The San Francisco call., 1898-05-11
AS TO MONKEY BUSINESS.

HAT there is no need for Mission "zoo" no
 question will arise. That the people of this city
 do not desire the establishment of such con cern is certain beyond all doubting That devoting quarter of million to the purchase of site for such affair would be robbery of the taxpayer tor the benefit of the realty shark is proposition con corning which the shark and his accessory will be the only disputants.
 For time it seemed that the inquitous scheme had been crushed, that exposure had killed it, but its friends were at work and the effect of their efforts was apparent at the last meeting in April of the Su pervisors. On that occasion supervisor Clinton de- nounced the project as "a clean steal rather an omalous term, which seemed fully to meet the ex- igency of the case He showed that the land tor which the city asked to pay sum perhaps as great S3oo,ooo was ot no such value that vain effort had been made to give it away, and that for years 1t had been hawked without bidder. Now 1t was be unloaded upon the public, which neither needed wanted 1t, and at price satisfactory to the spectators who had originated the job. Such wanton betrayal of the people would he thought, be a crowning scandal Evidently the Supervisors were willing to accept such crown. Nine Of them voted themselves worthy of the shameful decoration.
 There is every prospect that the present year will see "hard times There are to be abundant crops to stimulate trade and keep money in circulation 1t is meet that every citizen harbor his resources and similar rule should apply to the municipality It is no season for waste Yet the Supervisors pro- pose to waste preliminary quarter of million. Out of this expenditure there can possible good; none is expected; such is not the object The only purpose is to put the money of the people into the pockets of the schemers With the tax levy this year there is certain to be deficit All the money which can be raised is needed in legitimate improvements in the streets the schools the sewer system, the Po- lice and Fire departments. Why tri1e it away on monkey ranch, seminary for poll-parrots!
 There can be no claim made that the Mission needs
 "zoo" That section of the city has free access to Golden Gate Park now one of the most beautiful in the world and yet one in which improvements must go on for many years, and to which economy denied this year sufficient appropriation. San Francisco will not patiently endure the spectacle ot its world famous park being crippled for lack of funds when money is thrown away needlessly by the author ity which withholds it where 1t should be freely granted If necessity existed for ZOO Golden Gate Park was the place for it. There it would have been common property, no ground would need to have been purchased at ridicuousy exorbitant fig ures and the only cost would have been for the ami nals themselves If the Mission is entitled to park of its own so is the Western Addition so is North Beach, so is the region around Rincon Hill.
 As matter of palpable fact the Mission "zoo" was conceived in fraud is wholly without merit of any sort is an unmtigated imposition If carried through it should contain few cages devoted to the detention of the school of realty sharks who have zealousy and unbushngly advocated the steal, osensibly for the benefit of the Mission, really with the design of footing the public treasury.