The San Francisco call., 1898-02-21

There is now no doubt that Oakland will make a strenuous effort to secure the passage in the next Legislature of bill to form city and county of Oakland. It is just as certain that there will be much opposition to the measure and that it will not all come from Alameda and Berkeley Consid- erable pressure will be brought to bear on the legislators from the south to help defeat the bill. The reason is plain. With the bay cities consolidated Oakland would be larger than Los An geles can hope to be in many years and Southern California pride will not hear of this. There has always been a spirit of rivalry between Los Angeles and Oakland, and when the southern city claimed to have passed the 100, 900 mark 1t flung taunts galore at this place. So long as there is always some sentiment in such matters it may be that the opposition from the south may tend to unite the residents of the three towns most interested and thus defeat its purpose. After all there is not so much opposition to the consolidation as is commonly supposed. The most pronounced anti-consolidationists are the oftice-holders in the outside towns, and 1t would be worse than folly to expect them to vote themselves out of
 
 chants Exchange and the Board of Trade of this city are starting out to make campaign of education in all three cities. These two commercial bodies do not always view things in the same light, but in the matter of consolidation they are almost a unit, and some effective work may be ex- pected.
 The bringing up of the subject in an official way will do much good. It will bring out all the arguments on both sides, and reason will take the place of prejudice and sentiment.
 At the present time the agitation for city and county is being taken advan- tage of by the silurian element to smother everything in the nature of a public improvement. The selfish ar- gument is made that nothing should be done until all the territory that may some day be Oakland is forced to pay for portion of 1t. The argument is made regarding parks; it is advanced why new city hall and jail should not be built; 1t is held up as reason against taking any steps to frame new charter; and no doubt there are property-owners who would give it as a reason for not letting a contract to 1 sweep the streets. At this time these l arguments are gwen attention because | they really have plausible foundation | and under the circumstances it is i'm | peratiye that the city and county be | definitely settled either at an election or by the Legislature; that the move ment for parks, boulevards, a new city | hall and other things that have been needed these many years may begin in earnest.
 There is superficiality to that thing known as public opinion in Oakland that is accountable for much of the lack of progress that everybody de- plores. There is no continuity of pur- pose shown in large undertakings. but they come up on the calendar spas and are continued from time | to time after the manner of some of the | cases in the Alameda County courts. The reason is obvious. Oakland SUD- ports too many people who live by their | wits and who are either politicians by | profession or agitators or promoters for personal gain only. Take any of | the men holding good political positions to-day and it will almost invariably be found that they toyed with public opin- lon a few years ago and courted it to their own advantage. There are so many ways to do this in Oakland A reform movement is always good; an howl is better; grand stand play in the Council on behalf of the people" also helps. while to get up a public subscription for something that annea1c t0 r1atriotiGr1 ic cipph