The San Francisco call., 1896-08-12
ALL SOLID FOR
THE CHARTER.
Sentiments Of the Richmond
District Residents For
mally Expressed.
ATTENTIVE AUDITORS.
They Listen to an Able Address
by Postmaster Nc
Coppin
HIs REMARKS FULLY IND0RsED
Further Meetings of the People to B:
Held in Support of the
Instrument.

Hon. Frank McCoppin had large and
representative audience Of the residents OF
the Richmond District before him last
night when he delivered his address on
the proposed new charter before the Rich
mond District improvement Association,
in kindergarten Hall, at the corner of Cal
ifornia street and Fourth avenue.
Charles H. Hubbs, the president of the
association, was III the chair, and Secre-
tary J. G. Maloney was also at his post of
duty 1t was expected that James D. Phe-
Ian would be one of the speakers, but he
was prevented from being present by other
pressing business, and sent a letter of re-
gret, stating that he would be pleased to
appear before the association on some
other occasion and address them on the
subject OF the charter.
Postmaster McCoppin spoke as follows,
his address being frequently interrupted
by applause:
Ever since man became gregarious animal,
the question OF town government-the govern
ment of towns and cities-hds yexed and inter-
ested him. The Greeks dealt with it, and
Athens when governed by a Democracy dis
hOnored itself by putting to death its foremos t
citizen. Socrates, who taught the purest
morals, and who, as has been said, nticipated
Christianity, was putto death by the Eleven
upon the ABSURD C1dTge OF C0rruptlQg the
youth. What would history say should our
TE Eelve adjudge some good man-say Mayor
Sutro-guilty OF false teachings and order him
to drink the hemlock? What wonld the Mayor
say? Would his last words be ''Crito owe
cock to Huntington, will you remember to pay
the debt?"
When the Roman empire fell it lett stand
ing an acceptable system OF town government
which was carried forward INTO the middle
ages aud practiced in way that we might
upon occasion initiate with profit to ourselves.
T'i7Te 20 Il -or HNv(
his History of Civilization" He tells us
how upon an appointed day each year the
electors OF towns were summoned by the toll
ing of bells to q Mace of meeting, where they
elected their gistrates they were
caied-to serve one year. But If at any time
the representatives SO chosen happened to go
wrong-to form themselves into mines" or
"sevens," no matter how solid-the bell rang
out again, and the recalcitrant magistrates
were deposed and their successors chosen
upon the spot The admirable system of town
government so long prevalent in New England
was borrowed from Old England - trans
planted by the Pilgrim Fathers
1t is worthy of note that Boston was the first
town in America to see the necessity for public
grounds for the recreation of its people. AS
early as 1884 that town purchased the Boston
Common from William Blaxton and dedicated
it to public use. That was I42 years before
the Declaration Of Independence was promul-
gated and the harbor OF San Francisco diScov-
cred
The glory of this harbor's discovery belongs
rot to sailor. Here he missed his chance.
Drake came the nearest to it, but even he
missed it. Drake was noS seeking for undiscoy-
cred har bors; he h ad all he could do to get
away with the plunder with whichithe Pelican
sfterward the Golden Hind, was overladen
when he touched at what is known as brakes
Bay to refit.
The discovery of this harbor was made by
the Franciscan priests who came hither over
land looking for favorable place at which to
found mission to be dedicated to the patron
saint. of their order. Having discovered the
harbor, the fSan Carlos,' small vessel be-
longing to the missionaries, was ordered here
from Monterey with the necessary appurte-
nances for the establishment of the Preside
and the mission, and strange to relate she was
two months in making the harbor. That was
the first vessel to enter the Golden Gate. The
little settlement thus established may be said
TO have slept for seventy years, or until 1916
when there was change of flags and of SOW
ereignty, but the town had yet two years of
tranquility to its credit. MarshalPs discov-
cry in 1s48 moved the world profoundly and
caused rude awakening here. Ships upon
every sea, carrying men from every cline un-
der the sun, set their eompasses for the Golden
Gate, and this sleepy old town became one of
the notablest places in the world. hybrid
town government was set up here to meet the
new cond1uons-a mixture OF Spanish and
American-with the results which now con-
front you.
The Alcalde was succeeded by a-6ual govern
ment-City and County-which was abolished
by Horace Hawes' consolidation act in 1856
Hawes, man of marked ability had a fond
ness for charter-making, and put an enormous
amount OF labor into the construction of the
consolidation act. 1t was framed for CITY of
about SO, 600 people, who were neither mil
lionaires nor paupers-the vicisSitudes of time
had not yet classified them-but who were
heIeeiy Jealous OF their civic rights and de-
tended them even to the death. Mr.. Hawes had
seen good deal OF the world before he came
here; he was without illusions, thought men
could not be trusted in heir dealings with the
Government, and drew his charter accordingly
AS 1t came from his hand it was q piece
granite work, simple, symmetrical, complete.