The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-03-21
Politics Hold Sway and
Party Fealty Is
Needed.
Value Of Municipal League in
Its Effect on City Gov
eminent.
Republicanisna for Office Only Is
the Cause OF Much
Scandal.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,


sos Broadway, March 90
Everything in Oakland at this time is
subordinated TO politics. Woodward has
had his day, Brosnahan ceases to inter-
est, scandals at the City Hall have been
so frequent that they are commonplace
and no longer shock and even the bold
programme undertaken by the Grand
Jury Is fast taking on an opera bouffe
air. But there is a State and county
campaign ahead and close by it another
municipal election, so that there is al
most one year of active politics in sight
and even Oakland is satisfied with the
prospect.
Something wrote last week has called
forth very comprehensive and intelh-
gent communication from some, one who
is evidently a keen student of Oakland 5
municipal politics. A large portion of the
letter is of public interest, but some OF
the ideas expressed are not borne out
by experience. 1t states that with the
exception Of the pOolroom enactment,
which was shortlived, Oakland retained
the good name it had so long held and
was a growing and prosperous city, until
the Municipal League came into exist
euce and elected Pardee Mayor and re-
form Council. The letter proceeds:
The Mayor. at the head of a mob, took forci-
pie possession OF private properly, 70 wlIlt t
they had no more title than you or have u
ordnance with the running Of our local trains,
under the time table which had been to- years
impossible TO run their tTaiD1 with regularity
and which resulted finally in deprlying the
people Of East and West Oakland OF the PrIYl-
lege OF free riding. which Tor all previous time
they had enjoyed, and which will never De re-
covered. Then the water front suit was COM
menCed which, besides tying up, lnqehnltely.
the water front, vii! cost. al told, the larger
some reliable firm OF lawyers, at cost OF not
over SIC. 000. and intervening in the DaVle suit,
brought before our Supreme Court and de-
~ I,,-re 1,ertic,,larlv RI nlease Par1ee
the charter was amended and the police and
fire departments brought back into ward pol
tiles the results OF which we see IN the scan
At the bottom Of most of our present trou
bles. and responsible for them, you Will ma
the solid saloon element, controlling louO or
more votes and a very excellent an some re
spects) Christian element, who viii insist
upon putting up third candidates. and then
allowing-as samPle-HHbush TO be elected IN
the Fifth Ward instead OF an excellent and re-
10 C,l1++stian FAMILY Had he not been defeat
ed by the ultra-Christian element. there would
have been no Woodward in the Council. and no
water scandal. and had not such excellent cit
lens of the Fourth Ward, George Gray. Mr..
Fish and others given Ieitmann their votes 81 IN
convention we should have had no water war
and no r!oting, arising thereLroIn
The above is the first time have heard
It safd-outside Of Southern Pacific Com
pany's attorneys argumentS-that the
city had no more right TO open Broadway
than has any individual to preempt Dr.
Coyle's church. Such argument is silly
The abolishing of free riding has gener-
ally been considered a good thing for
building up the ends of town and has GER
tainIv led to the investment of millions
in street railroads. The waterfront
cases are better than they We're, for with
title vested anywhere the future IS as
sured whereas for forty years nothing
could be done because or the dispute. Inc
amending of the charter was certainly q
step backward, and have frequently SO
stated and eXemplified. As TO the votes
in convention that were cast for Heit-
mann there was some excuse, Tor Helt-
mann had been behaving himself Tor Jour Jour
Years and no one knew he would return
10 his old habits, and this disposes OF all
the points, which could not nave oeen
brought up at more timely period
Now. what is TO be learned from these
lessons? The answer is simple. Any
one who remembers the method by which
the last so-calIed municipal Republican
convention was foisted upon the party
can see that the only remedy is for the
party to adhere to precedent and to elect
its own delegates at properly appointed
r,rfn1aries Frank Leach was the first
10 detect the infamy of last spring and
IT is an open secret that he and DR..
George Pardee quarreled over the early
stages of the plot-nOw successful-to give
the CITY into the hands Of the water COM
panfes Pardee was honest in the matter
and sincere, but results are the true crit
erion and everybody's eyes are now
opened. It is timely to ask the ques-
ton, are the Republicans now posing as
leaders or holding offices, doing their
hest to preserve the party intact? In some
Instances, most assuredly not. The Re
publican members of the Board OF Works
NAV he lOYal to themselves, but they are
not lovai to the party that elected them.
II has been denied that the = Police and I'd
Fire departments were used last year IN
The interest of Mr.. Dow and against the
Populist candidate, Mr.. Piersol, who put
The heads of those departments in Of
fee, but If the denial be true, why nave