The San Francisco call., 1899-05-28


rights grossly violated by the Board of
Supervisors, but the outrage will be
perpetrated with a full knowledge of
its meaning and in the face of public
Indignation. Supervisors have been
bribed before, but the people of the city
have generally learned of the commits
sion Of the crime only after the Of
fense became local history Municipal
officials have been guilty Of gross of
fenses, but the facts have become pub
public property only when the time for
redress had passed and condemnation
was little more than an idle formality.
But tomorrow a majority of the
Board of Supervisors intend to commit
an almost unparalleled outrage upon
the city, and they know. with shame
ful knowledge, that the people Of San
Francisco are perfectly aware of what
is TO be done and why. The combina-
ton which rules the Board Of Super
visors intends tomorrow to indorse the
recommendations of the Street Commit
tee in reference 10 the franchises asked
by the Market Street Company and to
give to the corporation the enormously
valuable privileges which have been
granted The Supervisors understand
thoroughly that their action will be a
betrayal of the city to the corrupt de-
mands of the agents of c. P. Hunting
ton. The Supervisorial com bination
which will close the deal tomorrow
knows that the city will be robbed of
enormous revenues by seven official
votes, and that municipal authority will
be given to indorse public outrage.
Members of the clique are aware that
the Market Street Company, with the
votes of seven Supervisors, intends to
cheat the city, rob the treasury of hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, defeat
the operation of the charter in some of
its most essential features and destroy
a competition that could not be other
wise than beneficial to San Francisco.
The Supervisors know these facts and
so do the public. Nevertheless a ma
jority of the Board of Supervisors in
tends tomorrow to give the Market
Street Company all it asks. The peo-
pie of the city certainly have a right
to ask why.
The Street Committee of the Board of
Supervisors has already acted favor
ably upon the petition of the Market
Street Company for certain franchises
which, if granted, will remain for fifty
years as a stain upon the record of
public officers. The character and the
purpose of these franchises have al
ready been discussed. That they should
be granted seems an outrage nothing
less than crime, but the combination
in the Board of Supervisors has bowed
to the Establishments Of Herrin and in
tends to pass the recommends tions of
the Street Committee to print to-mor
row.
The majority members of the board
have assumed an attitude of desperate
unconcern. They know the iniquity of
the action which they will take to-
morrow. They are perfectly aware that
the sentiment of decent citizens is
against them, but they are impervious
to the shafts of criticism and refuse
even to discuss their own prospective
action. They believe that their term
of official life, because of the charter,
will expire with the year and they are
determined to make the most of It,
So eager are they to obey the COM
mands Of the Market Street Company
that they are planning how to circum-
vent any effort which may be made to
prevent the outrage that they intend
to infiict upon the city. They fear that
some member of the board who is not
party to their plot and who in de-
cency TO his constituents will vote
against the petitioned franchises, will
change his vote and ask for a recon-
sideration. If this is done the major
ity will simply decide to adjourn to an
other hour of the same day or to an
early hour of the next day. This will
permit the schemers to carry their plan
into execution without delay, as time
is now a vital factor to the Market
Street Company. No franchise may be
granted within six months of the end
of the present official term and the be-
ginning of the charter regime. The
Market Street Company cannot afford,
therefore, to wait very long
The majority members of the Board
of Supervisors have been correctly in
formed in reference to the policy of the
minority. When the unjust franchises
are passed to print a motion will be
made for reconsiderati ton, but 1t will
be made to the next regular meeting"
and not to the next meeting" If the
reference were made to the next meet
ing the majority could meet when it
pleased and complete it's work If the
reference be to the next regular meet
ing the champions of honesty In public
office will gain at least week in which
TO secure for their cause the pressure of
public opinion.
Only such an influence, it is expected.
will have any weight. Representative
citizens, aware of the outrage which is
about to be perpetrated on the city
have already begun the campaign. They
have met in various parts Of the city in
mass meeting to condemn the outrage
Gus demands of the Market Street Com
pany and to denounce the prospective
action of the Supervisors. The city
knows what has been planned as a be-
trayal of its rights, and the people in
tend to give free expression to their
opinions of the men who have been per
suaded, by whatever means they care
to suggest, to sacrifice their own honor
and the city's privileges. A meeting of
Indignation was held last night by the
Federation of Mission Improvement
Clubs and no pains were shared IN IN