ If there is^ny;other.unrjleas^tnessUo^Uuiy^Mr."jJe^
JENNINGS, THE PEACEMAKER •
Personal Mention
\u25a0A. G. Wlshon of Fresno Is at the
Majestic.
Ezra Bowcn of Santa Cruz Is \at the
St. Francis. *;. < \u0084'
F. B. Drlsell.and wife of Boston are
at .the Palace.
Louis Pierce of Sulsun and wife are
at- the Palace. \u25a0
. C.G. Paul and wife of Pittsburg are
at the- Hotel Robins:
\u0084 Alonzo M. Conine - and wife of Troy,
N.;Y.; : are at the Palace.
Josiah Smith and ; his bride of Port
land,'; Or., are at the Hamlin.
Charles D. Ford and wife have taken
apartments at; the Fairmont. ' . \u25a0
E. T.> Abbott, a railroad contractor
from Thrall, Cal.; Is at. the St. Francis.
\ A. F..Zlpp, who'has iarge mining, In
terests at Tonopah, is, at the , St. Fran
cis.:* ' "/---;-'-; :'. .-.\u25a0\u25a0 i -;-\u25a0;\u25a0•\u25a0-'-
George Davles;'of Honolulu and fam
ily are at ;th«; Majestic They will nail
for^Honolulu ; on , Tuesday.
In the Joke World
:•• "Do you : know anything about\the
poetical fire?" asked the Interviewer.' " ,:
,\-. "I;: must confess ji that "I .do not,"
sighed 'the \ garret^, bard. '-. f'JVeryi few
poets canjafford a' flre."-^-Chlcago News.
*. "i hope , this 'time you've brought , me
matches that will light, fmy son."*' V ;
i, "Tes, mother," (said* the 'little lad;
"I've J tried every \u25a0 one."-fJ3oston Trans
script. V--'- ''.' C~ \u25a0'''\u25a01 -:'-':\\''
;^,"Mrs. Newbold ha 3 a great many dia
monds, v hasn't; she?", \u0084
\u0084 "I should say so I •\u25a0'\u25a0 Before sho goes to
the ; opera- Bhe- ;- sends for. a window
dresser.','-^— Llf c.
\u25a0 :\u25a0;',.: 'f. ?':'\u25a0 ;•» '/• \u25a0\u25a0 ; . ; -. • ",\ • .
Cobb Webbr-Dr. : jaismuth \ out ! in our
town :-: is ; ; the;, greatest - health i crank \u25a0 1
ever heard ' of.~ ' "Why," do "you ; know," he
will | never I b'uy^ any i sausages until ' he
has > tested >, every} link iWith a' stetho
.sc6pe??7;v;>" : ; -'•'\u25a0 \u25a0\u25a0 '', ; \u25a0'.] • . \u25a0 \u25a0'.- \u25a0\u25a0 . :\u25a0 ..
' « Cobb-^-Why does he .do that,
pray ?v*V - . C-aF^i^^B^M^y^aaa«pßMi
•?Cobb:'Webb^-To v hear whether they
grunt or bark.^—New York Times. ' /
L'-"vN.'' '.''\u25a0'';:*'-''\u25a0 V : '-*'i\\u0094 "*'\u25a0'' y:'' '""\u25a0 •-'\u25a0>'\u25a0•\u25a0
;* \u25a0\u25a0"\u25a0' "Here," said .the new. copy reader,
"is; a j story^ about (a' man ,; being : picked
up^, by »' a J Kansas £ cyclone »; and "carried
; six > miles.": Except ithat -, he'; bit ioff the
[end^;of ;; his tongue" when •; he fell," iio
su/fered^no .injury." ,'.,. t ,- \u25a0' '\u25a0'-\u25a0\u25a0.
1 \" All J; right," 4 replied ?.;thej,. telegraph
\u25a0editor,'3*'boil':lt .down: tol about fouri or
;five|linesfand hve- will trun^it under vth"e
head:of 'Breezy Bits.' "-^-Chicaeo'. Rec
ord-Herald. . *' -: '
THE INSIDER
Is struck by the circus display made of their
names by city- office holders and asks
some one to tell what' it means
/~"1 TUDENTS of the sign language would
Holders Of Office W confer a favor on many a puzzled San
' Disninv Names LJ Franciscan If they would only Interpret
Display; lSames k-/ tte meanlng o f the huge signs thai
almost hide the offices of several of the city and county officials. For Instance,
they should take the , lettering on .the windows of the.buildln* In McAlllstet
street near Franklin and reveal the hidden meaning.. That Is where Tax Col
lector J. F. Nichols holds forth. A row of sign disfigured show windows orna
ments the front. ."Tax Collector* I* printed thereon, but ona Is almost blinded
by the Immense glaring letters' blazoning the name of Nichols, and strangers
have been kaown to stop the passing policeman and inquire, "When does tha
performance begin V Perhaps Nichols is proud of his name: perhaps the
elgn is a warning that a property owner, or license holder who approaches
the premises does so at his own peril. Who can tell? Students of the siga
language, please answer.
