The San Francisco call., 1895-07-14
OPINIONS OF EDITORS.
The Solid Eight superyisors on Monday

The Solid Eight Supervisors on Monday voted
to give away, directly contrary to law, fran
ehise for new electric line to the new race
track over Ocean House road and Sunnyside
avenue. The law requires such franchise to
be awarded to the highest bidder, but that is
got over by calling it an 'extension." The
Supervisors themselves passed an ordinance
that 40 new franchise should be granted for
less than $4,000 and no "extension" for less
than $500. BehrenG Joost and the San Mateo
road have for years been asking for the same
franchise, but it has been denied on the
ground that it would destroy popular drive.
Joost says he could have had the franchise had
he been willing to pay for it, and it could not
have cost the Market-street company less than
SIC, 900, but he had been bled all he was going
to be. "Why," remarked Joost, zone of the
members said to me in so many words, but
few days ago, sWe are not in this thing for our
health, Jeost, understand that
paid nothing and was turned down."
That is evidently the size of it. Those Solid
Eight have committed far worse crime-as
they have often done before-than crimes for
which men were hanged by vigilance COM
mittee in the early history of this City. If they
were eleetrocuted by an outraged populace on
the same road for which they have just fraudu-
lently granted franchise they would receive
no more than their deserts, but the effect, al
the trouble, which lies far deeper, in our cleo
toral methods. We have not the figures now
at hand but it will be found that these eight
received something between 26 and 80 per
| cent of the total vote cast for Supervisors iE
November, 1894. An electoral sy item which
permits persons not representing one-third OF
the voters at best to give away valuable fran
chises and control an unborn generation
should not be tolerated.
The substitute of our present representative
system by proper tional representation, with
the referendum and initiative for important
questions, is fmperatively necessary to good
government and public rights. Nothing less
will have any permanent effect. With real
"people's rule" no railroad franchises would
be given at all, those that have been given Tor
even sold) would be taxed back, and the City
would own every railroad within its limits
San Francisco Star.
It is almost hopeless task for the merchants
of town to protect themselves from travelling
fakirs until the town becomes an incorpora-
ton with the right of self-government and SELF
protection. 1t is useless to say there ought to
be "a law or ordinance to protect the mer-
chants of town against these swindlers." J"
That does not remedy the matter. The Board
of Supervisors are not empowered to enact
special ordinances and laws for towns. The
town themselves.-Oroville Mercury.
People like to be coaxed. If you do not pay
them a certain degree of differential obse
quiousness, they take 1t for granted you don't
care anything for their trade The trade which
goes away from home is all cash; and in times
like these the importance of reaching out to
intercept this traffic and keep it at home must
be apparent to all. The best antidote for the
evil is consistent and persistent ADVERTISING
Astorian (Oregon).
Hollister has brighter future than most of
its citizens realize. We were informed in San
Francisco not long ago that not less than
three projected railroad lines Zone of them
possibly tranScOntinental), have this town
under consideration as place that must be
touched in order to get into San Francisco.
Hollister has doomed up greatly since the Val
ley road became factor in the occupation of
the San Joaquin Valley.-Hollister Free Lance.
Last year England exported more than
Sc, ,000, 900 worth of pickles and sauces, to say
nothing of jams and jellies. A large proper
ton of those products were sold IN the United
States We love to boast of our resources and
OF our independence, but what shall be said of
country that after an existence of nearly a
century and half still doesn't know enough
to pickle a cucumber ?-San Jose Mercury.
Some remarkable strides are being made in
using electricity as motive power. An elec-
trio motor on an Eastern road recently pulled
and pushed 500 tons of freight. This ought to
demonstrate that an electric road from Merced
to Yosemite Valley would be success as pas
senger and freight carrier. Merced Falls
would produce the electric power.-Merced
Express.
The theory that the National debt is bless
ing is time-honored, and was originally boil
stored by good arguments. But this country
had already very good-sized blessing of the
kind, before the addition of $110, 900 900 to
the burden by the Democratic administration
of Its affairs for the fiscal year ending June
30.-Salem (Or.) Statesman.
The rustler in business may incur the jeal-
ousy of his neighbors but the lover of "inno-
cuous desgetude'' soon finds he has been left be-
hind In the race, and joins the band of calam-
ity howlers.-Gold Beach (Or.) Gazette.