The morning call., 1893-09-03
l. MERCHANTS
Did Not Sign the Delger
Petition.
MILLER WANTS DIAMONDS.
Hack-Driver Toedt and the Matheny
Case A Special Realty
Sale at EImhurst.

OAELAND.'-lh ne DeIger petition still
continues TO be a topic of interest.
There are some merchants in Oakland
who did not sign it, even though Mr..
Huntington would have the people believe
that majority of the solid men OF the city
did so.
There are over 1000 men doing business
in Oakland, or merchants, as they are
called. OF this number sixty-fve signed
the Delger petition.
Of the others this is the way a few of
them talked, and the list might be length
ened to any extent if MIR. Huntington
would take the trouble to go among them
and interview them.
WILDER Walker of the hardware firm of
Everson, Walker d Smith, corner of Ninth
and Broadway, says:
That petition was not presen Ted to me,
and l should not have signed it if it had
been. do not see that the Council has
been making any attacks upon the South
ern Pacinc Railroad Company. That cor
poration made the change in its local serv-
ice on its OWE motion. and, l think, m ore
to head off the Dayie ferry than for any
other reason. There is nothing now to
prevent the company from restoring the
old order of things, and if this is done
there would be no reason for further Iegis-
lation by the Council.
Il do not believe that it is good policy
for the railroad company TO antagoniza
the people. Their present policy seems to
do so. 1t is natural from the standpoint
of the company that they should object to
carrying people who take advantage of
free rides 10 reach the opposition ferry,
but the present arrangement seems to an
tagonize and to drive patronage to the
Davie boats.
$50 far as the business men are con-
ceTned they will have to adjust them
selves 10 new conditions. 1t affects the
landlords most; their property is fixed in
one place. But they have had things
about their own way on Broadway. Now
I am told that one landlord who signed
that petition raised his tenants on Broad
way about $50 last January, and others
have raised rents S25. A merchant who
recently removed from Broadway told me
the other y that the rent of the store for
which he had paid $40 a month had been
raised TO $3.50 notwithstanding hard times"
4. {. NordhauSen of {. and a. NOTdnau-
sen, mems furnishing goods, 1851 Broad
way. has this to say:
1--WE are still here and expect to stay.
think 1t will be snme time before people
will be shooting jackrabbits on Broadway,
as was suggested by a gentleman who was
in here this morning. | did not sign that
petition. l think that this is the first
Council that has been on the side of the
people for years. l think that they are all
right don't see that any attack has
been made uDOn any one. | was sorry 20
see that'some OF the merchants on Broad
way signed that petition. Bat people
Q&5n sign petitions without consideration.
ne railroad company has just been
ng to bluff the people of Oakland. If
thafr
Iney%dlu before there would have been no
cause for any action by the Council. II
they dca't want The Council TO take any
further action letthem 60 back to the old
system of running their trains. Oakland is
not country village any longer. 1t don'l
depend upon the railroad altogether.
Running ferry or a railroad is busi-
ness proposition. They depend upon the
patronage OF the public. If the Southern
Pacific don't run its system to suit the
will run ferry that does. There is money
enough to do il. and if it were done the
Southern Pacific w0uld be crushed.
The Southern Pacific Company made
this change and they can resume running
as before If they see fit, and | think that
they will find that it is to their own inter-
est to do So"
}. w. Moss, the real estate man, says
mo, l didn't sign that petition, because l
could not see that the Council was attack
ing the railroad company. l think that
this Council has acted conservatively"
+. W. Woodward, another real estate
man, is terse and 10 the point-hear him
Il would as soon be shot as sign such a
petition. The timidity of some people as
tonishes me-.
Attorney c. T. Johns answers the CUES
ton. lawyer like, by asking another:
will the Council meet to-night?"
Not that l know Of" replied the re-
porter.
We'll, they, must meet tonight or TO-
morrow night"
"Why?"
ITO act unon that petition"
why SOP"
well. they onght to at least meet and
adopt resolution requesting the railroad
company TO run the town 10 suit itself"
a. Flbusb, tobacco and cigar deaier-I
wouldn't sign such a petition. But |
would sign one to have the track removed
from Seventh street 10 First. don't be-
leve in being bulldozed. hope that the
Council won't pay any attention to such q
petition.
SOL Kahn of Kahn Bros, dry-goods mer-
chants-We are not scared. The business
center OF Oakland is pretty well fixed.
think It will stay. don't expect to see
grass growing in tho streets. Threats to
boycott the center might have frightened
US i've years ago. but the electric roads
have shaped things so that travel con-
varges toward the central point of the city.
:. Lathrop-I was thinking of buying
some grass seed TO SOW on Broadway but
guess will keep my store there a little
longer.
n. j. Sweeney, merchant tailor -
wouldn't put my name TO such a perition as
that signed by some merchants. l would