The morning call., 1893-07-23

drew Manderson had done their fishing in
the mountain streams. Once a very pre-
sumptuous reptile fastened its fangs on the
thigh Of little Freddie. Since that time
the BOYS had never gone to the mountains
and their doting papa had set his heart
pond.
Almost any other man In the world
would have found less expensive site for
bis fish pond. but the ono thing that An
drew Henderson thought of was location.
The word expense. as applied to financial
considerations, had no meaning to the
drum of his ear.
And nowadays Andrew Manderson
came downtown accompanied by one or
more OF his boys. and while he sat and
read Triumphant Democracy" in his lit
tie park the boys enjoyed the maximum of
piscatorial pleasures with the minimum Of
reptilian dangers.
In the afternoon. the girls and their
friends drove down to tho tennis court, and
often 1t happened that when it came time
to 60 back to the adobe hut en- Mob Hill
for dinner Andrew Manderson woulc step
over to the fish pond and get the boys. then
walk up to Bush and Montgomery streets
for the girls. Usually when returning
home like this the father and children all
rode in the common cable-car, for Andrew
Manderson was democratic in his ideas,
even as his ilustrious and greatly admired
prototype, AnQreW carnegie.
People admired Andrew Manderson for
these things. They saw that he was a
plain man and fond father. and so low
was the general standard of morals in this
primitive age that for man ITO evidence
only such natural qualities as these was
sure to win for him the admiration ana
commendatiOn OF all men. 1t was that
period in our moral evolution, you know.
when men were praised for what they did
not do, and q man who paid his debts and
didn OF steal was called honest. Our own
ethical teachers of the thrtieth century
call this the negative stage Of our moral
evolution.
paternal and democratic qualities OF An
drew Manderson the people of San Fran
cisco grew steadfastly to regret that he had
ever come among them.
As the years went by they saw this once
proud city reduced to the rank Of a county
seat or residence suburb. One after an
other all the fine business structures we're
purchased and razed to the ground by this
plain and uDpretentious man.
Now IL was another big business block
that fell, now it was a theater or public
hall or beautiful residence that was torn
down to make private park or one thing
or another for the comfort or amusement
Of Andrew MandersOn and the members
OF his family.
Even the wholesale and man ufacturing
quarters Of the city did not escape the de-
vastating " whims Of the richest man in the
world. And had not the people themselves
held the legal title to the waterfront prop
erties it is not to be doubted that Andrew
Henderson would have acquired most Of
the wharfage space and converted 1t to his
own enjoyment.
Indeed Andrew Manderson did endeavor
in every way possible to gain possession
of the most valuable of the waterfront
property. He offered fabulous sums for a
title. but the laws 50 explicitly forbade its
every move made by Andrew Henderson
that he failed either to bribe the States
officials or TO have the laws changed to suit
his convenience.
And 1t was his failure to convert the
waterfront properties into a pleasure
ground that first drew the attention of the
people of San Francisco 10 posi- bic way
out of their d fficuties.
They quickly saw that the only reason
why Andrew Manderson had failed to
ain control of the waterfront lots was
because their titles were vested in the
whole people instead of in a simple indi-
viiual.
They saw, too. that the only way to
prevent the utter decentralization Of their
city was to vest the titles of what real
property remained in the State in the
whole people. They appreciated that
whereas one or few individuals could
always be bought off for money. the whole
people, when determined ON policy, could
D0t be bribed.
And to reach this stage of logic was to
60 further still.
They began TO ask themselves whether
Andrew Manderson really did own San
Francisco, or as much of it-which was
now by far the larger and more valuable
part-as he held legal title to. They be-
gan to question by what right Andrew
Manderson held all his valuable tennis
courts and fish ponds and private parks
and one thing or another, and the answer
was not slow in coming:
BY the right that we alone gave him.
Then the people saw that 1t was foolish
to give one man or any number Of men the
right to own the whole city. They saw
that Andrew Henderson was a creature
of their own making. They saw that the
actions of Andrew Henderson were but
the natural outgrowth and elimination of