The San Francisco call., 1896-11-14
NEW PLAN To GET
THE NEW CHAR TER
Committee of One Hundred
to Prepare, lis Pro-
visions.
No Further Effort Will Now Be
Made for a Special
Election.
CHARTER ASSOCIATION ACTS.
] mes D Phelan Will N me the Com.
mittee and Act as the Permanent
Chairman.
CHARTER ASSOCIATION ACTS.


evening adopted series of resolutions at
a largely attended meeting in the hall of
the Academy OF Sciences, the most i'm
portant of which provided that Mayor
elect Phelan. who acted as the chairman
OF the meeting, should be requested to ap-
point a com mittee of 100 citizens, TO repre-
sent all interests in the community, in
the form ula tion of principles upon which
to build new charter for San Francisco.
If the committee could not agree upon all
the fundamental propositions they should
prepare alternative propositions for sub
mission to the people.
Also, when the work OF formulating the
principles of charter should be suffi-
ciently advanced the committee should
take the necessary steps for the nomina-
ton and election of a board of fifteen
Freeholders.
Mr.. Phelan was named as the perma-
nent chairman of the committee of one
hundred.
There was much discussion over a prop
osition made by A. P. Van Duzer to have
the committee of one hundred instructed
to make recommendations to the Legisla-
ture at the next session for the amend
ment of the consolidation act for the pur-
pose of strengthening the hands of the
incoming Mayor. but this was voted down.
Mr.. Pnelan spoke at some length, intro
ducing the business of the evening.
He said he was gratified at the unusu-
ally large attendance, which indicated
that the people had not lost interest in the
proposition to have a new charter. He
supposed that many voters had over
looked the charter which was before the
public for adoption at the recent election.
He was forced to that conclusion by the
fact that only about half of the voters
cast their ballots either for or against it.
The position which the measure had upon
the ballot was probably disadvantage
But for the mistake of placing it at the
head before the candidates, it proba bly,
would have been adopted.
The cam paign of education in the char
ter matter had resulted in good, because
the attention of the pu bile had been called
to the necessity for having a good munic-
ipal government, which was. perhaps, as
important to the City as a good National
Government The ground has been cleared
for charter making by the amendment OF
the constitution brought about at the re-
cent election. He did not think that, even
if the Board of Election Commissioners
we're entirely in favor OF calling a special
election at tn time, it would be pos ible
10 accomplish anything satisfactory IN the
time intervening before the al journment
of the Legislature. There was not much
chance that a charter could be adopted
much before July. 1899. He concluded py
saving that with what remained Of the
consolidation act to work under he would
do what he could for the good government
OF City and County.
Reports were then received from the
executive committee and from the Joint
committee on watching the count. The
executive committee recapitulated the
facts concerning the vote for the charter.
A part of their report was as follows:
Whatever may be the reasons, we must con-
fess that it is sad commentary upon the
average intelligence of this community that
half of its citizens went to the polls and regis
tered their votes upon innumerable officials
cord their convictions upon Fundamental
law that might govern their City for perhaps
hall century.
The committee on watching the count
had this to report:
From reports received from both Cante in
Morse and our men we believe nothing more
serious than few drunken quarrels and
, trivial mistakes resulting from incom ne tencv
occurred in any of the booths. Notwithstnnd
ing the instructions OF the Election Commis-
sioners the kitty" was in evidence in many
places, and this, coupled with the TACT that
brokers discounted the warrants of the off GERS
before the count was completed, was the cause
OF The drunkenness that prev allied but which
hardly affected the general good work in most
of the precincts
The finance committee reported that
the receipts were $3.50. of which $3.50
was contributed by citizens, $500 by the
Citizens Non-Partisan committee and
$500 by the Democratic State Centr al
Committee, and as the expenses were
$67S1 IS there was a small balance ON
hand after paying all expenses.
Messrs. Chase, Scott and Reynolds were
admitted as mem bers of The Municipal
Reform League.
William F. Dohrmann then spoke. He
said that while only 25, 600 citizens voted
for the charter, all good citizens would
help to support the hands of the Mayor
elect In good government. This had been
gained-that a man had been elected
Mayor in whom the people had conf
dence, and the City could not fail TO make
progress. If any officers who had been
elected did not intend 10 serve the public
fait fully it was good time for them to
lake warning. The time for boojling in
San Francisco had passed. He offered the
following for adoption:
WHEREAS 1t is fully acknowledged that the
present system OF government in the City OF
San Francisco is obsolete, detected and un