The San Francisco call., 1896-11-16
MULTUM IN UNO.
A New Oakland Book With Many Au-
thors Causes Great Deal
of Talk
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALL
4O8 RrnadMav Nov Is

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALI
90S Broadway, Nov. 15.
Under the joint authorship of many of
the leading divines, business and public
men of Alameda County book was issued
this week which contains more foundation
for thought than any similar history of
this county that ever left the press. When
Rev. G. w. Wendte, DID,; Rev. r. f.
Coyle, DID,; Rev. E. S. Chapman, d. D.;
Hon. w. r. Davis, Engineer L. ]. LIE Conte,
President Fish of the Merchants Ex-
change, Judge Gibson, W. J. Dingee and
others of similar caIiber put their hands
to the plow something is going to be
planted
With everything that has a tendency to
make a great city the enigma that has
puzzled residents here for ten years has
been and is. Why is not Oakland greater
city than she is
The book just published answers the
question better than could be done in any
other way. The first glance through the
book suggests the question just asked; a
more careful survey of its pages answers
it. Oakland has suffered in the past from
lack OF public spirit, from want of har-
mony among those interests which build
up cities and to a large extent from the
closefstedness OF q majority of her wealthy
men.
Engineer LIE Conte, after covering the
well-known ground showing how the busi-
ness of the harbor has increa sed, even
with its present limited facilities, says
that the abnormal state of affairs that ex-
lists for enabling ships to load and unload
quickly and thus be but a short time idle
| in port, can be found nowhere else. ''San
| Francisco" he says, 'sis naturally situated
on the wrong side of the bay, and all that
| Oakland lacks to make her a successful
| rival is deep-water channels of sufficient
capacity to accommodate deep sea vessels.
| In few years more this need will be sup
piled, and Oakland will have fine land
| locked, deep-water harbor, free from all
dangers to navigation, and completely
sheltered against the heaviest gales from
any point OF the compass"
After dealing with facts and carefully
ignoring fancies, Engineer LIE Conte con-
cludes thus: 1--WE can safely say that
Oakland is destined to be the Liverpool of
the Pacific Coast"
DR.. Wendte handles the "Men of Wealth
of Oakland" and clearly expresses his
idea of their duty. With the exception of
the Chabot Observatory and the gift OF
Mrs. Garcelon for free hospital he says
nothing has been done by peop pie of wealth
in this city in public way. Mr. Wendte
declares that endowments of a public
library, a conservatory of music and pub
lie parks are, in the order named, the
best things men of wealth can give to this
city.
at makes one sad at heart,' he saws.
ITO go out to Mountain View Cemetery
and behold the costly but meaningless and
useless structures erected there by family
pride or affection, when a SO much nobIer
memory is within their reach IN the free
public library"
DR.. R. F. Coyle, who came to this coast
from Chicago, says some very trenchant
things about the new Oakland, but he
sums up very clearly in this one para
graph:
Oakland has the elements which will vet
make of it a great city. What it needs to has
ten its greatness is more esprit du corps
Every Oaklander should talk up his city; he
should sound its praises, and he certainly can
do it with good conscience. This is the
spirit that has made Chicago what it is
Ex-Mayor Davis says that if Oakland is
not a greater city than Omaha ten years
hence it will be solely the fault OF her
citizens:
Site may favor, numbers help, commerce
aid, competition contribute, law secure and
improvements count, but we, too, are factor,
The individual carves his destiny, somewhat
Alfred B. Nye, managing editor of the
Oakland Enquirer, deals with the manu-
featuring industries of the county. He
quotes from the United States census of
1890 and gives figures that are doubtless
surprise to many people who have lived
here all their lives.
1t is reserved for DR.. E. s. Chapman to
discover something in which Oakland has
not made any progress. Always witty.
the white haired pastor concludes a story
on 'Ten Years in Oakland" thus:
There is one respect in which cannot claim
that mucn progress has been made, and that
is IN the matter OF health. During the first