The San Francisco call., 1899-05-31
Revolution in the
Board of Supervisors
Saves San Francisco
From a Reign of Cor
ruption.

the city. The fangs of the majority
have been drawn. Six members Of the
board have called forth upon them
selves the scorn and contempt of de-
cent men, and they have for their pains
only their own shame. They have been
bought, and the purchase price will not
be paid, for the Southern Pacific Com
pany never pays anything for nothing.
The exciting scenes at the session or
the Board of Supervisors on Monday
were the topic of general conversation
yesterday in all local circles. Never
before had such a determined struggle
against official corruption been made in
San Francisco. Never before had such
a signal success crowned the endeayors
of those that fought for the public well
fare. In the comment and criticism of
the action of the Supervisors the names
of two members of the board were used
almost incessantly.
One of these members was e. G. Kali
ben, some of whose friends declared
that they could not understand the
stand he had taken in voting with the
six men whose names now constitute
q shameful roll. Kaloen's friends pro-
tested that his position was to them a
mystery. If this was true Supervisor
Kalben has cleared it away. He has
addressed to the public an open letter
in which he declares that he has been
misunderstood in his intentions and in
his actions He says that he never in
tended to vote for any of the franchises
asked by the Southern Pacific Company
and the Market Street Company, and
certainly did not do so.
He calls attention to the fact that
absolutely no vote was taken upon the
franchises themselves. The first and
only material vote in reference to- the
outrageous demands of the railroads
was taken upon the motion to refer the
recommends tions of the Street Commit
tee back again for further considera-
ton. Such a reference, Supervisor Kali
ben declares, was unnecessary and a
useless loss of time. He says that he
had determined to vote against the
franchises and he saw no reason why
the vote should not be taken at once
as well as later. This is the reason he
gives for his vote, and with the reason
he gives an absolute assurance that
W llCH tlit ilieiltCi 10 aSoiii pCIOlC tiO
Board of Supervisors next Monday he
will vote against the grant of all or any
of the franchises.
This means that the atrocious meas
ures will be defeated. The railroad
people, with all their power, cannot
control more than six votes. They have
reached such a desperate stage in their
evil fight that they have not hesitated
to slander one of the men who fought
so persistently in behalf of the city.
This man is Supervisor Albert Heyer,
who enjoys an unsullied name as pub
lie official of long experience. When ru-
mors began to circulate that the solid
seven could not be held together and
that the railroad might expect defeat
Henry Lynch of the Market Street
Company shrugged his shoulders, and
with a sneer said that whenever the
railroad wanted the vote of Albert
Heyer it would get the vote.
This unwarranted and absolutely
false assertion has been Indignantly de-
MED by the friends of Supervisor Hey
er. In the following interview Super
visor Heyer tells emphatically what he
intends to do in reference to any future
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