The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-08
A GREAT IMPROVEMENT.

1t is sincerely to be hoped that nothing
provement OF the Blythe property, which
is bounded by Geary Market and O'Far-
rell streets and Grant avenue. This hope
does not concern the merits OF the new litl-
CATION which has been sprung in the matter
OF the Blythe estate, but goes to the gen.
eral proposition that such improvement
as has been contemplated would be OF in
calculable benefit to the City.
1t is a remarkable fact that, with few
exceptions, administration upon the es-
tates OF dead millionaires owning valuable
properties in San Francisco has been COM
plicated in the most extraordinary ways
and the improvement of the City delayed
in consequence. The Croker estate passed
through the ordeal without shadow.
The Cotton estate, although its settlement
gave birth to litigious wrangles, did not
affect the material interests of the City.
The Phelan properties escaped all trouble.
The Parrot estate difficulties were of a
minor character and were easily adjusted;
the residuary legatees have developed into
important factors in the progress OF the
City. The Hopkins estate troubles were
settled, but they were OF no great concern
to the public, and that result of their set
Element which gave the Hopkins Insti-
tute of Art to California was a public
beuefaction. The Stanford estate gave
trouble that the United States courts
deemed it proper to settle in a certain way.
The Fair and Blythe estates are now the
great bones of contention, and excepting
few, they bear the most important relation
to the material interests OF the City. The
Fair estate seems now in a fair way of
settlement. The improvements projected
by Senator Fair were among the most i'm
portant ever undertaken in San Francisco.
Unless the new litigation begun in the
Blythe case Immediately on the heels of
what seemed to be a final determination
of the case by the courts puts a check upon
the improvement of the very valuable
property belonging to the estate, Market
street within few years will have splen-
did block to face the elegant new home
which is being constructed for THE CALL.
Perhaps one of these days writing
philosopher will appear who will present
an intelligent history of the litigation
which has pursued the settlement of rich
estates IN Sdn rdnClSCO, anu Will De aDle
to deduce from it some conclusions, wise
appreciation of whose basis might prove a
valuable lesson to mankind. Such a his
tory would embody an amazing array of
human weaknesses, whose power for evil
was given efficiency by prevalent iaxity
of morals and small regard for the neces-
sity of enforcing just. laws. The whole
story would constitute romance with in
cidents as inevitable to the founding of a
new civilization as they would be obnox-
ious to regime which time had tested and
experience rendered stable.
All of these grotesque departures from
the normal belong to and were produced
by primitive conditions which no longer
exist in this community, but which still
are potent TO cast their shadow upon the
hopes and achievements of the present
time. A lingering relic of the old days of
a barbaric disregard of common rights and
upright personal conduct exists in the
form OF corrupt politics, but even that
towering structure of infamy is tottering
under the assaults of a reused public con-
science and an enlightened popular in
ta11iUauce