The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-03

when they got through it was considerably
after 10 o'clock and the committee ad-
journed, and that without having heard
the members of the Board of Education
who had come to urge the necessities of
the school and to support their claim for
million and a quarter.
M. B. Jones started the discussion with
inquiries about the net demands.
This was cue for w. r. Sherwood, the
next speaker. He said these were not
times to indulge in any extravagances.
Not half the volume of business was being
done now as the merchants and manu-
facturers did ten years ago. Heavy tax
alton would drive away capital. Los An
geles has the advantage of this City now
in many respects, and she will be in better
shape to control the business of the San
Joaquin Valley, so that this City will have
TO look to her laurels as against city that
short time ago we looked upon as mere
village. Heavy taxation, he said, would
be handicap.
Thomas Magee followed on the same
lines. He cited a number of instances as
showing the general drop in rents. For
the small property owner and the owner of
flats the fall in incomes was especially
hard. The property owner he termed the
universal jackass who had to bear all the
burdens. He took the occasion to say that
If the bicycle-owner wanted the luxury of
good streets he should pay tax to secure
them. The only thing that was increasing
these days was taxation.
Daniel Sullivan of the Folsom street
Improvement Club was the first to change
the melancholy tenor of the discussion.
He was in favor OF progress; he believed
In the City paying its debts like an honest
man. II am not a sllurian," he said
You will find that only the big property
owners are those who make protests
against improvements. The small owner
pays his assessments without a murmur,
almost gladly if he is assured that the pay
ment means progress. We are not heavily
taxed in San Francisco. New York has
much higher rate. The business
men of that city have the foresight
to know that to beautify their city
means increased values. You can't
make big fortunes without some outlay.
| am in favor of pushing work, giving en-
ploymeDt to those who need it and keeping
owners find themselves unable to pay the
taxes let them sell out at low rate to the
poor and we will pay the taxes"
Mr.. Magee said in reply that he had
spoken not for the big property-owners
but had distinctly stated that he spoke for
the small owners, whose back would be
broken by the heavy taxation.
81 don't know single small owner who
has made any complaint" said Mr..
Sullivan.
Mr. Sherwood said that Mr.. Magee was
the last man in the City who should be
called a silurian. With the exception of
Claus Spreckels himself he had done more
than any other one man to free the city
from the grasp of the railroad monopoly
and to generally further its best interests.
He had given $4,000 to the San Joaquin
Valley Railroad. ''As for myself" said
Mr.. Sherwood, II may he called one, but
may say that gave $4,000 to this road"
M. B. Jones took the floor again to say
that merchants were compelled to carry
customers times were hard; under ordi-
nary conditions objections would not be
raised; boulevards were all right in their
order. but it was best to buy bread before
o swallow tail.
William Center of the Folsom-street I'M
provement Club said that there had been
a great deal of talk about boulevards, but
the fact is that $4,000 or $50, 600 will have
to be spent on Folsom street in any event.
1t is worn out and from six inches to two
feet below the line of the railway tracks.
The Western Addition has been carefully
looked after for years, its streets are in
good order. nicely paved, while in the Mis-
sion there is not the same care manifested.
Messrs. Rate, Scobie, O'Brien, Went
worth, Sullivan, Mcguire, Ambrose, Eng
lish and Baldwin spoke in forcible terms
on the subject.
The committee adjourned until next
Tuesday evening.