The San Francisco call., 1896-07-21
.AF TER THE MAYORS SCALP
Five Thousand Circulars Directed
Against His Road
Printed.
Western Addition Improvement Club
Claims That the Peoples Rights
Are Being Abused.

An important and largely attended
meeting of the Western Addition I'm
provement Club was held last night.
All the mem bers were there for much
business and little talk, as may be judged
by what follows.
Herewith is copy of communication
forwarded to the Supervisors:
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, July 90. 1896
To the Members Of the Street Committee of the
Board Of Supervisors, City and County of San
Francisco State Of CalJornia--GENTLEMEN At
regular meeting of the Western Addition
Improvement Club, held at Coakleys Hall on
the date last above written, the following or
der was adopted and ordered to be forwarded
TO your honorable body for action, to wit:
To inform your honorable body that the
fence supposed TO inclose the property of the
estate OF the late Judge Nee, situate and
located on the northwest corner of Geary
street and Central avenue, is an OBJ.
struction, it being located on the public thor
oughfare 9I OF Point Lobos and Central avenues.
We therefore ask that you have the same re-
moved to the exact line of the property proper.
]. AMEs BowLAN, President
RICHARD o. BLISS, Secretary.
There was but little discussion over the
following resolution, directed against
Mayor Sutro and his road, and 5000 pam
phlets were ordered printed for general
circulation in the district:
NOTICE.
AS members of the Western Addition I'm
provement Club we do hereby earnestly ask
your active support and cooperation in secur-
ing the recognition OF our rights, which we
claim, and justly, have been ignored by Mayor
Sutro's unfair and inconsistent arrangement
OF his electric road. The grievances we sub
NIT TO your consideration are as follows:
First-We pray that you demand that the
Sutro Railroad Company be compelled by law
to live up 10 the terms of its franchise by re-
qu1rlng said company to make its terminal
point as set forth in the terms of it's franchise
the intersection OF Geary street and Central
avenue. By allowing this portion of the road
to remain idle Mayor Sutro not only subjects
himself TO the accusation of gross inconsis-
tency, but further than this he invalidates his
franchise. He has placed rails on said portion
OF his road and so lnterfered with its grade
that all other traffic is greatly lmpeded. You
are dou btless aware that this portion of Cen
trail avenue is the natural outlet of all the
heavy teaming to and from the Richmond dis
trict. He has caused the grade of this road to
be changed without any authority for so
doing
1t will be remembered that Mayor ElIert nm
dertook the personal supervision of having the
rails torn up on Bush street in similar case
when the railway on that street was allowed
to remain in disuse.
We claim that Mayor Sutro because of his
high municipal office, is taking an unjust adj
vantage of the taxpayers in this district. We
there fore suggest that promp appeal be made
to the proper authority requiring Mayor Sutro
either to run his cars down to the terminal
point stipulated in his franchise or that he be
compelled to tear up his rails in this part of
Central avenue and restore the grade as it was
before he tampered with it,
We further desire to call your attention to
another matter which we believe strongly
evidences the inconsistent practical express
sion OF his self-lauded public-spiritedness
This is his unjust treatment of the people of
Richmond in charging them fare double
that required OF the patrons OF his line who
may reside in the central part of the City or
in towns across the bay. You will bear in
mind the promises he made publicly in Far.
relPs Hall before the electric road enterprise
had been Instituted and before he was raised
to the Office or Mayor. He then spoke in glow
ing terms of the infinite good he desired to do
for the people and claimed that had he road
he would charge two and half cents instead
of five cents as a fare. He talked bitterly of
octopuses and declared his eternal enmitv 10
such combinations.
Now we claim that after getting the con-
fdence of our community he has directly
violated it and has ignored our former support.
He has formed a combination with the Suffer-
street Company and virtually demands a
double fare from the people living in the
Western Addition and along the line OF his
road
We would suggest to Mayor sutro that mas
much as the Railroad Commissioners are about
to take action toward reducing the passenger
rates of the Market-street Railway Company
that now splendid opportunity presents
itself for him to put into effect his reputed
solicitude for the public welfare and set an
example for all other railroad companies by
reducing the fare on his road to 215 cents
Mayor Sutro has laid the foundation for no
htlcal popularity in our community. We have
stood by him in the past. So far, we regret to
say. he has done US no particular benefit.
In conclusion, we pray Won will exercise
your influence in whatever channel it will
prove most effective in requiring Mayor Sutro
TO make good MS promises anSt give US what
we deserve and demand in the matter of re-
duced fare, and to compel him TO conform le-
gally to the terms of his franchise relating to
the terminal point at the intersection of Geary
street and Central avenue, or thereby forfeit
all rights on the part of Central avenue be-
tween Sutter and Geary streets.
All tne foregoing was unanimously adopted
ment Club, held at Coakley's Hall, Geary
street, near Central avenue, on Monday, July
pamphlets be printed and distributed in the
district, and that copy of the same be fur
nlshed 10 each and every newspaper in San