The San Francisco call., 1898-05-21

gains and compromises InlS inSuu ment was prepared by body or one hundred gentlemen seiected nS py nis Honor the Mayor, and though adopted by the Freeholder convention, aIter slight amendments, it remains Tn US cardinal features the work or the May ors original committee. when ne nominated that body he was 1resh rom a contest with the Board or SuperVls- ors wherein, though backed by the po- lice. and claiming to act under Judg- ment of the Superior Court, his acton was arrested by the decision of the Su- preme Court, and failed of it's purpose. Conscious of the rectitude Of hlS own intentions, and having no confidence III the integrity of his late adversarles, the Mayor became dominated by the idea of concentrating power in hands he knew to be honest, and deprlVlng or it his recent adVerSarieS Of whom ne had formed the contrary opinion. Ills committee of one hundred was nat urally composed of gentlemen holding similar opinions, and the instrument resulting from their labors fully re- fleets their origin. Under it the Mayor is practically the autocrat Of the city. It is built upon the fundamental idea and assumption that Supervisor IS born rogue and that a Mayor, on the contrary is sure to be h1gh-mlnded, honorable man, endowed with integ-
 
 ability and courage of the highest or der. incapable of being swayed by any selfish or improper motive. Hence no necessity of guarding against abuses or failure of duty on his part, but the high est need of depriving the SuperVisorS of power to do aught without his con. sent The concurrence ot fourteen votes out of eighteen is therefore re- quired to overcome the Mayors veto, a provision that plainly intlmateS the provision of dishonesty In the Super visors. l will not say that there are no grounds for such apprehension, but 1f that is the sort of people we are to ex- pect for Supervisors, why do we want so many as eighteen of them, or why give them any power beyond what the constitution itself confers? On the other hand, I know of no warrant for expecting such eminent virtue and in tellect in a candidate for the Mayor atty. On looking back over the long list of gentlemen have known in that position since the days of H. P. Coon, while I gladly recognize that with few exceptions they were eStimable men, fail to find one of them possessed Of such transcendent merits as this new charter assumes in all, or to whom would entrust such enormous powers as 1t confers, without at least some corresponding responsibility. Here there is absolutely none. On the other hand, the number of eccentric provis- ions (some ofwhich have been adverted to) lead to the inference of swapping and bargaining among a number of persons, each anxious to secure adop- ton of his particular fad; hence come the referendum, the mandate and the like.
 You support my proposal as to the Board of Public Works and I will SUD- port yours as to the referendum. The anxiety to secure adoption for their plans is very apparent in the provision that no one shall work for more than eight hours day nor be paid less than two dollars for it. This condition is re- Quired to be inserted in all city con- tracts, so that one who cannot earn two dollars must not earn anything. It practically forbids the employment of the old and feeble men who now keep our streets so admirably clean, and hands over the work to political bum- mers who have a pull. It will probably send us back also to the state of filth from which the Merchants Association delivered us and relegate the poor men who now keep the streets clean to the poorhouse by depriving them of their present means of gaining an honorable living. His Honor the Mayor owns large properties, and many members of his committee of one hundred were doubtless in the same happy plight. These gentlemen in the course of each year must pay out large sums for just this class of work. Their annual dis bursements for it probably amount to many thousand dollars; yet 1t is safe to say that not one of them ever insert ed such provision in a contract of his own or ever instructed an agent to do so Indeed, an agent who did it, unless compelled by law, would be pretty sure of a nasty leave of absence. What rot then, under pretense of honest admins tration and giving the city official serv- ice on business principles. to insert such a requirement. in it's charteri It can do no good to real working men. because they rarely have the political influence needed to secure employment from the public. It is merely a conceS- sion to political bummers. Yours truly,
 JOHN T. DOYLE.
 Mav 10 1908