The San Francisco call., 1899-07-24

.
augurated on the water front, which mean
the permanent employment Of two or
three hundred people, and not One-hun-
dredth part Of the publicity has been aC-
corded them IS has been given 70 the dlr-
tiCuIties surrounding the reinstatement or
dismissal Of Jimmy Brannan as specia!
police officer.
The largest lumber concern in town can
not supply the demand. and between lei
eEraph and San Pablo avenues there IS
hardly 6 block on which new buildings
idle artisan in Oakland. and even the
farmers have TO advertise Tor SutucIenL
help 10 do their work.
The Central Improvement Club will IN
doubtedly, if organized on the lines now
projected. be of more value 70 Oakland
than have been many of its City Coun-
els. The conservative and solid body OF
men that met a the Merchants Exchange
4 few nights ago 10 lay the foundation OF
the club are men who know what the city
needs. They come from all the improve
ment clubs around the city. and there
was not a politician or a place-hunter
among them. They talked business and
business principles and showed spirit OF
enterprise and a desire 10 promote public
Improvement that presented a strong con-
trast 20 the petty chickering's that disttn-
glLsh most Of the gatherings OF promoters
IL Oakland. In q general way not one OF
lL-E UCLrEdLtS CSLCAA N-4cLL elLtg ~i4A--e7 ~
done specially for the benefit Of any par
JiCuLar part Of town. The idea was 70
take hold OF some big project and stay
with IL Till brought To q SucceSSful con-
clusiCn and the whole tenor Of the meet
ing was thar what benefited Oakland at
large must OF necessity benefit all outside
territory.
There was one feature OF the meeting
which was noted and commented upon.
L was the entire absence OF any repre-
sentative from the Lakeside ImproVeInent
4
property owners who proclaimed mat
they represented $l6 .0j9 of taxable
property With this immense leverage
they went before the last City Council!
did d 5 they pleased and got all tney asked
Il IS possible that, being SdJlSleG- tile
Lakeslders have no interest in the work
OF less OpuIent Improvement clubs. but al
the next meeting some sort OF an eXpla-
nation regarding its absence at the hrst
gathering Is expected.
The last week has been more hys-
teriCal in q political way than the
week preceding an election. Just why
all the bombs should have been eX-
ploded a. this particular time is not easy
10 say. but It IS probably because they
have been bottled UP since last Novem-
Der. and -he first excuse for letting them
on has Just been discovered.
Coroner Mehrmanu and his celebrated
10 .VuU-wOrd speech brought one row %
climax The celebrated contract regarding
II
in the meantime somebody Jumped on As
SCISSOR Dalton and started an eruption IN
his volcano. A the end Of the week
everybody realized that there haI OCeu
GLORIOUS Victories" won. but. like that
OF BIenhein. il IS difficult 10 say VINO has
gained most. Il is far easier % see VINO
mas lost most
Assessor Dalton seems now 10 have
found his political level. Fer several
wears he was carried along on wave Of
. eF-z4 @ 7r1 0T n
tracts. He promised 10 ride roughshod
over The. corporations, and ne continually
contrasted his d0ings with those OF his
predecessor. This stock in trade could not
last forever. and neither did il. and when
everything is sized up Mr. Dalton appears
as a fairly good normal Assessor II his
predecessor favored the railroad property
and other corporate interests II IS no
credit 10 MI Dalton that he was not
guilty Of the same thing. a man IS no
more honest than his uelghDoT IS dlsH0n-
est An Official Is expected 10 GO Ms
whole duty. and ne mas no rlghL 70 c-itI 1J5
q halo because he does what MS a--eged
faulty predecessor did not do No one
doubts that there has been TOO mlcA pOLl-
ties centeCIug in the Assessor ONCE, ana
Il is q pity thar in addition TO MS local
difficulties Mr. Dalton should figure as
being responsible for holding back the
pay Of hundreds Of teachers IN this county
because he cannot arrive al a settlement
with the State Controller. The W1ote
sum IN dispute Is about 500. and Il MI
Dalton be right in retaining Il he should
not suffer for hanging on 10 WAat belongs
10 him II he be not entitled 70 It, ne must
Justly suffer the political penalty. In any
event the uuseemly quarrel should be ter
minated at once. 50 that the teachers can
he maid In this connection some comment
FaE been caused that the Assessor, who
formerly employed a prominent RepubI-
can for his attorney. should now Oe taxing
his legal advice from Democrat, r NJ.
Fitzgerald.
There is one item IN Mr.. DaIton's expla-
nation Of his assessment that has not SO
far met with favor with the taxpayers.
Il is his arbitrary reduction Of $500 on
the san Pablo road. Mr.. Dalton says that
ne made this reduction because on March
he knew that the road was soon 70 bs
wrecked and that the roadbed. franchise
and stock were practically worthless; con-
se1uentIy he reduced the road from So
$50 70 5000. The roadbed was not touched
until the latter part OF May, but was in
the same condition on March l, 1899. as on
March !. 1Ses. and should have been as
slSSed al the same figure. Mr.. Dalton <
opponents say that If ne be at liberty to
"a Ee official notice OF what is 70 transpiTe
REGARDING personal property nearly three
months ahead, there Is no reason why
ne should not look a few weeks more
ahead and have beheld IN the San Pablo
road the high-Class. thoroughly equipped
electric system which IS now in vogue and
have raised the assessment 10 double the
amount he placed upon il as an old cable
weakest spot in Mr.. Dalton administra-
-s-- STT- ART ". BOOTH