The San Francisco call., 1896-07-26

time and enthusiastic wheelman. He
heartily indorsed the objects of the DEM
onstratlon and was followed by j. Richard
Freud. The latter's address follows:
/ Letus ssee what our streets cost-$200, 900 ex-
pended during the past fiscal year in repair
ing the accepted streets of San Francisco !;
| $34, ZOO 900 spent upon the streets and sew
| ers of San Francicco during the past forty
! yearsl What have we to show for this vast
expenditure? Rotten sewers, patched pave
ments and broken roads. Sewers, Justly con-
demned as the worst of any civilized commun-
| tty on earth, except the City of Mexicn Pave
ments, the most defective of any progressive
| city in the United States. Roads, that are the
| laughing stock OF the villages of the country
| Such is the street picture of the third rich
| est city IN America-a metropolis with an as
| sessable wealth of 1850 600 600 CITY
| whose marvellous natural resources Should
| make 1t the most beautiful and attractive CEN
/ ter on the face of the globe. What is the
clearly owing to the obsolete and defective
| system OF municipal government, known as
| the consolidation act. code of laws forty
! years out Of date, amended and supplemented
/ by successive Legislatures over 400 times 1t
| was made for village of 10000 inhabitants
! and no more fills the wants OF this metropolis
| of $50, 900 people than the clothes OF 4 child
will fl man.
| Under the consolidation act all the streets
sewers and roads are in charge OF the Supervis-
| ors and the Superintendent of Streets. This
/ ancient plan has proven downright failure.
\ 1t results in extravaganza, incompetency and
! corruption, and has resulted in the present
disgracefui and dangerous. condition OF our
! highways.
There Is but one sure remedy for this munich
| pal malady. Change the system. Wipe out
| the old consolidation act and bring in the new
| charter. When anything gets beyond redemp-
| ton, patchwork is idle. mere change OF Off
cials will never answer. We must root out the
entire system. How will the charter prove
| the remedy? 1t provide a competent Board of
Public Works, with City Engineer who must
| intendent of Public Works who must be mas
| ter builder Such Board OF Public Works
will have full charge of all the streets, sewers,
pavements and roads of the City.
The time for tinkering with the streets has
passed. We will never have good streets until
1 We get good sewers. An improved system of
| sewers, with conduits for all the wires that
| now dishgure our thoroughfares, must go hand
| in hand with smooth, sanitary pavements.
These valuable improvements will cost $5,-
10000 and can only be had by bonding, the
| City. Future generations will enjoy these
| blessings, as well as the taxpayer OF to-day,
and, therefore, posterity should also bear its
| fair share of the burden.
San Francisco is the only City in the United
States OF over 10O, 900 population that has no
bonded Indebtedness. Under our present de-
fectiye system of municipal government the
| taxpayers never have and never will favor
/ bonding this City. The constitution of Cali
| fornia requires two-thirds vote of the people
TO issue bonds. The present stupidity, waste
| ana corruption in handling the public funds
| viii never warrant the taxpayers TO add more
|
make the bonding of the City for permanent
public improvements safe, certain and valid.
Under such modern and approved system of
municipal government, every publiI-spirited
citizens favor bonding the City.
| Adopt the charter ana let the City issue
20. 600 600 bonds for forty years. What would
| to get the bonds at per cent year-$200,-
900 Tor interest and $125.O for a sinking
| fund, making 1925 900 year, less than one
| tenth of 1 per cent on the assessed valuation
| Of property in San Francisco; not even that
much, because large saving would result by
reducing the tax levy for many repairs and
| renewals. Again, every dollar expended by
| ci ty in improvements is matched by an equal
expenditure by private parties, thus Largely
| increasing the revenue OF the city.
| This. them is the only safe course open to
| the citizens of San Francisco. Adopt the
| charter, issue the bonds, improve the City.
Progress and prosperity will thus be assured.
| From now until Novembe let the motto of
| every cyclist be, Garry the charter and win
| victory"
| James F. Barry Colonel Eddy, H. F.
| Wynne and several others followed, and
| just before the close of the meeting the
following resolutions were read:
WHEREAS, Street Improvement is one of the
first evidences OF progress in a great city.
Good streets are as necessary to the welfare of
| the citizens as good food and good clothes
The good-streets demonstration of tonight
shows the efforts of the people to better their
condition by improving the streets. This agi-
| tation during the past year has secured to San
Francisco great benefits in modern street i'm
| provements upon Van Ness avenue, Folsom
| and other streets; and whereas, the gen.
eral condition of the business streets
| of San Francisco demands continued effort for
their improvement, to place them in condition
for even favorable comparison with the streets
| OF other cities of the Union. So deplorable is
| the condition OF Market street, the main bust
| ness artery, with pavement which, although
| 1t may have been adequate to the demands of
| travel upon it many years ago, is now so far
| behind the examples of progress set by most of
| the cities of this country, that it has become
daily reproach to the intelligence and the en-
ergy OF our people; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That this agitation SO successfully
| begun be continued until the unsightly
| blemish upon the fair face of our City, the
present antiquated pavement of Market street,
| has been removed and this street repavEd
with modern roadway suitable 10 the traffic
of the present times; and also until necessary
| Improvements of other important streets have
| been effected; and further
| Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting
and OF the citizens of San Francisco are due
| and are hereby extended to all those City Of
fcials and private citizens, and particularly TO
| the present Board of Supervisors and the Of
| fetal expert of the Street Committee, George
| w. Elder, who have assisted this movement
| by their cooperation, and by their personal
influence and activity have brought about
much-needed practical results in street i'm
provements.
| They were adopted with roar and the
vast assemblage dispersed, after having
thus aided to contribute a notable page to
the history of public improvements in the
City and County of San Francisco.
| ---------
SzN nTEGO EOREOTOSuPH Surn