The San Francisco call., 1897-12-13
NO LITTLE
HLTE CZAR"
The Civic Rights Party
StrenuOusly Opposes a
Despotic Charter.
Objects to the One Man Power
Principle and Cites Pre-
oedentS.
j. Munsell Chase Tells Why Other
Cities Have Rejected the Idea
of an Autooratic Mayor.

Registration for the charter election on
Decem Der 81 closed on Saturday night
and discussion on the proposed new in
strument is now in order.
One of the most persistent OF the many
assoc ations now in open opposition 10
the attempt to fasten an autocratic gov
ernment on San Francisco is the Civic
Rights party. an offshuo. of the Civic
League, which has assumed the task of
furthering all desirab forms of municipal
activity. The Civic Rights party early
declared its antagonism TO the programme
OF Mr.. Phelan's Committee of One Hun
dred, and some OF its criticisms have been
productive OF changes IN the work of that
! body, but the Civic Rights people are as
! aggressive as ever, and declare that with
! their approval no charter shall he adopted
! which withdraws from the citizens any OF
! their present powers. They declare that
the remedy for the present defects in
municipal administration is the adoption
| of a form OF administration which shall
secure 10 the people a more direct and
continuous control OF their fairs.
While the Civic Rights people do not
! expect to make an active canvass in be-
! half of any candidate or set of candid ates
/ in the election for ireeEolders, they have
| teen making a careful canvass OF the per
! sonnel and principles of the candidates
now before the electors with the purpose
of enabling their mem bers to vote intelli-
! gently. ana they expect to have consider
| able influence on the result OF the cam
paign.
]. Munsell Chase. who has taken an
! active interest in the work OF the Civic
Rights party, was interviewed yesterday
IL reference to the purposes OF himself
and associates. He said:
/ Il am G ad that the question has at last
been placed squarely before the citizen. OF
San Francisco: Do you want a charter
which shall make of the Mayor an auto
crat2' Tor now We can expect to receive so
definite an answer that no future attem pit
at charter ma akin will include the one n
idea as the central principle. Three OF
the four rejected charters were defeated.
as l believe, chiefly because they gave too
much authority 10 the Mayor. Let us
hope that we Will not have 10 defeat an
otner: but L am certain the citizens o.
San Francisco will do SO if the freeholders
whom they are about to elect propose
such Il charter as the Committee Of One
! Hund Ell mas pre- pared.
The CALL has well styled the Mayor,
as proposed by that committee. The Lit
tie White Gar for that is what he would
actually be. With the Fire, Park, Police.
| Election and Civil Service commissions
and the Board OF Pa bic Works (Street
Department, etC.) in his appointment, tn
Mavor would soon become his Imperial
Majesty, and the people protests against
his acts would be a protest 10 the wind.
That this result would follow does not
depend Tor conlrma alton on empty theory.
Several cities have their Lord Mayors, and
no good to the people has come OF it.
''Ihe Mayor of Chicago is an autocrat
yet, despite the fact that the Legislature
f of the sovereign State of Illinois has en-.
acted law and the Council of the great
State of Chicago an ordinance prohibiting
gam bling, the gaming hell, open and un-
abashed, is one of the lndi genous institu
tions of Chicago So wrote w. T. Stead
| the eminent London editor, who visited
: Chicago in the winter OF lS9495.
What wns the reason OF this open vio
lation OF the laws OF the city OF Chicago
and OF the State of Illinois? 1t was be-
t cause the Mayors of that city-Mayol
Harrison and his successor Mayor Hop
kins-had made compact with the
e gamblers 10 leave their hells undisturbed
Mr.. Stead says: Before Mr.. Harrison; ,;
: last election certain number OF gamb
5 lers, as is the custom in this city, made
upa purse and subscrib bed several thon-
sand dollars authorities differ as to tn;
precise amounO TO Mr.. Harrlson's elec
t ton fund. When he was elected he tool
. steps to recoup those patriots who haC
r ! supplied the siEews of war. A sinai
? syndicate was formed for the purpose o
/ securing a certain liberal percentage o
the profits OF gaming, and in return
practical immunity from prosecution wa,
j secured to the gaming houses by an ar
4 rangement with the mayor. The preclst
amount of this fund was not made
i, known, though it was estimated at 65 pc
cent of The winnings of the gam bler~, bu
many people had a finger in tie pie be o RI
s the residue reached the Mayor.
when Mr.. Hopkins became mayor h
caused the Chief of Police to close ever
s gaming house until new com pact Wa
; made. when everything went on as be
, | fore.
! "I don't believe San Francisco has any
/, need for any Little White Gar and what
more | don't think her citlz ms will adop
any charter which provides for one, q
that of the Committee of One HUNDRED
p does"