The San Francisco call., 1898-01-03
Each Is a Factor m the Division of the
 Spells.
A Lady Editor Disturbs the Peace of the City
 Council.
An Alameda Mans Gloomy Views for the Future of the Tidal Canal
 Project
Oakland Omce San Francisco Call,

Oakland Office San Francisco Call.
 90S Broadway, Jan. 2
 Something that was printed last Monday morning in this column pro- yoked an anonymous reply that was received during the week Letters in the nature of orphans are not usually deemed to be worthy of notice, but the one in question has it's authenticity so poorly disguised that 1t merits mention. After rambling introduction the pur- pose for which it was written appears in the following statement: "Republi- Q cans for years have kept in place, on 2 the Police and in the Fire departments. All faithful men they found there re- gardless of their political surroundings but they have speedily rid the de- partment of incompetent men, regard less of their political leanings."
 This is both true and untrue. AS re- gards competency. the various police and fire boards have always acted with justice and fairness, but where both competency and party afi1liation are called into question there is yet to be found a comparison for the present condition of affairs. Surely this anony- nous writer does not wish to infer that there are not plenty of competent men in the Republican party to run the whole of the city government. If so he should borrow w. R. Davis scrap-book for a few hours.
 Oakland has a lady editor and news paper proprietor and she is a woman from Alpha to Omega. She is great advocate of women's advance along all lines, and in her weekly paper there is generally something so thor : oughly feminine that it keeps men guessing for a week as to what is the solution. Miss MoIlie Corners, for everybody knows her, published her New Years enigma yesterday, and as 1t has a political and prospective ele- . ment in it, the eleven men to whom it refers would give a handsome bonus to know just who and what the lady means. The eleven men constitute the City Council and this is the lady's New Year criticism of them:
 After all, l had a great deal rather deal with a wicked, boodling Council than with a stupid one. Every other New Year has a great deal better chance than flor such stumbling blockheadS have rarely been seen as are acting in the capacity of City Fathers. Fathers forsoOthI They are like old men in their tage-stiff- -neeked, stub born old men-just 'sot'; only two members who are acting at all intel ligibly. The others think they own the town and everybody in it-weu, they do not own the New Year; not just yet. We will stand them for the com ing year-naking it as warm for them as we can-thank heaven, they haven't any special corner on the office, and none at all on our affections-and we will call them down in few more months"
 Now, who are the two? The lady tells me she has already thanked twelve times-Mr. Pringle did it twice for your kind little reference tc me-
 Next Wednesday evening the gentle men interested in the Alameda end ot the tidal canal controversy will meet and see if anything can be done with that obstinate man-Colonel Suter, the Government engineer.
 Just what Alameda expects to do is not quite clear. T. G. Daniels, who has lived in the city across the estuary .. long enough to know all about it an6 its inhabitants, is evidently not very sanguine of his toWnsmen'S success Last Thursday Mr. Daniels said:
 The committee is reported to have returned from it's conference with Colonel Suter with a glum coun- tenance. What the colonel said car only be surmised, for the committee will not speak until it speaks in public next Wednesday. What the committee could have said to the colonel is about as much a mystery as what the colone could have said to the committee : Colonel Suter had reported, as the en- gineer in charge, that the completion of the tidal canal was not only not necessary to the harbor improvement but that it would prove disastrous tC 1t. He may have been wrong, as other engineers just as eminent and who had devoted more time to a considera- tion of the subject had reported just . the reverse. Still, as the officer now