The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-06

rumors that our City government is under
the direction OF INSCRIPTIONS men, and
that they are exercising the power which
our indifference enabled them to acquire
by imposing burdensome taxes, conniving
with some of US to defraud the public of
its rights-to defraud us of our rights, if
you please-and with proceeding gcner-
orally in course which brings disgrace
and material harm to this home of ours.
With one snap of the finger we can send
these rascals to the penitentiary, and with
another take the government into our own
hands.
Having swept this Augeian stable we
vii. next turn or attention to the making
OF the external aspects of this noble City
into home worthy of Us and our power.
1t has been charged by the rabble of poor
men flor whose opinion we care nothing)
that many of US are 'silurians,' that we
have neither personal nor civic pride.
and that we are not employing the power
OF our enormous wealth to the public good.
While we care nothing, as / have
said, for the opinion of the poor
we have our pride as taskmaster
over our actions, and it is exacting and re-
lentless. If we need education. let US seek
to acquire it. If our taste is bad, let US try
to improve it. In short, let Us strive to be
worthy of our wealth. For our wealth is
the overshadowing quantity, and it's power,
rather than the mere fact of its possession
or even of its expenditure, is the over
whelming consideration.
Are we satisfied to drive our carriages
over wretched streets, when it would be so
easy for US to have better ones? For, bear
always in mind the proposition that as an
organized and harmonious body of NIL
lionaires we have practically unlimited
power, and can require all the mem bers Of
our great family to do their duty as citi-
zens; and as we are first to cleanse the City
government of wrongdoing on the part of
its officers, and as public funds are to be
expended hereafter honestly and intelli-
gently, the streets can be made passable
for our carriages without imposing a heavy
burden on poor members of our family. We
should all reflect that it would be vastly
cheaper for US to control all these matters,
even If we pay our rightful share of the
public expense according to our means,
because under the present system you are
all painfully aware of the large amount of
money which it costs you to secure official
protection. After our streets have been
made passable for our carriages, we might
proitably turn to the task of ornamenting
our splendid home (by which I mean our
City, in divers ways that the intelligence
of wealth and the power Of its exercise can
conceive.
eff your me ntal habit requires you to
ask what return you might be able to Sc
cure from such improvements and adorn-
ments, you have set the simplest of prob
lens. / hate to discuss the matter from
that point of view, but it seems necessary
when reflect upon the histories of many
millionaires in San Francisco. If by tax
ing that ground 1 may be accused of
charging you with being sordid and selfish
l beg the pardon OF each and ALL My
whole aim now is to regard you as men of
an overshadowing pride-proud less OF your
wealth than of Its power, opportunities and
responsibilities; proud of your home and
family proud to show to yourself (not to the
poor people who jeer at you and would adj
wise you) that you know your power and
have the manhood ard courage and intelli-
gence to exercise it. Even regarding these
matters in the light of an investment on
which you would expect profitable return,
can you not see that it would be iudicious2
All of you who own land and houses,
would not their value be greatly increased2
All of you who buy and sell. and all of you
who manufacture and produce, would not
your business increase with the increase
of population and prosperity Does not
the profit-earning phase of the subject
land all the while am begging your par