The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-01-10
REGARDS IT AS INSULT.
Assemblyman Leavitt Receive
a Resolution Passed by
the City Council.
He Had Previously Gwen Pledge
Regarding the S. me Matter to
All the Merchants.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL,
Ol.o 4 L q z

908 Broadway, Jan. 8.
Assem- blyman f. w. Leavitt has written
a letter from Sacramento to City Clerk
Tompkins, which was received to-day,
concern ng his attitude on the bill which
he proposed to introduce in the Legi,l la
ture if the people of Oakland desired that
he should do so. In his letter he refers to
a resolution passed at the last meeting of
the Oakland City Council relating to the
bill OF which he is the author. Mr.. Leavitt
says:
ut was thoroughly understood before l
left Oakland that there would be no action
on my part concerning such bill. Itwas
published far and wide through the news
papers and | want to say now to the City
Council of Oakland or any other organiza-
ton that a resolution of this kind was en-
tirely out OF place and could possibly have
no effect except simply 10 show the mar
row-mindness of the fellow who intro
duced the resolution. whose name, 1 am
sorry to say, is not attached thereto, or
/ would write him personal letter giving
him my views.
This matter was settled the day before
l left Oakland, is settled now and will be
settled so far as / am concerned. l want
that thoroughly and distinctly under
stood, and l am not DESTROYS of receiving
any further communication on that mat
ter from the Oakland Council, William R.
Davis or any body else"
The day before Mr.. Leavitt left Oakland
he gave full explanation TO the Board OF
Trade and Merchants Exchange OF his
position in the matter, which it was
thought ended the incident. Some sur
prise was expressed that the matter was
taken up by the City Council at its last
meeting, for there was certainly no need
to doubt that Mr.. Leavitt would keep his
pledge. The lar.er portion of the water
front is in his Assembly district, and he
told the directors of the two leading COM
mercial bodies that he would be guild by
their decision in the matter, as he wished
to be the representative OF the district
rather than OF any purely personal idea.
That Mr.. LeavitL was not alone in the
plan outlined in his bill was proven by
the clear statement made at the confer
ence by John W. Britton, general man
ager OF the gas company, who is also in
| terested in large section OF the water
| front owned by his corporation. which a
| few weeks ago decided a right OF way to
the City through its property. There
were undoubtedly many good points in
Mr.. Leavitt's bill. which were admitted
/ by nearly everybody, but the discussion
would be inadvisable to touch upon any
phase of the situation that would in any
way complicate the standing of the suits
| now in the Supreme Court.
Upon this showing Assemblyman
| Leavitt frankly told that represen tative
gathering that the bill would never be in
troduced, and that the matter was at an
end. There was certainly no necessity
for the Council to pass resolution which
implied that Mr.. Leavitt might forget
what TRANSFERRED the previous day, and
his friends in his Assembly district look
on the matter in the nature of an insult
| Mr. Leavirt convinced all present at the
| conference that his desire was simply to
use all possible measures to hasten per-
manent improvement on the water front,
and in view of The development at Adams
| wharves. and the great increase OF com
merce. Mr. Leavitt was certainly justified
| in his desire, and the frank manner in
which he followed the suggestions of lead.
ing commercial men would have been
better treated by the Council in resolu-
| ton OF thanks than by one implying is.
| trust for which there has not been in Mr..
Leavitt's career particle OF foundation