The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-10
PooLRooM ORDER GOES OVER.
Two Matters Occupy the Greater Part
of the Three Hours Session of
the Board.

postponed for two weeks. There were
other matters acted upon, but the three
hours session was principally occupied
with the police station site and the pool
room matter. The cemetery ordinance
was also passed for two weeks owing prln-
clpally to the lateness of the hour when it
was reached IN the order of business.
before reaching the report of the COM
mlttee on selecting the police station site
protest from owners of residence prop
erty adj acent to the Mccarthy premises
on Washington street, near Polk, selected
by the committee, was presented by title.
Supervisor Spreckels asked that it be read
and when that had been done Supervisor
Tay lor moved that it be referred to the
committee of the whole to be taken up on
Monday mex t at 80 o'clock p NJ The
motion provoked considerable discussion,
Supervisor King urging that the whole
matter of considering the protest and act
ing upon the report of the committee be
done during yesterdays session. He con-
tended that If Mr.. Mccarthy proposition
was not accepted the opportunity for a
location in that district might be lost He
said that James Taylor, who had offered a
location on Polk street, had acted in bad
faith and was holding out for higher rental
LOT his property. Mig IFlcQ 10 lay the
protest on the table.
Supervisor Dmond desired to put him.
self on record that Mr.. Taylor was very
unreliable man to do business with, and
he thought the necessity for immediate
action was apparent, as the police were
without quarters.
Supervisor Taylor said he could see no
necessity for SO much haste in the matter.
He thought, if there were only two lots in
that neighbor hood suitable for a police
station real estate there must he i'll
great demand.
Supervisor Spreckels asked the privilege
for Frank ]. French TO address the board
on behalf of the Directing property
| owners, but the Mayor ruled him out of
order. The discussion continued to such
an extent that after the rOlcall, which re-
| suited in ayes and noeys, Supervisor
| Wagner was constrained to ask why the
| announcement was made by the Mayor
that the matter would 60 to the committee
of the whole. King insisted that his
| amendment to table was carried. and Tay
| lor, who had voted no, objected to having
the record show that he had voted against
his own motion. The Mayor decided that
the petition must be considered at the
time of consideration Of the committee re-
port, and when that time came his Honor
| had retired and Supervisor Taylor was in
| the chair.
The discussion,was repeated nd at the
suggestion OF Supervisor Spreckels Mr..
| French representing the Directing prop
erty-owners, and Ca plain Whitman, rep
resenting the Police Department, were ac-
| corded the privilege of addressing the
| board. Mr.. French said that if the board
would allow the matter to go over for one
week he would guarantee that a location
would be secured, as he residence prop
erty owners on Washington street would
hold Mr.. Taylor responsible to them as
well as to the committee. He observed
| that the protest represented and was
| signed by all the property-owners in the
block bounded by Washington, Van Ness
avenue, Jackson and Polk streets, except
J by the owners of two small lots, one being
| the Mccarthy lot; and represented 1920
front feet out of 1878. Also all on the
south side of Washington street, except
one lot; and on Van Ness avenue and
/ Washington street, west. including J. B.
Stetson, Charles Holbrook, Henry L.
! Dodge, II. Schussler and the Hobart
estate.
In this block are several fine residences,
while the Taylor property, which had been
negotiated for, is situated on Polk bust
ness street. and directly in the neigh bor-
hood OF some inferior buildings. The
! former will be, in the opinion of the pro-
/ testants, materially damaged in value hys
the location of the police station in the
Mccarthy lot while its location on Polk
| street would not HARM If it did not en-
nance the value of that property.
| Captain Whitman said the department
was anxious for the selection of quarters
though weeks delay would not do any
harm. But the amendment to lay the
matter over for one week offered by Super
! visor Spreckels, was lost by the following
votes
Noesn7King, seullly, Benjamin, Hirst, Di-
| mond, Hughes, bunker, Wagner.
pkplS bbc Taylor
acknowledgements.
Supervisor Dimond explained his VOTE
saying he thought the committee had ex-
hausted the subject and that he thought
the matter ought to be settled.
Supervisor Spreckels left the room and
Chairman Taylor called Supervisor Hobbs
to the chair, and went on the floor to fight
for the delay; but he was beaten by a
vote of to .. Chairman Hobbs standing
by him.
The delay in the matter of the poolroom
ordinance was accomplished after King
had exhausted his desire for reform of
the racetracks as we'll as the downtown
poolrooms' The burden OF his plea was
that the horserace gamblers who had
been run out of Chicago for robbing the
people there had come here to prey upon
San Francisco. He wanted to know if the
poor were going to be enriched by COM
| polling men who wanted to do poolroom
business 10 go 10 the racetrackS and pay
SlOO day for the privilege. He had,
unfortunately, been a victim of the race
| track himself and, having pious desire
/ for the salvation of others he wanted
chance to get the Wagner ordinance
before the board and have it passed so
that the robbers that had come from
Chicago, as we'll as the downtown men.
would be driven out of San Francisco by
the virtuous hand of the law. He was
supported in his Remuneration of racetrack
booksellers by Wagner in a very small
speech, and when the roll was called
| Scully and Hirsch added their names to
the opposers of the delay and the follow
ing voted in favor of laying il over for two
weeks: Benjamin. Dimond Hughes, Dun
ker, Taylor: Spreckels, Hobbs.
A resolution by Supervisor SpreckeIs re-
| curing the City Engineer to prepare plans
for regarding Alamo Square was passed to
print and the Clerk was instructed to adj
yertise for bids The estimate of cost OF
the work was $780, A contract was let
also for erecting a concrete coming around
| the square to the California Construction
| Company for $2SS5.
A resolution was introduced by Super
visor Spreckels directing the City Engin-
| eer to furnish the Street Superi n tendent