The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-10
SUPERVISORS DISAGREE.
Dimond Thinks the Story Of the
Pound Limit Extension Scandal
Revelation,

Revelation.
The charges of Mr.. Tessmer to the Grand
Jury, regarding the quashing in the
Board of Supervisors Of a petition for the
extension of the pound limits, have been
received by that body and are likely to re-
ceive peculiar attention.
1.-THE CALLS story of the way that petit
ton for the extension of the pound limits
came to be voted down was revelation to
me-" said Supervisor Dimond yesterday.
81 had never been able to quite under
stand the sudden and unexpected change
OF front of Messrs. bunker, Benjamin and
Morgenstern when that petition was acted
on by the Health and Police Committee. 1
suspected that something was wrong, and
so was not really surprised to learn what
Mr.. Tessmer has charged. 1t was the first
l had heard of it, but / have no doubt that
the men who are making the com plant
are telling the truth.
MY remem hrance of the outrage per-
petrated on the residents of the Univer-
sity Mound District is particularly vivid.
1 remem Der that they made a strong plea
for their petition. The request was only
for the protection of their property, and l
remember well that all the members of
the committee except Mr.. King were at
once in favor of it.
"Mr. Morgenstern said to me that he
was going to vote for granting the petition.
The wholesale butchers, he thought, would
be antagoniZed because they used the
streets and vacant lots for pasturage for
their sheep at times. Nevertheless, he de-
clared, he was willing to brave their dis
pleasure and vote for the property-owners.
This was not surprising. Those people,
fighting for their property, pleaded earn
estly and WELL One lady told of planting
10 an hap ,,1l iad ho
morning by the cows, who had been able
to reach the trees by stretching their necks
over the fences. She told, too, of the
fences being broken down, and of other
nuisances committed by the cows.
''There was no answering their argu-
ments and when out OF complaisance Mr..
Kings request for delay of two or three
weeks was granted. I know that four mem.
bers of the committee. including myself,
favored the petitioners.
There were several delays; but at one
meeting the room was filled with milk
men. Their only argument was that they
had been allowed for a long time to subsist
and acquire wealth through keeping up
public nuisance and if the nuisance were
abated they would not thus be able to
make money through their unwarranted
use of their neighbors' properties and the
public streets.
"Why, one man said he kept 100 cows.
| asked him how much land he held. He
said four blocks, or about one acre. 1
asked him if he did not know United
States statistics showed three acres
were required to furnish enough
substance for single COW for a
year, and asked how he expected to
keep so many cows on so little land. He
then had to admit that he did not allow
his cows to run loose because he could not
keep them fenced up, but because he ex-
off q
streets and the vacant lots of his neigh
bors.'
Mr.. Dimond told of delay after delay
taken at the suggestion of Mr.. King till at
last he (Mr. Dimond) insisted that some
thing should be done. Mr.. Dimond moved
that the petition be reported back favor
ably. He waited for a second. None
came.
"Then,' said Mr.. Dimond, "Mr. King
moved that action on the petition be in
definitely postponed for a time, and his
motion was carried by four votes.
''Three months later contractors came
with petition asking that certain small
residence portion of this district be in
Guided in the pound limits. They were
building some houses and they complained
that the cows tramped down the terraces
they were putting up, believe. Their Pc
tition met the same fate as the first, al
though it was really passed favorably in
the absence of Mr.. King. who had the ac-
ton SO taken reconsidered."
Mr.. King, according to Mr.. Dimond,
claimed that he had no especial reason for
wanting to beat the petition to extend the
pound limits.
"He always claimed the milkmen were
poor men whom the landowners were try
ing to push to the WALL" Mr.. Dimond |
said. 81 declared that it seemed other
wise, and that the poor people were striv-
inc tO escaDe ODDreSsiOn.o
Supervisor King declared that he had |
almost forgotten the matter of the petit
ton. But he exerted his memory and re-
want to see the milkmen imposed upon, |
that was all.
'Those dairymen include some of our