The San Francisco call., 1899-10-18
SHOWS LETTER
CRITICIZED BY
A COUNCILMAN
Mayor May Return
Eight Thousand.


Since the exclusive publication in The
Call month ago of the fact that Mayor
Snow when Auditor retained commissions
amounting to several thousand dollars. to
which he believed he was entitled, many
members of the city government have
been making inquiry with a view to See
ing if the Mayor cannot be compelled to
return these commissions.
With the division in the City Council
the opportunity to make capital out of the
situation was not to be lost. and now
President Rowe. for a purpose which he
has not yet divulged, but which is known
to be the bringing of the matter formally
before the Council. has verified The Calls
statements and has found that the
amount exceeds $1,000 altogether
When the Hgures were published the
Mayor referred to a letter sent to the
Council in 1895. in which he called that
body attention 10 the fact that he in
tended to take advantage of the statute
giving him the right to retain per cent
on all personal property tax collected.
The Mayors contention was and is that
the Auditor being held personally respon-
sible for the collection of all personal
property taxes, he should make prepara-
ton for possible lawsuits, which the new
system would undoubtedly bring about.
A member of the Council after read
ing the Mayors letter, which was pub
nshed in The Call, said that according TO
the contents of the Mayors official eN-
planauOn, he should have returned the
this year.
said the Councilman, "he says that in
1896 he intended to retain these COmmIs-
siOns because of the extra duties imposed
upon him by the statute which took ef
feet that year. 1896. In another portion
Of the letter he says that it is his inten-
tiOn to retain these commissions until
such time as new statute shall relieve
the Auditor of these special responsible
ties. According to another published in
terVieW with the Mayor, he says that the
present Auditor has no authority to with
hold these commissions. because the new
statute went into effect this year. There
fore. ] contend that on January l the
Mayor, according to his own showing,
should have returned the money.
There is still another point in the
Mayors explanation which has surprised
many members of the Council. He says
that-writing in 1S96-he intends this
year to retain such commission and
says nothing about any .preElous years.
Yet on looking at the Auditors reports
for the last ten years, find that in 1895,
without any other authority than this lit
ter TO the Council, he goes back seven
years and arbitrarily wtthholds from the
personal property taxes of 1895 all the
commissions he thought himself entitled
TO for the previous seven years. While
! do not believe for moment but what
Mr.. Snow thought he was legally entitled
to these commissions, still there are
many of US who think otherwise and it
is our duty to at least make an effort to
discover whether this large sum, amount
ing to $500 belongs to the Auditor or IS
recoverable by the city"
The Mayor says that all this talk about
the commissions is the work Of politicians.
He declares there can be no contention
about his right to these commissions and
he will welcome legal settlement OF the
question. although he says he hardly
thinks his political enemies will give HIM
this much satisfaction.