Recorder John H. Nelson is more modest, but his sign, adorning tha
recorder's office, is the most striking thing in the Geary street block between
Gough and Octavia -streets.' "Ofllce of. and "County Recorder" seem to be of
minor importance. It is the name that counts. Not only Is it printed large,
but the sign dauber made sure of attracting attention by using commas liber
ally, making it read thus: "John. H. Nelson." What does It mean?
'Esthetic citizens find torture for the artistic soul in FLOmore street near
Sacramento also. There, on a elgn 20 feet long, looms the inscription. "Office
of W. H/Langdon, District Attorney." The first two words are small, Trat the
name and the position are sufficiently gigantic to frighten horses and babies.
What does It mean?
City and County Treasurer Charles A. Bantel, sometimes referred to bj
associates as "that doughnut maker," contents himself with giving: his nam«
on the windows of the bank that rent 3 some of its treasure vaults to the city.
Walk along the Powell street Bide of the Flood building, and see tt the sign
on. the window doesn't give you an idea that Bantel at least owns the bank,
if not the building. What does it mean?
In the old days the name of the office was the thing to be put large on
the sign; now it Is the name of the office holder. Still there may be soma
logical reason for the change, and It is because of this doubt that puzzled
citizens would like to hear from some of the oracles of the sign language.
p> riff A • Two interesting stories are told of the lata
Barnes UlTenas _ General W. H. L. Barnes. One concerns a
Boniface campaign B peech that the general made la
Redding. Being a diplomat as well as an orator, Barnes, who had not been
In Redding for a decade or more, sought to say something flattering, about
the town's growth. When he reached the filling in stage of his speech, he
said : "I want to congratulate the citizens of Redding on the wonderful
progress of 'their beautiful city.* When I was last here, not many years ago,
I had to putjup at a ramshackle hotel, with poor accommodations and badly
cooked food/ What do I find today? A magnificent caravansary with a
cuisine worthy of a metropolis." The compliment, won applause, and after
the meeting was over many of the auditors crowded to the platform to shake
hands with the speaker. One old fellow, with a pioneer beard, waited patiently
for his turn. When he reached the general he calmly put his hands behind
him, shook his head angrily and blurted out: "All I want to say is that you're
a white headed old falsifier. I kept that hotel."
\u25a0 " \u25a0 \u25a0 \u25a0 * • * # \u2666 \u2666
The other story deals with the special session of the legislature called to
fill the vacancy caused by the failure of the solons of 1899 to elect a United
\u25a0States senator. Barnes wanted the honor, but the compromisers passed him
by and picked out Thomas R. Bard of Ventura. The night of Bard' 3 election
Governor Gage was roused from his bed by a caller who refused to wait
until morning.- Gage opened the door and there stood General Barnes. "Gov
ernor," said the general solemnly, "you called this session to fill a vacancy.
Instead of filling a vacancy you have created one." And then without another
word the general stalked away.
Judge Spencer* S Speaking of General Barnes recalls a story
\u25a0 of another noted Calif ornlan who la gone.
LlcrlC Retaliates Judge Francis E. Spencer of San Jose. No
man ever had a more kindly heart than Judge Spencer, but he often spoke
gruffly, and only those who understood him could appreciate his worth.
The Judge had a law clerk named Collins, who took all his employer's remarks
seriously. ; This law clerk knew that when the judge was a young man hl3
father-had once punished him for some small misdeed by sending him out
on the hills to herd sheep for a month. This was a bitter memory to the
Judge,, and no one knew It better than, the law clerk. On« day the clerk
decided that' he could stand his employer's gruflnesa no longer, put on his
hat, and with a hand on the doorknob delivered a farewell address that 13
still remembered and often recalled by San Joseans. "Judge Spencer," said
the clerk, "if you had lived in the old Puritan days, you would hava been
ducked in a pond as a -common scold. You may be a fine lawyer, but you
still have the manners of a eheepherder." Before the startled attorney could
get out of his chair the clerk* had fled down the stairs, and never more did ha
venture into Judge Spencer's office.
. ' . Gossip in Railway Circles .*.
EH. HARRIMAN, who is credited
with many and varied charities —
'from opening schools and dubs
. • tor . small boys to discovering
glaciers and fissures in the frozen north
— has come to the aid of the starving
Chinese and has directed the managers
of the lines" under his control to for
ward free 1,000 tons of flour, which has
been given by the millers of the east, to
the suffering inhabitants of the celestial
empire. ~ Nor is this the sum of Harri
mah's charity. He has directed ' R. P.
