The morning call., 1892-08-19
ANGRY PROPERTY OWNERS.
They Make Vigorous Objections
to Being Plundered.
The Street Commissioners and Board of Super
visors Are Roundly Scored by Num-
Der Of Speakers.

A large and enthusiastic mass-meeting of
property-owners in the Mission, who are
protesting against the proposed extension of
the streets in that locality. was held at the
Mission Opera Hall last night
To say the meeting was enthusiastic is ex-
pressing it mildly. The 200 odd property
owners that attended listened to some i'm
presslye speeches against the proposed ex-
tension, In which the speakers roun Oily de-
nounced what they emphaticaIy termed
"a crooked lot OF street commissioners and
negligent Board of Supervisors"
Captain NJ. B. Taylor presided at the
meeting and L. j. Mcnamara acted as Sec
rotary.
President Taylor stated that the mass
meeting had been called for the purpose of
organizing a permanent property owners
club. and stated that all property-owner
interested in the protest should become
members.
A STRONG REPORT.
The report OF the executive committee APP
pointed to examine into the matter of street.
extension assessments was read, which
caused considerable excitement as soon
as the assembly began to understand the
enOrmity of the proposed assessments.
The report read as follows:
Your committee appointed to take measures
ana recommend action necessary and proper TO
prevent the collection of the assessments levied
by The commissioners appointed for opening and
extending Sixteenth street and az welt also
those for Nineteenth. Twentieth, Twenty-hrst
1wenty-seeond and Twenty-thlfd respectfully
report as follows:
We held meeting on the evening previous to
tne nearing before the Board of Supervisors
OF The protests against the report OF the Sixteenth
street commissioners. at which we came TO the
unanimous conclusion that the only practicable
plan is to keep the report In the hands OF the
present Board OF Supervisors until determined
enort is made 10 reduce the present assessment
from S343. 600 down 10 $4,000 or less and to
so dust the reduced assessments that locaI les
In The district distant from the extension shall
be assessed In nominal amounts only, while
property la the vicinity Of the new Sixteenth
street, while being largely relieved of its present
burden, shall still pay larger portion OF the re-
quired amount than more distant localities
When this reduction is made aud ratified by
the Board OF Supervisors, we propose that the
collection OF these reduced amounts shall be sus-
pended, by legal proceedings or otherwise, until
an application can be made TO the Legislature TO
repeal The law on which these oppressive and
lnlquiious proceedings are based. to the end that
not only shall the people in the district be re-
leased from assessment, but the property 10 the
line OF the proposed streets shall be saved from
lmpendiGg eonhseatiou by impossible grades and
nils, 10 make which VIII cost i've times the value
OF the property on which this additional burden
Will be imposed after the right OF way Is obtained
by the Commissioners.
We have Travelled over and examined the route
OF these proposed street extensions aud find that
IL Is the unanimous demand of all the properly.
owners on tn SO projected extensions that
further proceedings under the present law be
stopped-n0t only on account OF the unequal and
oppressive assessments. but also of the praete al
impossibility TO open streets on these projected
lines.
The Commissioners whose reports are now on
hle, propose TO take from the people Of that part
OF Inc city south OF Fifteenth street and west TO
the park the following sums:
Sxleenth-street Commission, S343, 900: Nine
teenth and Twentieth Streets Commission,
$4,000; Market-street Commission, $4OO. 600;
$l,0S5 900.
The assessment OF this vast sum contains no
element OF right or justice and Is much a
plllage as the plUndering Of a bank by burglars
robbers.
We therefore urge that permanent organiza-
tlon De effected. 10 The end that we may act to-
getheT In defending our property from these and
similar schemes OF pluuder
THE COMMISSIONERS DENOUNCED.
The report was adopted as read, amid
yoclferouS applause. after which the differ
ent speakers discussed the matter at length.
a. b. Mcguire said that he was strongly
In favor OF going before the different pOliti-
Cal conventions aud demanding that the
reLeai OF the street-eXtension law be made
an issue at elect on time
Major Mckinney Endorsed the proposi-
ton, aud stated that the proposed grading
should not take place within 20 or 80 years
to come. and that the street commission
was at present practically useless.
Upuu NtuttI. uu6 OA the largest property
holders in the district, said that he could
not possibly see, how the property in the
vicinity would be benefited by the extern
sion, and denounced the exoTbitant assess
mentS levied.
Attorney Michael Mullaney created a sem
satlon by a vigorous speech in which he
handled the city fathers without gloves. He
stated that the law passed by the Legisla-
ture In 1889 was made more for the Super
yisors than for the people.
AN OBNOXIOUS LAW.
1t gives the board power to appoint as
commissioners such political friends as they
choose 70 feed luxuriously at the expense Of
the public treasury for an unlimited period,
and that the Supervisors gained political
prestige thereby at the expense of the
assessed districts, which were pIundered to
the utmost limit. The law in itself, he
stated. might be good, but its abuse by
crooked officials made it uubearable. He
also advocated that its repeal be made an
issue at the approaching election.
twenty one property-owners signed the
roll last night and We're elected members,
after which the meeting adjourned