The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-19
TO Be FULLY PREPARED.
Plans of the Civic Federation
as Mr.. Gaden Outlines
Them.
Eleven incorporates to Be Chosen
by a General Meeting on
Thursday.

When the Civic Federation reorganizes
and incorporates, with Messrs. l. ]. Tru-
man, Stewart Menzies and DR.. E. r. Ollie
at its head, it proposes, so says George T.
Gaden, to outline plan of vigorous action.
1t is going into the courts and will enter
politics, Mr.. Gaden predicts.
A meeting of the executive committee is
to be held Tuesday, and then a call will be
issued for general meeting of the fedora
ton in the assembly hall of the Mills
building on Thursday. The names of the
eleven gentlemen who are to be the incor-
porators will be finally agreed upon at the
general meeting.
1.-The whole programme of what we in
tend to do will be presented at this general
meeting" said Mr.. Gaden yesterday, land
nothing will be omitted.
"What do we propose to do? Well, we
intend to get after the Solid Eight and
see if some of those gentlemen can be
landed in the penitentiary. We intend to
look into this bituminous rock 'cinch' and
the Van Ness avenue steals.
"Ihis bituminous rock 'cinch' is an out
rage upon the people. 1t means that the
Southern Pacific is to get all the benefit at
the expense of the property-owners. 1t
means that no bituminous rock is to be
accepted unless it is hauled over the South
ern Pacific road. 1t means that the prop
erty-owners are not only to pay the freight
upon bitumen, but its exorbitant rates
upon common earth charged for as btu
men. That is what the action of the Board
of Supervisors amounts to, when it says
that bituminous rock is to be shipped to
this City in its crude state from the mines.
The Jordan Company have been cook
ing their bitumen at their mine at San
Luis Obispo, and shipping the refined
product in sacks by water to this City.
But that does not serve the interests of the
Southern Pacific. Hence the action of the
unpopular majority of the Board of Super
yisors.
GAS to the Van Ness avenue paving con-
tracts, doesn't the law require that bids
should be advertised for2 But are they?
No The Mayor will not recognize any
such specifications as will bar out legit-
| innate competition, and so the work is now
given out illegally to Mcdonald of the
City Street improvement Company.
''This man Mcdonald is virtually SUI
perintendent of Streets. He spends about
five hours out of twenty-four in Superin-
tendent Ashworth's house. There is one
thing about those jobs and that is I believe
the property-owners could get out of pay
ing for them if they wanted to take ad-
vantage of the law.
ga certain Senator whom I fought so
hard in the last Legislature is the man
who is engineering the bituminous-rock
deal through for the Southern Pacific.
eve are going to make fight, too, for
the Board of Election Commissioners, and
the federation has retained Attorney
| Henry n. Clement for that purpose.
Quite a lot of good men are becoming
interested in this movement, and believe
that we will have between $4,000 and
$50, 600 at our command inside of a month
or two.
"The reason we have not done much
lately is because great many of our mem
| bers, and those We greatly rely upon, have
been out of the City during the summer
vacation. And, besides, our attorneys
have been engaged looking up carefully
the law and noting every point which will
help to make our fight successful. We dc
not propose to go about this thing rashly
we have made up our minds to be
thoroughly prepared beforehand whenever
we make move"