The San Francisco call., 1898-05-22
CONDEMNS
 THE CHARTER Too Much Power Given
 to One Man. VOICE OF THE CIVIC LEAGUE. THE MAYOR AND NOT THE PEOPLE WILL RULE. Reasons Given by the League Why the Charter Is Obnoxious.
 What the City
 Needs.
VOICE OF THE CIVIC LEAGUE.
THE MAYOR AND NOT THE
 PEOPLE WILL RULE.

At meeting of the Civic Rights League
 last night the following address given by John F. Wetzel was unanimously adopted as expressing the sentiments of its members:
 After careful consideration of every article and every section from the time the free holders began their task until the present day.
 without bias and with the hope that they
 would frame a charter that would be accept
 able to a majority or the people we are sorry
 to say that we can lind no merit ana much n demerit in the instrument they have submitted for our adoption rejection on Thursday the
 26th day of May, 1SsS ~
 Much or it is like the magic pictures that
 contain hidden things, which, once polnteoe p e out or discovered may never escape detection after ward These which might be called the negroes in the woodpile or the hidden cats, are, When once detected fatal blowholes in the arrnor or the new instrument. Among hundred reasons
 why we should vote against the new charter, each of which Is almost sufficient Of ltseIt, we will choose a few being direct attack upon popular government by majorities; and the sap ping and mining of our American institutions
 Tor the purpose, always present bul never avoWed, of distranchlsing the common people and gradually and persIstently erecting upon its ruins the oligarchy of wealth, with all the special privileges all the sinecures or 4Ietlilie tenure in office, all the appolntive powers, all the legislative powers all the aoIlItlslla m ~ atISe powers and all the judicial powers or govern
 nent Outside of the Supervisors and few executive officials. 5000 public servants are directly or indirectly dependent upon the power of the Mayor for their positions lie IS vested with the sovereign powers that marx the
 monarch as opposed to the sovereignty Of free and independent people. He may not only elect the various boards and officials but h. directly all semi-othcials and employees, and discharge them at his pleasure and nil the vacancies with his relatives, friends and par tisans. He may even cause to be removed the very elected officials, even the Supervisors, II to his interest. and the same endeayor Of our present Mayor, which proved a failure un- der the present instrument will be an un- qualified success under the new instrument If 1t should unhappily become Hne organic' law Of the city.
 The Mayor is clothed with legislative power to override the will of all majorities and com pei even the Supervisors to repass any popular measure in the ratio of to l before 1t be- comes law. even if Of the most urgent neces-
 lie Is clothed with executive power even above the will of all the people, including al! officials, heads of departments and chief of police, to command the police force, appoint deputies, call upon the Governor of the State for military aid if any Of his recommendations cials, among which might be the suppression Of free speech freedom of the press or the gathering together Of the people in organized and orderly manner to petition for redress oi grievances. He is clothed with inquisitorial powers and many remove from official position any one who fails to inform upon his ap- pontees even before the commission of an ovelt act He is clothed with power to revoke franchises and other special privileges and recommend that they be let to more favored parties. He may demand that the people elect do convene to suit his interests. dictate and limit them to his pet object, and if not suited with their act veto it and make 1t in- operative. He has control of the disbursement of almost 90 per cent of the city's finances, at present aggregating almost five millions, be- sides the other millions that may illegally pass because of the multiplicity of powers granted him and denied to the people.
 When he Is clothed with power to appoint the police judges the liberties of the peoRe will be completely at his mercy: right of con tract between the employe and his employer will be suspended and the liberty or the worker t to quit his employment will be denied, when the wages fixed by the heads of departments shall be the same as in private employment of the same grade and below q living wage He shall appoint the boards of public works health, education, police, fire, park, election and civil service commissions and certain other officials, who snail each make laws for their own government and Of their appointees ana employees and virtually determine either con sciousiy or unconsciously the politics ant re- ligion and the sort Of morality they snail De- lieve and practice. Thus upon the will of one man will depend the living, the liberty and the happiness of many other men.
 The concentration or power IS not connneu to the Mayor alone, but the Chief Of Police mas full power to detail any or all 1ne force m the case of a strike or other tumult Neither is 1t confined the elective officials that repre- sent the people, but the Fire Marsha! ana as sistants shall be appointed by a private cor porauon. and all policemen and deputies shall be under his orders, with all the powers of Sheriffs and their deputies to suppress organ ized gatherings protect property and enforce all laws relating to explosives, etc, the ols- posal of same and the arrest of all suspected persons, all of these to be paid by the cor poration appointing them but not by the city aanS co,ntr A sort of ce.1sorshIp over the books, journals and periodicals the common people may read is exercised by certain per sons who may appoint their own successors in office forever.
 one man will decide what books and teach ings may be excluded religious and sec tartan and what others may be allowed In the schools.
 and the only time, in favor of the common people, wherein textbooks are furnished to indigent pupils exclusively, thus covering them with shame and disgrace in the eyes of their more fortunate companions ...z
 Many other serious wrongs are perpetrated besides the concentration of power, among count of their immoral tendency: The pension fund for superannuated and disabled fire and police officials is largely maintained from reprehensible sources. fines levied upon grog- shops and unfortunate women property of ar Sab6 rpeetTers of stolen goods Junk shops and from corporations and others for protect ing them and theirs in case of strike or other
 A sort of premium Is placed upon the unmar- ried state by forfeting widows pension If she re1narries or if she removes from the State to parents friends who assist In the support of her and her children. Any pen sioner is placed in the same category as felons and habitual drunkards and his pension for feited if he removes from the State.
 Neither In case of war, famine, pestience other cause of excessive cost of living any salary be increased in justice and equity in proportion to the decreased purchasing power of the only utilities possible for years to come would only increase illicit patronage, cheaper water light and telephone service to the propertied classes by burdening future genera tions with increasing bondage at high inter- est and in denominations that in no way exchange. There is no intent to fur nish cheaper and better homes or cheaper fares to the residence districts Neither can we have cheaper fares through free competition in fectuaIly blocks the letting of franchises to any such end but does in fact perpetuate the present monopoly. Even the power of alter