The San Francisco call., 1899-07-24
THE POLITICAL STAMPEDE.

II HE extraordinary collection Of associated false
hoods, which the Examiner is now daily pub
fishing, is the strongest possible evidence that
the Iabors of The Call and allies for the restoration
of political decency have been fruitful, and that IN
the approaching municipal canvass stampede OF
honest citizens toward the Republican organization ls
inevitable.
The last freak Of the Examiner is to represent itself
as a bare-legged girl with soliciting EXPRESSION
holding in her right hand picture OF Mayor Phelan,
and in her left photograph of the fusion Assessor
who capitalized an increase of valuations OF corpo
rate property but forgot that discrimination OF from
fifteen to thirty per cent against ordinary citizens was
verv poor argument in favor OF fusion assessment
In connection with its pictorial illustration OF It's
own degradation, the Examiner undertakes to pre-
sent stock account OF what it terms its recent sue
cesses' among which it enumerates defeat OF the
Market Street Railway franchise grab and also i'm
portant reduction in for gas in San francisco
Ii then proceeds add to these remarkable victories
the defeat OF the Geary street franchise grab and OF
the double-tracI lob for the Mission accomplished
by the Mayor with the assistance OF the sturdy MI
noritv Of the Board of Supervisors and crowns its
succession OF important fasehoods by observing that
on top of all this comes the very important conces-
sion OF 25 cents per thousand feet reduction in gas
rates, forced from the corporations.
The Call has already done iul justice to the Board
OF Supervisors which assuredy deserves credit for
the manner in which it has protected the municipal
welfare against the Examiner, the Mayor and the
Assessor But the mendacious catalogue OF
the Examiner deserves at least slight rocog
nition When the wholesale scheme OF rob
berry by the Market Street Railway Company had
been defeated through the integrity OF the
Board OF Supervisors, sustained by The Call and
to some extent by other local newspapers, it was
cd
should be afforded to the northeastern part OF the
peninsula Then a final effort to steal from the
municipality and to bar possible competition was
made by the proposed franchise on Grant ave
nue. and Bush street, and this defeated project was
distinctly advocated by the Examiners candidate for
reelection to the office of Mayor, whose physognomy
fills the right hand of the maiden whom the fusion
organ has specialized its representative.
The reduction OF the rates for gas from ST Is 70
ST 50 per thousand feet was another serious injury
inflicted upon the community through Mayor Phean
and the Examiner 1t had been proved, and
over again. that the of ST per thousand feet,
Incorporated into the resolutions that originated in
Mavor Phelans office and were adopted by the Board
of Supervisors covered an ample profit upon the
actual capitalization OF the gas monopoly, and even
a very ordinary exhibition of backbone would have
secured to taxpayers rate OF ST. 35 But, IN the
first place the Mayors resolutions not worth
the paper upon which they written, and in the
second place when the negotiations for settlement
transpired the shrewd lawyers and manipulators for
the lighting corporations handled him with an ease
that must have been surprising to themselves.
Here two facts alone, with which the people OF
San Francisco are familiar, that demonstrate the
absurd recklessness of the Examiner The practical
advance toward the overthrow OF political bosses and
Of corporate dominancy, OF which many proofs
have been recently furnished has been due almost
entirely Republican integrity and has been achieved
in the face of the fusion organ and of its candidates
for Mayor and for Assessor
The Call repeats that in municipal politics at least,
this is Republican year, and that in 1906
and in 1893 Examiner leadership treads the easy road
to degradation and to failure.