The San Francisco call., 1898-03-18

make a drain on the business man or the
 general public, as one or the other must
 pay the difference, and the chances are
 that both would be losers to a certain ex-
 tent. as great many would be forced 10
 do with a little less on account Of lnabil- ity to pay a higher price. All over the
 world there are inspectors, but such an
 abomination as a fee system IS an un- kheard-of thing, and I am sure the mer- chants would rise up as one man against
 any such imposition. l suppose that II
 some politician with a big pull and little
 Supervisors will feel themselves called
 upon in the interests of the public to give him the appointment.
 J. J. STALDER, superintendent Union
 Square Markell have followed the inS
 and outs of this law from it's inception
 and am thoroughly cOnVerSant with the
 whole scheme. I can confidently say that
 1t is rotten to the core. What purpose it
 can possibly serve outside of making fat position for some boodling politician who
 Is unable to make an honest living by honest means is a problem too deep for
 me to fathom. A law which will give one
 man the privilege of making piratical
 raids on the business community under the protection of a corrupt Legislature is simply infamous, and for myself there is
 no good purpose which 1t can serve. A good reliable man, paid an honest salary. IS all that is required, but to give him the privilege of fixing his own salary and al- lowing his victims no choice but to pay his demands is more than business men can be expected to tolerate. We are now already overburdened with heavy tax and license fees, and the enforcement of this measure would mean that many who are now just becoming able to see their way clear after the period of depression would be forced to close their doors. If any Board or Supervisors gives its sanction to this law the members may just as well withdraw forever from the political field.
 If an attempt is made to enforce it we
 Will light. it to the bitter end, as it is not only against the interests of business
 men, put the general public as well.
 CHARLES MERRILL, of Holbrook,
 Merrill & Stetson-1here is no necessity
 whatever for the appointment. of an off clal Sealer, whose fees must be paid by the business men, and why they should De forced to pay them when the benefit,
 If any, will be to the public, is more than l can conceive. It simply amounts to forcing a man to pay the penalty of a crime simply because he is in such a position as to be able to commit the crime. IT man is appointed at salary to do the work the chances are that he
 will not do his duty, and it will be neces-
 sary to pay another man to watch him. l can hardly see the necessity of subject ing weights, measures and balances to an inspection, anyway. If a man is get
 ting short weight it doesn't take him long | to find il out, and the merchant is the l loser every time.
 1 HARPER SMITH, Smiths cash store
 would be perfectly willing to have
 every weight and measure in my store
 periodically inspected, but I don't care to | pay an unreasonable sum for having the
 inspection made. If the sealer can drop | lAtO lily SlOIe WIeIeNeT no sees It ana
 levy an extortionate sum upon me, I l would consider it an injustice, to which
 nobody should be expected to submit l How such a law ever came to be passed | or how anybody ever expected to enforce 1t in a free country seems a truly won l derful thing. 1 know of no place where
 merchants are subjected to such an in justice, and they would never stand it
 here. If the Board of Supervisors can
 render this law imperative by leaving it
 alone, 1t had better leave it alone.
 | It O A nf "a Qol1 1xxrir, Dtt1% 1 Competition regulates honesty among
 dealers, but if the customers are not sat isfied, the dealer should not be forced
 to pay. high fees. to satisfy them. An inspection is for the benefit of the pub lie only, and a fee system is certainly
 odious.. can hardly see how such a law length of time. but politicians can do
 almost anything they choose, and the
 people must gay the fiddler
 inspector should be appointed and salar-
 jed by the State. To saddle the business
 man with the expense. is certainly wrong,
 law must only have been passed to serve corrupt purposes. In factS the motive seems not to have been to provide for an inspection, but to make fat office by
 which a needy politician might feather his nest without soiling his hands in hon est toll. If our Board of Supervisors can letter it is the only course for them to
 pursue in the advancement of the best interests of San Francisco. I hardly
 think there is much need of an inspector, but if the people want one on an honest basis the business men will be the last
 people to make any objection, in fact
 work easier for him. A man appointed
 under the law of 1891, however. would not be an inspector as no man but cor rupt boodler would disgrace himself by accepting such position, and no honest
 officials would put man in such a
 place.
 Sons-The appointment of sealers in this | State under the existing law is black
 mailing scheme, instituted by the State for the purpose of carrying on @ whole sale eXtortion from its citizens and mer- chants.
 We have peculiarly constructed laws out here anyway, but this is the most ex- travagant and oppressive outcome of State | legislating that have ever heard of. The laws of State must necessarily be for | the benefit of the State and not for indi- | vidualS, as this undoubtedly is. I don t think and I don't see how it would be | possible for any court to punish a man | for violating the ordinance by refusing to
 pay the fee demanded by the sealer. If
 a man comes into my establishment in | the busiest time of the day and com | mands me to suspend my business until 1 he inspects my scales. compelling me | through this delay to suffer the loss of
 several hundred dollars, and then demands | of me fee for this uncalled-for and un-
 solicited investigation, I think that it is | all outrage DeyOlu luc tOlcTdlloI OI ln- | telligent people. This sort of thing could ] happen every day if the inspector con- | sidered it necessary to add few dollars | to his purse, and what protection have I 1 against such outrageous treatment? The | law says he is right and in view of this | fact l must necessarily be wrong. My | opinion Is ignored, and if I contend for | my rights or make an objection to his l pleasure I am arrested and thrown into | jail. I think the law should be abolished | and that the Influence of merchants gen. | erally should be brought to bear | against it.
 l CHARLES R. ALLEN, wholesale coal 1 dealer-The law is a crime against munic- | ipal government and an encroachment
 upon the rights of merchants who are l compelled under it's dictates to pay the | extortion demanded of them by the seal l CT. The merchants of this city both
 wholesale and retail, fully understand the 1 significance of the adoption of such a | law, and should unite and act as a unit l in suppressing it. We have enough op- pressfon now for carrying on. our busi-
 ness without having more heaped upon
 us for no other reason than to create a | s'political plum, as 1t were. for ambi- I tious politicians whose chief aim it seems l to be to live at the expense of individuals 1 who pay taxes for the support of the
 government which creates laws of this kind for the wanton expenditure of such