Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1885-10-06
A "EERsT CITIZEN"
A "eiI-known SAN Francisco
Eype Shown uy.

Arthur McEwen, in his week.,
letters to the Sacramento Bee, con
tinues to belt the hypocrisy anG
rottenness of San Francisco; h,
says:
Speaking of Van Ness avenue
saw this morning one of the resi-
dents of the locality in heated
argument with the keeper of a
house of ill-fame on Dupont street
l stood and listened to the squabble
and learned that the woman rented
a house from the gentleman and
wanted him to repair the sidewalk
as it was in a bad condition, and
her customers were in danger of
breaking their necks when passing
along it late at night. The old
gentleman was about 60 years of age,
of medium height, rather stout,
clean shaven, wore suit Of broad
cloth and silk hat. He was of
the class that is introduced at pub
lie meetings as one of our best
citizens, gentlemen y He lives on
Van Ness avenue, and has family
of grown-up children. sons and
daughters. On Sunday l have
seen him, with prayer-book in
hand, step out of his carriage, and
with his wife lead his family into
the church; looking so pious that
no one would believe that in the
middle Of the week he would be
engaged in a squabble with a pros
titute about putting in a sidewalk
in front Of bagnio but such, I
am sorry to say, was the fact.
He owns the property where this
woman has her net, and where
numerous other poor abandoned
creatures ply their shameful trade.
If he rented his property to re-
spectacle people he would probably
receive about SIS a month for each
little shanty, but as it is he receives
probably $40 or $50 month rent
He takes his share of the wages of
sin, and is the better enabled to af-
ford a pew in one of our fashion
able churches. He is a follower Of
Christ, to all appearances, but he
would be very 10th to say to the
harlot go and sin no more" If
she did his notify income would
be considerably decreased, He
stood there at 10 o'clock in the
morning haggling with the woman
about the sidewalk while the aban
doned women on each side with
their heads and shoulders out of
their windows made ribald jests,
which affected him about as much
as a dash of water on the back
would affect a duck. He was too
busy trying to pursuade the parsl
monious prostitute that the side |
walk would last for some time yet
to bother about the jokes fired at |
him. That was one of our first |
citizens. That was one of the fell |
lows who block the path of progress
and prevent all improvements in
our beautiful city. That is one Of
the fellows who cry out for economy
in the municipal government He
does not want any new streets laid
out, any crossings made, or sewers
cleaned out. All he hopes for is
that the prostitute may do a good
business SO that he may receive his
rent regularly, and be enabled to
90 to church and worship in peace,
without being disturbed by the
fear that Miss Cora" may not
come up promptly with the rent on
The first citizen sits on
The stomach of this city like an
lndigested dinner.
1t is not the Kearneys, or ODon-
nells, or that kind of trash that
make sandlot demonstrations or
socialistic meetings in San Fran
cisco, but the first citizen and his
theory that the first great end of
nan is to accumulate riches and
grind down every one else to fill his
,wn pockets. [ forgot to say that
when this delectable representative
If the upper classes in San Francisco
lad finished squabbling with the
prostitute about the sidewalk, he
ook out of the pocket of his black
rock coat placard with ITO Let"
,rintad on If and nailed it m on