The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-16

Oakland Office San Francisco Call.
e0S Broadway, Jan. 15
~ HIS city during the holiday month
has been forcibly reminded that
it is suffering in all directions
from the influences of the bust
ness interests represented by Col
onel Dan Burns. Never before has there
been such a record of highway robberies,
burglaTies, thefts and unrestricted gamb-
ling as prevails in this city at this hour,
and any intelligent mind can trace it di-
rectly to the influences surrounding the
race track 1t can truly be said that Oak
land has never been so mortified by seeing
between six and seven thousand dollars
per month expended on her Police De-
partment with so little returns. glance
at the records shows that while burglaries
and hold-ups have been of nightly occur
renee not a single arrest has been made
through the holiday season of any of the
perpetrators.
The residents surrounding the center OF
the city have sent in numerous reports OF
robberies. but there the matter ends. The
looseness apparent in every quarter OF the
city seems to have saturated the city gov
eminent and through it has perColated in
TO the Police Department. 1t is no exag-
geration to say that the influence of Dan
Burns is directly and indirectly menacinG
the rights of every citizen of Oakland
This city is to be congratulated that an
election is at hand and that the oppor-
portunity is afforded to remedy to some
extent the existing evil.
| may be somewhat blunt in some of
the statements / am about to make, but
they are all inside the truth and the re-
suIf of long and careful investigation. If
names of individuals are omitted 1t is only
because a branch should not be blamed
for bearing blighted fruit when the tree
itself is corrupt. For two years the peo-
pie have been demanding some degree of
honest representation in the city govern
ment. Now their sincerity is about to be
tested. If after the 18th of March the
same gang in any OF its multlfarlous
forms shall be returned to the City Hall,
! hope that the treasury Will be looted,
the city disgraced and all public improve
ments stopped to a greater degree than
the Oldest inhabitant can recollect. 1t
would be but merited reward for TOOL
A true picture of Oakland would not be
pleasant to behold. l shall draw no more
of ii than is actually necessary to prove
the necessity of voting for men. who have
q fairly truthful conception of their re-
sponsibilities and the manhood to follow
And while it is not surprising that citi-
.zens want existing ordinances enforced,
there is no desire to change Oakland into
that most impracticable, hypocritical
thing-a prohibition town. A year ago
this question was settled at the polls and
although every citizen wants law and
order and fair return for municipal ex-
penditures, there is no general desire to
go to extremes The social life of to-day
and, if I may say it, the commerce of
to-day, seems to demand the liquor traffic,
but ii also demands that the saloon shall
be subservient to the government and
shall not dominate it.
Since the opening of the race track an
era of gambling has prevailed in Oak
land and it has increased to such an eX-
tent that the semblance of secrecy is
observed no longer and forbidden games
are constantly in progress. Pool rooms
in back quarters, crap games, Chinese lot
teries, stud-horse poker and faro, all of
which are against the law, are played
without let or hindrance. A few days
ago I called these facts to the notice of
one of the HIGHEST officials of this city
and I asked him to step off the sidewalk
and allow me to show him a Chinese lot
terry and a crap game in full blast. He
declined, and replied that perhaps the
desired end would be gained If the. cap
italist who owns the building were sent