The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-22
The New Supervisors Will Put
Themselves on Record
This Week.
MAYOR DAVIES PUZZLE-B0X.
Record of E. G. Sessions, Who Made
Sacrifice to Protect Small
Depositors.


management than in the result OF the
past weeks sessions of the Board OF Equal
ization. Multi-millionaires appeared III
person or sent petitions to have their as
sessments reduced to figure at which any
one of them would scornfully curl the up
were they offered it for one-tenth OF their
holdings. On behalf of the railroad COM
pany and the other wealthy corporations
petitions were filed, declaring under oath
that their property in Alameda county
is all old, comparatively worthless ana
was operated at a loss merely for the con-
yenience of its patrons. In fact, the South
ern Pacific agent tacitly admitted that the
COMPANY had two steamers, carrying thou
sands of passengers daily, that would not
pass an inspection of their hulls and
boilers.
The Haywards road is the wealthiest
streetcar system in Alameda County and
is paving investment. 1t pulls trains of
freight through the main streets of Oak
land it turned deaf ear to the suggestion
of the merchants on Washing ton street,
who asked that the co mpany haul Its coal
cars through the streets only at night; 1t
carries the United States mails; the lands
at EImhurst, on which the power-houses
and carhouses are located, was donated,
and the property-owners along the route
gave handsome bonuses. The corporation
has the right of way over thirteen miles Of
county road and does as it likes in the
heart of Oakland, and it asked for re-
duction of assessment to less than the cost
OF half of its cars.
The Southern Pacific operates its line on
Seventh street. charges streetcar fare and
runs in opposition to the electric roads It's
local service ends at Fruitvale and is as
distinctly a street railroad as are the
electric roads. Yet their agent said that
the county could not assess it, because it is
part OF the general State system.
The powerful and wealthy Contra Costa
Water Company said that its franchise was
worth nothing, and limited that Oaklanders
have been ungrateful for refusing to sub
nit to a monopoly when a way of escape
was offered them.
The Board of Equalization has under
gone complete change since it met year
ago, when 1t was not annoyed by any pro-
tests from the railroad, because Mr.. Dalton
had not succeeded Mr.: Leckie. who was
highly complimented by Mr.. Morehouse
while the last board was in session. Of
the present board, Church, Johnston and
Talcott are new members.
PelouZe is from Assessor Dalton's ward
and is a friend of the reformer, and it is
pretty certain that his loyalty to his friend
will be seen in his voting TO uphold Dali
u
evidence of being any different from what
he was year ago, when be was pledged to
raise a corporation assessment before he
heard the evidence.
Talcott was elected on an anti-railroad
ticket and is a man of Independent views.
He will probably be found with Dalton in
the end. Church belongs to family that
has fed at the Alameda County crib for
twenty years. He has not been put to the
test, however, yet, and his vote will
determine his character. Johnston served
q term in the City Council of Oakland, and
along with Pardee and Nelson made good
anti-monopoly record. He has given no
indication of change and can be trusted
to do the right thing. On the whole it
looks as if the assessments of Dalton WILL
in the main, be upheld. Certainly Talcott,
Johnson and PelouZe showed no timidity
at the convenient appearance of Mr.. More
house, the San Leandro banker. 1t would
not surprise me if Mr.. Dalton should
eventually receive some mention by the
State Board of different nature from that
made of Robert LecKie by Mr.. Morehouse.
There is a point at which an abuse of
privilege is as objectionable as common
nuisance. That point has been reached by
the hideous howlers who nightly yell from
the steps of the City Hall. 1t matters not
to the ears of those who cannot get out of
reach of the sound whether the origin of
the nuisance be color.d female preacher
or leather-lunged auctioneer-p politician.
1t is nuisance, pure and simple. The
pretty little park has been spoiled, the
flowers have been trodden down, and it is
high time that Mayor Davie afforded
some relief. Oakland is not a town of
anarchists, who are melted to lawlessness
by every street orator that mounts soap
box, but on the contrary, people regard
such as something to be tolerated as being
speech. The ordinance prohibiting street
preaching and oratory without license is |
a useless piece of local legislation.
1t is unnecessary IN San Francisco, Lon |
don or Chicago and other big cities and is |
not needed here. Mayor Davies attitude |
in refusing permits is surprising, as, when |
making his campaign, he was the oftenest |
heard open-air speaker IN the county. The |
present restrictions are regarded as hard |
ship by the church party of Oakland, and |
anything opposed to that party in this city |
is always impolltic and generally unreason- |
able, for Oakland ministers intellectually |
rank among the highest in the State. The
old method of not permitting street meet
Ings on thoroughfares trayersed by electric
roads worked no hardship and was gener-
ally popular. A return to it would be the
most amicable and judicious method of
obviating the present nuisance.
The sale of Sessions basin Saturday
drew forth many expressions of sympathy
for one of the few progressive men Oak
land has known. Five years ago E. c.
Sessions was one of the most solid capital
lists of Oakland. At that time the only
street railroad to East Oakland was the
one-horse car line on Twelfth street that
ran TO Thirteenth avenue and back, and
that ran the same route fifteen years ago,
but probably with another horse. Mr..
Sessions built the Eighth-street electric
road, at that time the second road of the
kind in this county. He sunk the largest
part of his fortune in it. Before it was
financial success several other lines par
alleled his and the opposition proved to be |
stronger than he could overcome. At
considerable loss he Jaw the road go into
other hands. AT that time Mr.. Sessions
was president of the Oakland Bank of !
Savings and he did that which at once
stamped him as one of the most noble |
men of Alameda County.
The bank held the earnings of hundreds
of small families, all of whom would have
suffered by a run such as can always be in |
stigated by competitors. Knowing that
his losses might jeopardize others should |