The San Francisco call., 1897-03-08

weeks, those having the work in char e
have not relaxed their efforts for single
hour. Ladies have made house to house
canvass, pastors OF all faiths have handled
the subject from rostrum and pulpit, cir
culars prepared by Seventh Day Advent
lists have been mailed to every voter and
the local press has chronicled the progress
of the anti-saloon people with surprising
fulness.
On the other side not word has been
said, not a public action has been taken.
To all appearances the saloonkeepers
have not raised finger 10 protect them
selves from being driven out of business.
Of course such has not been the case.
Men with such vast amount of capital
a stake as is represented by the saloons
Of this city have not quietly stood by and
allowed their opponents to do all the
fighting, Just what they have done will
be determined by tomorrow night.
An interesting feature of the saloon issue
is the fact that it has been very stud iouslv
avoided by the candidates in their speeches.
1t has been forbidden topic too delicate
to handle. One candidate has been bold
enough to say that in this matter he will
be guided by the will OF the people, but
the rest have discussed Mckinley, the tar
iff, the Republic and its foundation and
the foreign situation, greatly preferrng
these hlgh-sounding and perfectly safe
topics to the material matters of what
they would do in certain local crises. The
politicians and candidates of Oakland
regard fight against saloons in the same
manner as fox views hedgehog.
Once again Grand Jury is in session,
and, as usual, all kinds OF reports of its
doings are being made public. To the
outside world such startling reports may
be interesting, but to residents of this
county the Grand Jury is regarded en-
tirely in the liz ht OF an expensive legal
hoax For five years past the Grand Jury
room has been made place where politi-
clans, disgruntled from various causes,
sought to ventilaie their grievances and
wreak their politics vengeance. In many
instances this has resulted in the return
ing OF ponderous patches OF indictments
against officials for all kinds of malfeas-
ance in office. Those indictments occupy
many pages OF the criminal records of the
county, and that is their alpha and omega.
Judging by the result all were based on
the same sort of foundation as the charge
of bribery now agitating the Legislature.
A few came to trial and were in every in
stance dismissed, and the balance have
been forgotten.
A few days ago the Grand Jury was in
advertently made the tool of few polti-
clans for the purpose of influencing the
present campaign. The scheme failed,
and that august body accepted the testi-
mony that all it had heard was simply a
street corner jocular conversation. No.
body fears the Grand Jury, and its indict-
ments carry about as much weight as its
semi-annual recommendation that new
city prison be built. Its "secre" sessions
are a farce, because the proceedings are
published as soon as tney transpire.
The money of the taxpayers is abso-
lutely wasted, because the men who are
required to give their time to its sessions
are not OF the class that work for 81 day.
A Grand Jury report and petition to the
Council from Lewis the Light have exactly
the same weight.
The letter published last week by Pro-
fessor Burrill. head of the language de.
pariment Of the High School, has caused
some deep thinking. Mr.. Burrll makes
the sweeping assertion that the product
OF the grammar school is very unsatisfac-
tory when it reaches the High School and