The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-05
TAX LEVY IS
DEPENDENT ON
THE MAYOR
Reading Rooms Are
Ordered Closed.
WOODWARD is ELOQUENT
GIRARD SAYS THE MEASURE rs
A GREAT OUTRAGE.
Pringle Declares That the City Gov
eminent Cannot Be Run If
Money Is Sunk in Lake
Merritt.
WOODWARD IS ELOQUENT
GIRARD SAYS THE MEASURE is
A GREAT OUTRAGE.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,


Oakland Ott1ce San Francisco Call,
sos Broadway, Oct 4.
The first effect of the tax levy passed
by the Council last night Is already felt.
The Board of Free Library Trustees has
sent orders to Librarian Peterson to
close all the reading rooms and to run
the free library only from l to p. m,
and to reduce the salaries of all the en-
ployes 25 per cent. This action is de-
clared to be necessary on account of the
small allowance in the tax levy for the
free library.
The ordinance was signed this morning
by President Hoffman, and is now in the
hands of the Mayor, on whom it depends
to become a law or to be vetoed. Public
opinion has been very freely expressed
that the tax levy as constituted is OPP
posed to the city's best interests. 1t pro-
vides enormous sums of money for i'm
provements on Lake Merritt and vicinity
and cuts down about 70 per cent the
amounts for the various departments OF
the city government.
Councilman Girard declares that the
High School will have to close four
months in the year, and that the streets
cannot be cleaned or the city lighted IL
the ordinance be signed by the Mayor.
Councilman Pringle declares 1t TO be I'M
possible to run the city on the proposed
levy.
Councilman Woodward. who once fur
nished long typewriter report in de-
Tense of his vote on the water-rate or
dinance, which, by the way, has never
yet been adopted, treated the Council to
another typewriter speech in which ne
makes all kinds of defenses for the ordi-
nance Mr. Woodward even assumed the
role of dictator to the newspapers, and
one of his typewriter paragraphs read
eff the newspapers should make an at
tack upon these gentlemen (the Lake
Merritt Improvement Club and call
them schemers to rake the city treas
ury when they apply to the city author
relief from the OItra PpOIS state
of affairs which exists in and around Lake
Merritt-the city's water park-such
Just how the ''silencing'' would be done
or just what Woodward meant is not ap-
parent in his speech.
IF the Mayor signs ms that hat ordnance li an
outrage. The people of Temesca have
as much right to expect the city TO build
their sewers as have the miliionaires re;
siding around Lake Merritt. It Is said
that the men who compose the Lake Mer-
rift Club own one-third of all the wealth
of this city. If this be SO, they can well
afford to pay for building their own
sewers. Show me a case in which the
Council has spent in ten years $3S,6OO
or as many cents for building sewers for
poor taxpayers. Lake Merritt is in need
of attention, but it is absurd to provide
$50 900 for dredging it and $3S 800 for build
ing sewers 'as a sanitary measure. The
work should be spread over at least two
wears and the sewers should be paid for
by those who will benefit by them.
1.-The taxpayers of this city do not fully
realize what this means. or if they did
they would at once take such steps as
will prevent such a waste of public mon
ey. If these millionaires who live around
let them pay for 1t. I can call to mind
that twenty years were consumed In try
ing to Influence the Oakland Council to
spend $1,000 in West Oakland, graduating
a nuisance that sent many of our chill
dren into their graves. No one will con-
tend that Lake Merritt in fifty years
time will be as foul as was the west
Oakland marsh. but tnen poor people live
in West Oakland.