The morning call., 1892-02-10
THEY WILL FIGHT.
The Proposed New Street Bitterly
Opposed.
Mission Property Owners Say 1t Is for the
Railroad Company's, and Not the
Public, Benefit.

at present before the Board of Supervisors,
for the extending of West Mission street
diagonally from the intersection Of Herman
street through to Market at a point opposite
Franklin.
To quote part of the circular converting
the meeting, "this scheme, If put through,
as every owner of property fronting on
Mission street must realize, will be instru-
mental In greatly depreciating the valua-
tons along the said line by The diversion Of
traffic from the old-traveled line of Mission
street through the proposed cut going both
ways. 1t lies in the power of the property
owners to properly organize and protest
vigorously against the measure, which will
undoubtedly injure Mission street from
Thirteenth to the bay. Mission street has
for forty years been recognized as the lead
ing outlet from the bay to the county line,
and those owning property have the right to
protest against any such thOrOughtare being
opened at this late day for the convenience
of the Southern Pacific Company"
OBJECTS OF THE MEETING.
The meeting was called to order by Chair
man George T. Bowers, who explained the
objects of the meeting He said that the
representatives of the street railway COM
panies and others had petitiOned the Board
OF Supervisors 10 pass an ordinance assess
ing damages on all prOperty-OwDers on
Mission street from Thirteenth to Twenty
sixth streets for opening up the proposed
new th0rOughfare. he understood that 1t
was not the intention to assess any owners
Of property on Mission street from Ihr-
teenth to the bay. The petitioners had
represented to many owners that the whole
cost of The proposed work would not call
for an assessment of more than IS per
front foot at the outside. and it might not
be more than 80 cents. He asked any one
present who supported the petition 70 give
the meeting his views and reasons for
tavoriDg the scheme.
FAVORS THE PETITION.
Z. Bruins said he owned property on Mis-
sion street, between Thirteenth and Twenty
sixth. lie thought all the prOpeIty-owners
between those points would be greatly
benefited by the opening of the new street.
The railroad people have nothing whatever
10 do with the petition, the owners alone
were signing IT, The railroad corporation
certainly had promised TO construct a cable
road along Mission street through the new
street to connect at the corner Of Market
street with all their other street-Cars. He
maintained that the work would not inter-
fere with the Mission-street traffic at all.
If any protest should be entered it should
perhaps be by aIencld street, which thor
oughfare might possibly be injured some
what BY the divergence Of traffic. All his
neighbOrs were In favor of the scheme, and
"a il would not Ist each owner more than So
per front foot assessment. he should support
the passing OF the ordinance by the Board
u Supervisors.
VIGOROUS PROTEST.
No other speaker being present in favor
Of supporting the petition, DTury Melone
rose to reply 10 the arguments Of Mr. Bruins.
Il protest." said he, against the passing
Of any such ordinance as a MSsion-street
pr0peTty-holder of many years standing.
trrO freg 70 hn
for the benefit OF others; secondly, the max
ing of the street is not a public benefit. and
i defy any one TO say it is. In a few years
Market street will be overcrOwded, in fact
it is threatened to become so even now.
Traffic on the side streets should therefore
be encouraged so as to divert some OF the
Market-street superabundauce on to the
parallel thOroughtaTes.
Il do not protest." he continued, against
this new street being opened up by private
enterprise. Let the railroad or any other
spectators open a street anywhere So feet
wide, but not at the public cost. Mr.. Ho-
bart owns tie Narket-street property at this
point, and he told me that to get the proper
curves los feet frontage thereon would at
least have TO be purchased. Now then this
part of it alone will, at a valuation Of $500
per front foot, total up more than quarter
OF million.
OVER HALF A MILLION.
Then with all the other expenses attendant
upon such an enterprise, say the cost will
total up way over half a million dollars.
Ihey want you, gentlemen, to improve the
railroad property at least $4,000 out of
your own pockets. If the railroad Will carry
out their scheme and accept So assessment,
releasing US from all further claims we
will pay it, but l tell you that
as there Is only about 1900 feet
frontage from Thirteenth 10 Twenty
sixth street, and an assessment at
this rate would only therefore bring some
S65,00O, they never will do ii, for I say
right here that $50 per front foot wont
cover It. No, mark my prediction, that if
you allow this ordinance to pass IL will
mean for many of you the mUrtgaging of
the property you have worked SO hard to
acquire. Many white-haired men here
present will never live to see their debt
paid OF. This powerful company wants you
TO pay through the nose for the improve
ment OF It's road, and II tEey get you in the
tangle by forcing this ord nance through
you'll have to do il, and place a burden
upon yourselves almost too great to bear"
The speaker was frequently interrupted
with bursts OF applause, and resumed his
seat amid great cheering.
MUST STAND TOGETHER.
Frank j. Sullivan seconded the argument
and protest of Mr.. Melone in an impas-
stoned and f0rci0le speech. where is
our SUPERVISORY Queried he. Is Mr.
Iaber present? No, then why not? Is he
not the servant OF the Eleventh Ward ?"
Mr.. Sullivan then proceeded to cOngratu-
late the Missiou-atreet property-owners on
having at last aYOke out of the lethargy
which had fettered them for 80 long He
thought that they all should have stood by
one another and fought for the present
selection Of site for the General Post0fice.
but they had not done So Now it looked
as if they were going TO allow this Ubiquitous
ordinance to pass the Supervisors unless
they struck Tor its killing" now. Poor"
Mission street seemed to be selected as the
victim of all the -gl0ved" element north
OF Market street. Why, amau named Hart
zell from the East had had the mpudence
to ask for a franchise for an elevated rail
road along their street TO ruin their prop
erty, as similar undertaking had done in
New DIRK. He should offer resolution to
the meeting to min the scheme in the bud"
He fully Endorsed Mr.. Meone's comprehen-
sive address, which fully embraced all the
salient points OF the matter uuder discus
sion, and protested vehpmently against the
passing OF the ordinance.
FALSE REPRESENTATION
Fabian Joost L. K. thinner, Dr. Gibbons
and NJ. Ault also spoke in support of the
protest. The latter stated that signatures
had been obtained 20 the petition by false
representation. The agents Of the petit
TONERS had stated to some of the poor
owners that the assessment would not
amount to more than % cents per foot.
Drury Melone stated that the railroad
corporation would without doubt cut the
road at their own expense, and then offered
the Following resolution, which was unani-
mously carried:
Resotred, That we, the owners OF propertv and
residents on Mission and Valencia streets are
unaterably aud iTrecOucilably opposed 10 the
granting OF franchise extending Mission street
through West Mission 10 Market as being gross.
ly unjust to US, great wrong to other owners
adjacent thereto, ana an outrage upon The public