The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-09-13
DUTTOU'S POEM
WAS TOO TRUE
A Republican Government
Pretty Nearly Right
After All.
The POpulist's Pension Arrives
and He Is Sorry He
Wrote.
Dr. Pardee Iade No Promise Not to
Be Candidate for
Governor.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL.

9OS broadway, Sept y.
Deputy Sheriff Dalton is in quandary
he has been in several before and has al
ways come oUt POLITICALLY and there is no
reason TO suppose that his recovery on this
occasion will be more ignominious than in
the PAST. Mr.. button is a roet, and a
good one. His chief fault is in his choice
OF subjects to which he attunes his music.
Being very raoid PopuIist, his ideas are
not so broad as they might be and be is
lmpulsive. He has written poems TO
Earth, Heaven" Hell" "Dr. Kun.
mer" and, as ali the civilized world now
knows, he wrote the "Wec come ODE
which was sung by the myriads of Chris
tan Endeavor delegates recently on the
coast 1t Is difficult to reconcile some OF
the sentiments in the ode with those in
"heu, " but then Mr.. Dutton is Popu-
list and q poet and literally takes ad-
vantage OF both
Tears ago Mr.. Dutton was soldier. He
did his duty nobly at a lime when Popu-
ism was not He has never written ally
heroic verse because, as be explains, his
feelings always get the better # his muse
when he attempts 1t. Five Gays ago he
Tell so angry at the earth for giving forth
such an increase in defiance OF his idol
orators multi-repeated prophecy, that he
again wrote a poem and scattered il all
over the country. He handed copies TO
al his friends. and, as he did SO, he re-
ferred TO the pr sent Republics admins
tratlon and how 1t is not doing its duty TO
lis old soldiers who fought and b ed, "
etc, and how the prospect OF having Nj.
Bryan for president in 1900 had caused
business 10 revive in spite OF the perver-
SHY OF Mckinley and ms followers All
TINS and more said the poet-otficial as he
gave out his poem, which concludes:
The wolf assails the patriots door
How thankful we should be.
The land is filed with siarviag DOR,
ow thankful we shOu oe.
The poor mans bread now cos him more,
And W gvs drop little lower
The same old story o and DER:
How thankful We should be.
On the following morning he received
big envelope from Washington informing
him that his application and claim for a
pension were botn good, and that all
arrears would be duly paid and that "ihe
wo:f' would no longer ''assail the patrio.'s
door"
How thankful we should be, H." said j.
w. Dutton, Populist, poet and pensioner,
and this time he meant it.
The greatest three needs of this city are
that the West Oakland marsh be obliter.
ated, new city hail and a large public
pleasure ground. The marsh is being
b.otted out of sight as fast as contract
work can be done and can now be safely
left in the hands of the West Oakland I'M
provement Club when undertook to have
the work done and is making signal sue
cess Of il.
The City II all is certainly The next thing
required. At the last meeting of the City
Council Mr.. Henneberry made an argu-
ment in its favor that is absolutely con-
vncing. There is no place for the City
Engineer and various plans were sug-
Ee>tad for cutting up the rooms and plec-
ing them together in manner to suggest
an attempt to arrange district school
house rather than OF City Hall OF city
that likes to be called a metropolis. The
old frame barn was built when Oakland
had a population OF &c 900. when its as
sessed value was go, 900, 900 and when
there were less than 1000 votes cast a
municipal election. Now its population
is probably 20, 900, its assessed value nearly
$50, COO and over 5000 votes cast at the
last election.
The Work of every department has in
creased in proportion, but there is no
more C 'ommoda'ion. The prison in The
dank, unhealthy basement has frequently
been condemned by the Health Board,
but has been passed over after Il few i'm
perative improvements. Chief LLOYD
never knows how many prisoners he
has until he sends around TO the
cells to see if any have left. The Treas
urer cannot be supplied with the strong
room as required by the charter because
experts have stated that the building is
too rotten TO sup7orti:. An opon cesspool
was found recently und er the floor of the
Police Judges chambers. the MAYORS
Office is small ana the Board of Works
meet in little corner behind a rail that
is as much of 4 CO -ridor as an office. The
Stree Department Is so cramped that two
people cannot spread out a map 1T once
The Civ Engineer can be found in
private block downtown. The CITY JUS
lice is in garret-like place half mile off,
and the jury-room to the Police Court
would be a disgrace to Milpitas. As
clearly proved last Tuesday night, the
business Of the city cannot be iniellig emily
or economically transacted in the present
building.
Occasionally an attempt is made TO
create a sentiment in favor OF large pub
lie park The periodical effort 10 sell land
% he city has come around again. but il
il certain that the voters will insist on
having decent City Hall before they vote
a vast sum for park two miles from the
center f population.
There is no truth in the statement that
DR.. Pardee promised to do all in his
power to help w. r. Davis to obtain the
Repu bIican nomination for Governor.
This statement has been attributed to w.
w. KnicKerDocker, a congressional CON-
mittee man, but he denies it.
"Ispoke to Dr. Pardee on three occa-
sions. " said Mr.. Knickerbocker TO me this
week, "and he said nothing that would
prevent him from honora bly, trying 10 run
f,r Governor of this State He made no
hedges and no promises and is quite al
liberty 10 act as he pleases. The state
rient that he promised to give way to Mr..
d Wis is false"
As Mr.. Knickerbocker is warm per-
sonal AMI political friend OF Mr.. Davis,