The morning call., 1895-01-22
LEFT AN ACHING VOID.
The FreehoIderS Lose Men,
IeS' Services.
GOVERNOR BUDD'S ADVICE.
Civil Service. Reform in Municipal
Departments
FAVORED BY A LARGE MAJORITY.
San Francisco Will Have a Board Of
Public WOrkS-The 0ne.TWelfth
Act Amended.
FAVORED BY A LARGE MAJORITY

freehoiderS when the regular session wa
called to order at 5 o'clock yesterday after.
noon. A special session was held an houl
earlier and Mr.. Menzies took the actor
which most legal authorities have ever
| since he was appointed Police Commits
sioner by Governor Budd contended ht
must, to wit: he resigned one of the
offices. He stated that he had been in con
sultation with the Governor, and had beer
advised that he could not hold both Offices
He regretted that it must be so, but hi;
| course was plain. He then handed in his
written resignation.
Freebooter Clement, WHO'S Mr. Menzies
| attorney in the Police Commissioner con-
troversy, urged the board to accept the
| resignation at once, as Mr.. Menzies would
still aid them with his advice, and his SER
vices to the city as Police Commissioner
would be of the greatest value to the
municipality. 1t was also necessary that
the resignation be acted upon at once to
prevent complications in Mr.. Menzies'
fight for his seat in the commission. The
resignation was on his motion Immediately
accepted.
Mr.. Menzies further said that while he
must cease to be Freebooter, he would
not lose interest in the deliberations of the
board, but would request that he be per-
mltted to attend the meetings of the board,
and assist by suggesting to other members
the changes he had studied over. This
was agreeable to all the members, and Mr.
Menzies will be present at future sessions.
Immediately after the meeting adjourned
Mr.. Menzies telephoned to Governor Budd
at Sacramento, stating that he had re-
signed his membership in the Freehold
erS. An answer was at once returned,
stating that the Governor had withdrawn
hn 4
once forward a new one. This procedure
was taken to obviate any objection to the
legality of the commission because the re-
cipient was public officer at the time the
first was issued.
The law upon which the Governor bases
his opinion that Mr.. Menzies cannot hold
the offices of Freebooter and Police Com
missioner at the same time is part of
section of the consolidation act. which,
after prescribing the manner in which the
commissioners shall be appointed, says
"No member of said Board of Police Com
missioners appointed as herein provided for
shall be eligible to any other office during
his incumbency of the Office of Police Com
missioner and for one year thereafter.
Though the hour for the regular meeting
of the Freeholders had not arrived, the
members of the board decided not to adj
journ, but to go on with their deliberations
on the charter. When the sections relat-
ing TO the one-twelfth act were reached,
Mr.. Boyd was ready with an amendment
which he read as follows:
In case OF any great public calamity or dam
ger. such as earthquakes, conhagration, pesti-
lence, invasion, instruction or other unfor-
seen emergency, the provisions of this act may
be temporarily suspended as to any lawful con-
tract, authorization or expenditure necessary
to avert, mitigate or relieve the evil; provided,
that such expenditure, contract or authoriza-
ton shall be passed by the unanimous vote of
the Board OF Supervisors and entered in the
journal and approved by the Mayor, Auditor
and Treasurer, and the character and fact of
such emergency must be recited in the ordi-
nance authorizing such action.
AS some of the members wished to pom
der over this, and to avoid time-consuming
arguments, the matter was laid on the Ia
bic, to be taken up at an early date.
After motion by Mr.. Marye that the
committee on finance pay particular at
tention to the sections relating to the col
lection of taxes, SO as to amend them to
conform with present existing laws, had
been carried, Freebooter Hecht made
motion that the term of office of the Mayor
be fixed at four years, and that he be in
ellble to reelection within two years ate
the expiration of his term. He said the
latter clause of his motion was intended to
provide aga inst political machines. If the
Mayor was eligible to reelection imme-
dlately he might gain support by holding
out promises of political preferment, and
this should be guarded against.
Mr.. Boyd thought that four years was
too long tenure OF Office and the interests
of the people would be better served if the
term was made two years. He introduced
a motion to that effect, which was carried. |
Mr.. Hecht wanted the regular hours OF
the Treasurer's office to be from 8 A. NJ. to
P. NJ, but this was opposed by Mr.. Boyd |
and others, who contended that 8 to 5 |
would mean to $50, as the work neces-
sary to finish the days work after closing
hours would keep the men at least an hour !
and half. The matter was passed for |
further discussion.
The question of creating a Board of |
Public Works was then discussed until |
adjournment. That such a body was
absolutely necessary seemed to be the |
unanimous opinion, but the ideas of the |
members as to how it should be formed |
differed materially.
Freebooter Marye did not want it to con- |
that all should be men of the best possible |
standing. He thought that as the offices |
Of Superintendent of Streets, City Hall
Commissioners, Street Lights Committee |
Of the Board of Supervisors and other |
bodies would be under the |
of the Board of Public Works !
It would be impossible for one man to do |
Jl6 WOTh. he 6u2S6SIcu dlSC IUdG one |
man held the power he would be an object |
If suspicion to some people no matter how
upright his conduct might be.
Mr.. Clement thought one-man power |
was preferable because better track could |
De kept of his acts. Freebooter Scott was
sure that one man could do the work salts |
actorily if civil service reform was intro
luced into the city government.
The mention of civil service brought |
several members to their feet to speak in |
avor of it. DR.. Anderson caught the /
chairman's eye and said:
Mr.. Chairman, | am in favor of one
nan power and civil service, and it seems |
20 me to be the quickest and surest way |
out of the corruption which now exists in |
some of our municipal departments. 1t /
has succeeded in the postoffice department.
md other branches of the national service,
S in force in other cities, has proved a sue
,ess, and | cannot see why it would not do
lere. Give US an able head to do the
Erecting and corps of men selected I'M
Ter civil service rules, and not to be re-
moved except for cause, and the city will
,e better served and the people far better
1t was decided to postpone further dis
ussion until to-day, when the matter will
,e brought up for final settlement.
Freebooter Hecht moved that a night
ession be held, but it was defeated, and