The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-23
TO DEMAND A FORFEITURE,
Property-OWners Organizing
to Fight the Market-Street
Company.
WANT sTREET-cAR SERVICE.
South of the Park Citizens Want the
Ocean Boulevard Graded and
Improved.

The end is not yet. The Market-street
Railway Company has struck a snag-a
very large, Earring, immovable sort OF
open and make the puncture past mend
ing. The residents and property-owners
of the district Immediately south OF
Golden Gate Park are thoroughly IN ear.
nest and mean to have their streetcar
service renewed on the Clayton, Waller,
Cole and Carl streets branch or have the
franchise forfeited.
Indeed the Market-street Company didn't
begin to appreciate what very big snag it
had struck when it suddenly and almost
surreptitiously robbed these people OF
their streetcar facilities. They have proved
themselves-these cheated property-owners
and residents-a determined set of men.
The meeting Wednesday evening at Mr..
Lang's residence. exclusively reported in
THE CALL, was only the beginning of the
big fight.
Saturday afternoon at o'clock there will
be general meeting of residents and
property-owners of this district at the
office of Solomon Getz, in the Croker
building. The meeting of Wednesday
evening was attended most largely by the
citizens of Ashbury Heights. AT this Sat-
urday afternoon meeting there will be
representatives from all the districts south
of the park. A permanent organization
will be formed by these gentlemen and a
carefully considered formal plan of pro-
cedure laid out. The new organization
will probably be known as the South of the
Park and Ocean Boulevard Improvement
Association. Such men as Thomas q.
Sweeney, Judge Trout, G. w. Pope and
others of wealth and prominence in the
community will be influential in the new
organization. The truth is that the dis
trict south of Golden Gate Park is inhab-
tied and owned very largely, not only by
men of intelligence, enterprise and deter
qualities the powerful potency of ample
wealth.
Now the Market-street Company will
find itself with very large-sized fight on
its hands when these men are once thor
oughly organized. In order to spite an
old score against Adolph Sutro and make
unavailable his proffered gift to the
Affiliated Colleges the Market-street Com
pany has robbed these citizens of the
streetcar facilities that were assured to
them by the terms of the Metropolitan
Street Railway franchise.
Superintendent Winnings excuse for stop
ping the service-that it did not PAYS
looked upon as an insult by the property
owners. And his further reply to their
protests, his offer to run the cars in the
morning and evening, which would still
hurt the site for the Affiliated Colleges, is
looked upon by these gentlemen with the
same feelings as one who sees a PROSTATE
man kicked by the same foot that knocked
him down.
But these south of the park people are
not PROSTATE. Far from it, indeed. They
are standing straight and looking their
antagonist squarely in the eye. They
are mostly men of wealth and In
tiuence in this community. They not
only want the streetcar service for
their own accommodation, but for the
financial prosperity of their valuable prop
critics. They offer the Market-street Com
pany two alternatives: To run it's cars
every fifteen minutes, according to the
terms OF its franchise; or to forfeit the
franchise and give up the roadbed to others
who would be glad to operate it, even at a
loss. And if these men do not bring the
Market-street Company TO time, then in
deed is the power of the octopus omnipo-
tent in this City.
The meeting Saturday afternoon pro-
poses to appoint two committees, or per-
haps single committee with a two-fod
purpose. The first purpose is to visit Mr..
Vlnlng to find outfit such thing is pos
sible-just wha the Mark ct street Com
pany means to do in the premises There
is not much hope that the committee will
get much satisfaction from this source
The appointing power foresees this proba-
blllty, and at the same time a committee
will be instructed to lay the matter before
the Board of Supervisors at its first meet
ing in September and demand forfeiture
OF the Metropolitan Street Railway fran
chise.
Another matter for which the South of
the Park and Ocean Boulevard Improve
ment Association if that be its name
will organize for is implied by the latter
part of the title. The great highway, so
long a disgrace to the City and so long
used solely to the advantage and profit of
the Southern Pacific Company to the ex-
clusion of AL other citizens and the uses
for which it was years ago reserved, must
be improved, say these property
This improvement is of vast Importance
not only to the property-owners south of
the park, but to the entire City. The plan
to make a great ocean boulevard of this
highway, if ever carried out on its origin al
terms, will give San Francisco one of the
finest thoroughfares in the City, will make
a continuous open driveway to the new race
track and also give the City almost a COM
pleIe eICirCllnS DOuleVdfu. Az the present
time the Southern Pacific has the ex-
elusive use of the great highway, thong h
there is no warrant but that of possession
for their occupancy.
Thomas U. Sweeney and several other
wealthy men who have large land holdings
south of the park, will now, for a second
time, make strenuous efforts to have the
great highway improved, and the new or
ganization will have that end in view as
one of it's main objects.
OF course this will mean the uprooting
of the Southern Pacific tracks, for even the
octopus, in spite of its assertion that its
tracks keep the sand from drifting, will
hardly dare to set forth the claim that its
tracks would improve a macadamized
boulevard. Evidently if the highway is to
become boulevard the spur tracks must
go. Several other matters will, in time,
come before the new association, such, for
instance, as the opening of ] street, the es-
adjustment of sewer grades and such other
much-needed Improvements.