The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-06-13
Mayor and the Minority Accept a
Bogus Compromise.
The Corporations Fix Their Own Rates and the City
AbandOns Its Right to a Hearing in Court
Street Franchises Discussed

have Deem reduced by the Board or SD
perYisOrs- Mayor PheIan is smiling In
the innocent belief that he has won a
victory, very materially political, and
the Gas and electric light corporations
gre delighted in the fact that they have
humbUgged the Mayor, imposed upon
his faithful minority and cheated the
city out of what might have been a
great public benefit After a deal Of
noise, the biape of political tTumpets
and much official fuss and feathers the
Mayor and the minority have accepted
the terms of the corporations, jeopar-
died if not destroyed, their own action
in fixing a rate of 81 10 a thousand feet
and restored to the majority members
of the Board of Supervisors the unques-
toned right TO meet as often as they
please and take whatever action they
wish under the limita tons of the con-
solidation act
By the authority and with the sane
ton of Mayor Phelan the Board of Su-
pervisors met yesterday afternoon and
adopted the very rate for gas which the
local corporations were eager TO accept
on March / The Mayor and the minor
ity members of the board have united
with the majority in a betrayal of the
city in its effort to secure a material
reduction in the rates for gas and cleo
trio lighting. The Mayor and his fol-
lowers in the board have stultified
themselves and have made a complete
sacrifice of any legal right to maintain
the rate OF 81 10 for gas. They have Off
.ciaIly adopted an agreement that all
existing controversies between the city
and county and the San Francisco Gas
and Electric Company and Pacific Gas
Improvement Company are formally
settled.
This means nothing more or less than
an Official withdrawal OF the 81 10 rate
and an acceptance of a rate Of 81 90.
In settling the controversy the Board
Of Supervisors adopted d new rate, thus
. abandoning the claim that the board
has the right to fix a rate for a year,
and, having fixed a rate, cannot make
another The very agreement by which
the board, under the guidance of the
Mayor bowed to the gas and electric
light companies was written by an at
torney of the corporation and was
framed to accomplish just what his en-
ployers wanted. And the Mayor still
thinks he won victory.
The vital part of the agreement is
the settlement of the controversy in
which the gas and electric companies
saw that they inevitably must lose. It
is then provided in the resolution which
was adopted yesterday that from July
! gas rates for private consumers shall
be 81 so a thousand feet instead of 81 Is.
Rates for the city shall be 81 IS thou
sand feet instead Of 81 so and 10 cents
s. IL Of
IL cents. On electric light bills there
shall be a reduction of Is per cent. On
paper and in the confiding brain of the
Mayor this means a saving of $500, 900
q year for the people of the city and
approximately $4,000 to the municipal
government AS a matter of fact the
only saving is to the local government,
and half of the amount is in accrued
bills.
The Mayor, in permitting himself to
be deceived into bogus compromise
by the crafty representatives, of the
gas and electric light companies, has
simply delayed the people of the city
from enjoying whatever dubious bene-
fits the corporations were willing to
grant four months ago. In February
supervisor Aigeltinger offered a resolu-
provide for a rate of 81 so for gas The
Mayor opposed the measure, and now
after a great deal of noise and threaten
ing nonsense, he accepts it.
There was an air of great expectancy
around the Mayors office yesterday
morning and afternoon. The minority
members were rushing in and out in
Hurried activity. Representatives Of
were in conference with Mayor Phelan,
and all sorts Of bogus compromises
were suggested and discussed Mayor
Phelan prepared a statement to the
majority members of the board pro-
testing against their meeting without
his sanction and declaring their former
meeting illegal. This the Mayor intend
ed to issue If the compromise with the
gas companies We're not effected. The
subsequent developments of. the day
made it unnecessary to issue the doc
ument.
The representative of the corpora
tons had their plan OF action clearly
outlined before they went to the office
of the Mayor. They craftily asked
more than they wanted, and more than
they knew they could get, in order to
make apparent concessions and secure
just what they wanted. Attorney
Pillsbury made two propositions. and
finally accepted the alleged compro-
mise as it was subsequently adopted by
the board.
While the discussion was taking place
In the Mayors office the majority mem
bers Of the Board OF Supervisors were
in session in their assembly chamber.
They had ignored the Mayor and were
transacting the ordinary business of the
board. Before any matters Of import
ance had been considered the confer
ence in the Mayors office ended with
the compromise, and the Mayor and
the five members of the board proceed
ed to the assembly chamber. The
Mayor had presented to every member
of the board an official call and then
took the presiding officers chair
When the call was read Supervisor
Holland declared that the board was in
regular session, and he saw no reason
for such a document. He. therefore,
offered an objection to It's presentation.