The San Francisco call., 1897-09-02
POWERS OF SUPERVISORS.

To the Editor of the San Francisco CuH-SrR:
There total Misrepresentation By the ma
jority of the charter convention last night OF
the system as whole which was outlined in
the proposed substitute, but after the storm OF
debate broke over the convention no oppor-
tunity was given me TO present it as whole.
1t is true that said on offering the subs III
tute that an effective check to all vicious
legislation was provided in the veto by the
voters, which could be instantly put il motion
by petition or by a faithful Mayor. As mat
ter OF course, this would always absolutely
prevent any disastrous legislation. but under
the rules l could not offer it as a substitute for
the section under consider a ton, although l
had prepared and printed it and had il on
hand ready for distribution among the men,
bers as a substitute TO section 16 as soon as
we could take up that section. 1t reads as fol-
lows:
Section I6. All laws ordinances ana resolu.
tious passed by the Board If supervisors City
Council OF San rancisco hall be subject TO veto
ny majority vote OF the qualified electors OF the
municipality: aud fol this cause no such law, or
dnance resolution shall be in force until thirty
days subsequent TO official publication of the
same Within such time 20 per cent of the tax
p ,yers as shall appear upon the next preceding
tax roll, may present petition TO The Mayo of
dinance or resolution to a vote of the qualified
electors at the next municipal or general elec-
tion. and the presentation OF such petition shall
suspend the operation of such aw, ordinance or
resolution until such election, and major ty vote
In favor Of it shall be required to make it opera
tive The Mayor shah also be vested with au-
thority pend any such aw ordinance or reso-
luton by proclamation during the first ten days
after official publication of the same. and when SO
suspended 1t shall take the same course as If 1t
had been suspended by petition.
IT. will be seen by thoughtful men that the
Mayor would De anything but hgurehead or
nonentity if he had no other authority than
this power to suspend all acts of the Super
visors which in his judgment were against the
public welfare. That power alone would in
stantly defeat all the jobs OF the solid eight,
and no Doodle would be offered them. But
the substitute gave the Mayor other important
powers as a member of the board, and the sys-
lem | propose includes still other important
functions for he Mayor, but cannot enumer-
ate hem here.
Some members of the convention became
quite frantic over the proposal to invest the
itty-four Supervisors with executive author
lty, and yet there is not single city in cont
mental or insular Europ in which the exec
utive authority is not vested IN the Munici pal
Council and even the advocates OF q despotic
Mayor concede that these European cities are
tie best and most economically governed
cities in the world.
However am not disposed TO urge the
adoption of system which clothes the Super
visors with the executive authority. 1t is not
necessary. There is practical modification
of: the system which makes the Mayor the
chief but not the sole executive. and that will
suit me. JOSEPH AsBURY JOHNSON.
IL Essex street. Sept. l, 1897.