The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-08
ASSOCIATED CREDITORS.
Another Demand That the City
Pay Its Bills for Sup
plies.
The Supervisors Reminded of Prom
iseS Recently Made to the
Contractors.

The Associated Creditors of San Fran
cisco are again importuning the Board of
Supervisors to make good the amounts due
the members of the association for goods
furnished to the various municipal depart
ments. On Saturday the association sent
the following letter on this subject to the
Mayor and Board of Supervisors:
Gsntlemen-In view of the possibility that the
recent decision of the Supreme Court may
have occa stoned some change OF sentiment adj
verse TO the interests of the Associated Cred
ltors of the City and County OF San Francisco"
we respectfully ask your indulgence of brief
affected in the slightest degree by such deei-
sion. We have asked for payment for goods
supplied the City under the most extraordinary
circumstances.
The goods we supplied were absolutely
necessary to the preservation OF the corporate
existence of the municipality, but there was
no money in hand with which to pay for them.
We have contended and we still insist that
the question whether demand for goods sup
piled under such extraordinary circumstances
is a legal demand against the City has never
been adjudicated. The question was not raised
in the case in which decision has just been
handed down by the Supreme Court.
We have contended that the Board of Super
yisors is empowered 10 pledge the credit of the
City under such exigent circumstances as con-
fronted them at the time they pledged to US
the credit of the City and that the constitu-
tional limitations on the expenditure or pubic
money never were intended to apply and do
not apply to the expenditure of public money
for goods absolutely indispensable to the con-
tinued existence of the body corporate.
The extreme urgency of the demand in our
view of the situation justifies the pledging of
the credit of the City for such purposes as the
purchasing of Fire Department supplies, coal,
hose, feed for horses or the purchase of food
for public charges, or the purchase of books
and stationery for the use of the Board of
Supervisors, though the City Treasury be as
empty as a contribution box and the funds for
the year already oyerdrawn.
We have understood that your honorable
body conceded with US in that view OF your
powers under such extraordinary circum-
stances. We trust you will not recede from the
position you have taken, but thatyou will pro-
coed under the terms OF the tacit under
standing between US and include In the tax
levy for 1896 an amount sufficient 10 meet
the claims of the credi tors of the City, and
specially set apart the same for the payment of
the debts justly due US. Ii any citizen doubts
the legality of your acts let him question the
validity OF the assessment.
Inspired by your repeated expressions of
knowledge of the justice of our claims and
your expressed conviction that all the equities
in the situation are in our favor, we again ask
you to adhere TO your declared determination
to do everything in your power to liquidate
our claims, leaving the treacherous act of
pleading the limitations to the man who Is
willing to volunteer for the unsaVOry service