The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-07
MARKHAM WAS NOT WISE.
Mayor EIIert Thinks Budd Should
Have Been Deferred To.


Pm personally acquainted with Nose
-Guhst and like him very much"
said Mayor Ebert as lie lay con tendedly
back in his chair Yesterday afternoon. $50
I've not the slightest word to say against
him, nor much against his appOin tment
"But l question whether it is wise D.
poiutment after all. Gunst is known 20
be mixed up in horseraees and to have
owned poolroOms and things. And the
general public will incline to the belief
that a man of this kind. if placed on the
Police Commission or in any position Of
like authority, will be likely to stand in
with all of these Institutions. Mind you.
that is what l say of the public belief, not
OF mine.
For have always found Nose Gunst a
good fellow. tie is a sport, and | and every
body else know that. But l have always
been led TO the belief tn at he was con-
cerned in the better class Of sports. He
has carried on his way in a high-handed
manner, and I've never heard of his being
mixed up in anything disgraceful.
DO | think the Mayor ought to have
the making of these appointments? Most
certainly do. The law is bad as it stands
now-yery-and the only way l can see
OF mending things is by the establishment
of new charter. That is what we are
fighting for aud what we'll have. The
executive officer of city should have con-
troll over commissioners of a city.
NOW, what is the use of the Governor
being allowed to fill vacancies in the Park.
Fire and Police commissions? None. l
don't suppose for a moment that Governor
Markham knows anything at all about
Gunst. Now in this city everybody knows
Gunst and everybody else, especially the
chief executive officer of the city. So it
would have been wiser, under the circum-
stances, had other hands held the reins.
Then, again. l think it would have
been wiser had Governor Markham not
made this appointment on the eve OF his
outgoing. 1t would have been wiser, N ore
dignified and more judicious tn have al
lowed his successor, Governor-elect Budd.
TO lave named successor to Dan Burns
There would have been less cause for COM
plant. less talk about indecent haste.
in any case. Go not fear that any
harm can come Of the appointment. even
if Nose Gunst should disappoint expecta-
tions. which do not think he will. You
see, he Will be poWerless to act by himself
So long as William Alvord and Robert j.
Tobin remain on the commission it really
does not matter who the third man may be-.
Whoever he is, he can exercise no bad
effect upon the commission or its doiDgs
1t is some comfort to know that we have
such sterling, good, capable men as Tobin
and Alvord, as members of the Police Com
mission.
"But l should not like any one to thin k
that | have the slightest word to speak de-
rogatory to Nose Gunst's good name. And
I.have had some experience of him, too.
"When l closed up the poolrooms three
or four years ago by special ordinance
of the Board Of Supervisors it was on
account of the fact that the keepers of the
rooms insisted on allowing boys of tender
age TO enter and make their bets. or at
any rate see what was going on. After a
time the poolroom-keepers were warned
that If they continued to admit boys their
rooms would be closed up, but few needed
my warning. or these men Nose Gunst
was a notable exception.
"In fact, believe from the very begin
ming Nose Gunst refused to allow boys to
enter his rooms on LeidesdOrf street He
is about the only one that did so. and
have remembered that
$50 far as my experience goes Nose
Gunst has always borne good name.
But repeat what said before, namely,
that the appoin tment was not wise one
1t showed evidence of haste, and think
Markham should have deferred to Budd
in the matter"