Schwerin to send this free. on t ho Pa
cific , Mall .boats,: which Ms eminently
pleasing fto It will require
50 - cars : - to ;. haul the flour. Twenty
carloads have already arrived. As the
value : of, a car Is ' something during
these days ; Harriman's generosity may
be appreciated ,by ' those who will give
almost : anything -to - get a car.
The annual meeting of the Mystic
Shrlners In Los Angeles " on May 6 to
H~ will bring to the coast about 1,500
people.'; The Union Pacific office In
this 'dty has received special transpor
tation •: notices . of : 24 * trains from, the
east, -which are to arrive in southern
California', between now and May 5.
The following temples and shrines will
be, represented on. these .trains: Da
mascus •-; temple,: Rochester; Rouml and
Almas \ temples, Buffalo ; - Moslem tem
ple,;; Detroit; \u25a0_ Peoria .- shrine,; Peorla;
Omaha . shrine, Omaha; Isis temple, Sa
lina, Kan. ; "' Medinah "_ temple, Chicago;
Al Koran temple, Cleveland; La Fiesta
special ;^M<?CCa temple, New York; Is
mail;, temple,." Buffalo; /Melha temple,'
Boston, " and ~ Rajah . temple, \u25a0 Read
in/ • p "" < *fl|WfiPffii ii "HffrinwnfflrTHirt
) The I . local .railroad people expect that
a. grreatr^number .of the pilgrims .will
make a visit to this city*bef ore return
ing to (their, homes in the east.
JvThe Tehuantepec railroad, which , was
to be tha salvation of the Pacific, coast
merchant -,whd > was . in , a j hurry /for " his
goods,! is .'somewhat of a weak reed to
lean'^upon'.;' /According " to ' the_ reports
"current Z_ In the street,'- the agents r of
the \ Hawaiian-American line are . refus
ing or de r s on , the" ground that ith c road
is i now 4 hopelessly^ choked with"; freight
and 'that 'they are ; 6nly,« too ; anxious ,to
cleaf^up^the congestion. before ;tackllng
new business. .'-. . • ." . .'
, 3rL 4 E.- : ,Clute,\ who ; on [divers/occasions
3ua,s 'been "haled ' Into* court". by; some*
APRIL 21, 1907
Indignant patron of the Southern Pa
cific for haying been taxonrn off by oa»
of Clute'3 myrmidons for riding on &
scalper's ticket, stands a fair chanca to>
be the defendant in quite another kind.
of a lawsuit In the city of San Jose.
X^ r *~, he • II T ea * Xt ta * *« recorded
ttat Clute brought to his infant son
from Mexico a nice and a fitting pres
ent In th« form of a feroolous alliga
tor. Young Mr. Clute loves tMa alli
gator. He Inherits his tastes entirely
from his father. . As the alligator
seemed to b« pining for liberty, vouns
Clute let him have the ran of the gar
den. The alligator disappeared. Hunt
as they might there was no sign of the
saurian. Then complaints were heard
from the neighbors that playful kit
tens, which never scratched out the
eyes , of dogs, alao disappeared. Still
no , alligator. . Ona morn, according to
the testimony, of the elder Clute, there
appeared at. the back door of hi* rose
embowered cottage the alligator. It 3
Jaws were open and terrible hisses la
sued from Its mouth. Clute senior ap
proached: the Infuriated reptile with a
stick, which It seized In Its Jaws, and
then ; Clute dropped stick and alliga
tor into the horse trough. Clute says
that ( the saurian needed a drink and
he knows how terrible -It is to be In
the same strait. Th« home coming or
the alligator was the cause of all tho
trouble. A lady with a cat bandaged
about the right fore leg demanded an
Interview with Clute. She asked for
damages sustained to her cat by the
alligator. Her allegation was that th«
alligator, having killed the cat's kit
tens, attacked the cat mother and fast
ened its Jaws on .the cat's legs, and
though the cat tried to shake It off.
there it clung till she came to the aid
of her pet. There are other ladies In
terviewing lawyers as to what kind of
a, suit they can bring against Clute for
bringing co dangerous a reptile Into
the peace bf San Jose's gardens.
George Rujte wa« promoted recently
by the newly.; appointed general agent
of X the] Erie lines, Clyde Colby, to the
post of traveling passenger agent. ' It
is now' said that Ruple has resigned
from the service of the company. There
is a story current , to the effect : that
Colby's promotion of Rupla was not ap
proved "' by the:; general office, as" It
brought ; , along ,wlth It an i Increasa of
pay ; for Rupl e.
C. S. Fe«. pasaengrer trafflo manager
of,;the Southern \Paciflc, returned 7«*
terday from "Los JingeleM, :~ . '