The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-11-17
OHARIER MAKERS.
They Favor a Conservative
Instrument.
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM
May Become Feature of City
Government.
LARGE POWERS FOR THE MAYOR
FreehoIders Declare the Existing
Charter Should Be Used as the =
Basis for the New One.


j. A. Anderson, Colin M. Boyd, Joseph
Brlttou, ii. N. Clement, w. E.. Gibson, L.
W. Hellman, M. n. Hecht. George t..
Marye Jr., Stewart Menzies. j. j. o'Brien,
Patrick Reddy, Irving n. Scott, Louis
Sloss Jr., i. G. Truman and Gustave III.
Umbsep. $3.50: ~.
Anderson was elected as a Populist;
Bovd. Heliman. Marye. O'Brien and
Reddy as Democrats; Clement, Hecht.
Scott, Sloss and Umbsen as Republicans.
and Britton. Gibson. Menzies aud Tramap
as Non-Partisans. r..
A nearly equal political division Is
found. There are five Democrats, FIVE Re-
pubicans, four Non-Partisans and one
Populist.
The time is short in which to draft a.
charter. The freeholders must; conclude:
their work within ninety DAYS from. cleo:
ton day, November g. and They can not
begin their labors until they have received:
their certificates of election, which prom
ises TO be some days hence. Il: 3:
No Informal meetings have been held as
yet and the freehelders are somewhat re-.
ljictant TO speak until they have. been
fficiaAy declared elected. :: ii.
sit might be thought 8 little too early
for mR 10 give my views on the charter"
officia lily notified eff my election. but con-
ceding hat the ames published are the
ones who will be officially declared the
elected freebolders | will outline some Of
the ideas which | hope tosee embodied In.
the instrument to be framed for the gov
erument Of this city.
THE first great thing IN a charter is to
make it the fundamental law, not a great
legislative instrument dealing In detail
with everything. The charter ought to,
and [ hope it VIII, contain principles of
civil service reform. | am personally in
favor of civil service reform, hich means
that the city will be run on business. ptin-
ciples. When good men are found in the.
employ of the municipal government I
believe they should be kept there, Just as
the clerk for the Board OF Supervisors has
been retained There should, beciyil ser
vice princiules in the management. eSpe-
cially Of The Offices of County Clerk.
Sheriff, Tax Collector and Assessor, and
the patronage of these Offices should not
be used by politicians 10 reward heeiets
and stutfefs.
Il favnr endowing the Mayor with: large
powers of appRn tmeut t.: an d. holding hiEJ
responsible for the good govern ment of
the city. The tendency in reforming Ifiu-
niclpal governments n w is to enlarge the
the charter governing the: city of Brooklyn,
which is considered almost an ideal in
strument T..
mo doubt exists that the: business men
of the community feel that theFe ought: To
be board of PUBLIC works. which should
take chafge:of all improvements, si1cn as
those OF Streets and PARKS. UHder the press
emf government we have no such body.
There is much eppes ti0n. to a perpetual
police cor mission. The feeling seems 10
be THAT this commlss on shouAt De under
the jurisdiction of the Mayer and the
Board OF Supervisors. 80
1.-The MAYORS a pointments should be
like tho of tile President, subject to the
ratification of a legisl at We body tie
Board Of Supervisors, lor instance, In the
case of the Mayor. :~::-::..:=
Personally | favor taking the School
Department out Of politics and placing il
ia fewer hands. Our schools are net what
they should be. Under a proper system
there is no reason why the schools: of San
francisco should not be made as efficient
as those OF OAKLAND. AT present the boil
ticians desire 10 control the School De-
partment for its patton age. 80. ::
81 think from what eknoW.Gf the men,
e lected as Ireeholdets that good charter
will be framed. The freehnlders are, i
think, earnest and conservative men,: /
lelieve we should adhere TO, the old char
ter iii many things, making sucn changes
only as are absolutely needed. We shall
try to sdopt a charter: w hich will meet
VIII buG dupiOFdI livery i90Uu ClAfZG
this city, and In which no class: lei g. SIa ton
will be bodied II Should be simply a.
fundamental In stTament, not a legislative
one. -
II had a call recently from some young
men OF a good governments club, and
asked them to send me some of The char
ters of the leading cities of the conntr3.
which they have been. s udytng, notably
Brooklyn and st. Louis Some good points
nay be Cleaned from the governing H..
struments of foreign cities, sneh as Man
chester. and Birmingham in England and
Hamburg in Germany" $500.
Mr.. Clement has for some years been
connected with the civil service reform
propaganda, and expresses himself very
strongly in favor of measures " hieh will
do away with the spoils system. and kill
bosSlsm. lie declares that such men as
/ Boyd, Menzies mud Marye will prove Of
Invaluable service in drafting charter.
According to the law" continued Mr.:
Clement. 'the work on the charter must
be finished within ninety DAYS from rhe
day Of election. signed in duplicate, and
one copy deposited with tine Mayor and
the other with the County Recorder The
charter must be published for twenty CON
secut1ve days in two papers of general
circulation, the first publication to be
within twenty DAYS after the completion
OF the charter. Within not less than thirty
days after the publication the charter
must be submitted TO vote, ard then goes
to the new Legislature Tor ratification. 1t
will most likely be April or possibly May.
before the charter can reach the Legisl a.
ture. so chat it is hardly possible that the
coming Legislature will be in session long
enough to act upon the charter"
The agitation for greater New York
by the consolidation of Brooklyn ana ad-
jacent urban territory with the metropolis
has imiat0rs here who would like to see
San francisco rank*with ST.. Louis and
Baltimore thr ugh the annexation of the
popular suburban territory across the bay
The probable attempt at 1he:coming ses-
sion of the Legislature to form city and
county government for the 100000 people
who reside in Oakland. Brooklyn and Ala
media townships has lent little force to
this idea, and the question is asked W by
the citizens OF that portion of Alameda
County nray not be induced to join this
city under new charter for a greater San
Francisco. 1t is hardly probable that their
views will find favor with the charter
makers or that any provision for enlarged
boundaries will appear In the new charter.
w. +. Gibson, one of the newly elected
freeh elders, fav6rs using the present gov
;erring Instrument as the basis of the new
charters, making such amendments and
- As1~.