The San Francisco call., 1898-01-08
MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION WORK.

C AN FRANCISCO is to be congratulated upon \ the appearance in the current number of - Municipal Affairs of an able article by J. Rich ard Freud "The Civic Service of the Merchants Association of San Francisco" At this juncture, when so many Eastern people planning to seek homes in peasanter climate or looking for invest ments for their capital, it is gratifying be able make through so influential publication a clear statement of what the progressive merchants of the city have accomplished for San Francisco in the way ot municipal improvements and public benefits.
 It has been so often reported that San Francisco is city of dscords business rivalres antagonisms and municipal stagnaton msgovernment that pro- gresslve men who recognize the value of cooperation III all sorts ot enterprises, public private have hestated to make their homes here and cast in their lot with us Believing people be incapable of combining and working in harmony for any purpose, they have turned away from the tempting natural ad vantages of the city and sought fortune in other localities where the business men are reputed to aid the ventures o their neghbors and to be ready at all times to combine and labor for the general good Though MT. Freud in his article does not refer to this aspect of the situaton his review of the work of the Merchants Association effectuay dsproves all stories of lack of civic patriotism and the spirit of cooperation among the business men of San Fran cisco. The plain narrative he gives of difficulties
 
 makes clearly evident the fact that our citizens by cooperation have achieved more for the community than those of other cities where there is much more boasting of enterprise and public spirit
 The history and the work of the association are ia niliar to our people The organization was begun less than four years ago by forty-seven men, It set about its work at once and demonstrated it's useful by the results achieved At the end of the first year 1t had PA members, and since then the growth has been rapid that at the time Mr. Freuds ar ticle was written there oI5 business firms en- rolled in its membership.
 Among the more important services of the asso- ciation Mir Freud notes the cleaning of the streets the repaving of many of our thoroughfares i'm provements in street lighting reform in the street car transfer system, the procurement of site for the Wllmerdng School of Industrial Arts and the pro- motion of the movement for a new charter Much of this work entailed heavy voluntary contributions from the members. On the single Item of street sweeping alone, when the association had the con- tract for that work, the sum of $3oooo was contr- buted voluntarily by the merchants in addition to the And again when improved lighting was under taken upward of SI5ooo subscribed by the members.
 San Francisco point to the record of the Mer- chants Association evidence of the public spirit ot her citizens. There may have been a time when leading business lacked civic patriotism but that time has gone by. The first battles for muni- cpal progress have been won and the rest will be easier. Mr. Freud's article is timely It presents San Francisco to the country this juncture in the true light and will help to gain for her new repu- taton beftting her new spirit