The San Francisco call., 1899-05-13
THE STREET RAILROAD PROBLEM.

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trenching an obnoxious monopoly in the most
densey populated business and residence sections OF
San Francisco 1t has also recognized the wants and
the rights of the northeastern quarter long neg
lected which were impressed into the service OF the
corporation so that under OF supplying
proper and imperative demand, it might impregnaby
fortify its position before the charter becomes
operative.
1t is useless to recapitulate the details of the at
tempted grab They are already well understood.
The vital question is What does the Board OF Super
vsors intend to do? How it meet an actual ne
cessv for the extension and improvement OF street
railway facilities with entire fairness to this aggres-
sive monopoly, and yet without throwing away
municipal property and sacrificing the common IN
terests its members sworn to protect?
The Huntington argument, invoked for street rail-
ways as we'll as for State lines and national high
roads, and almost flung the people, is very short
and ponted-fWe intend to help ourselves; how do
YOU propose to help yourselvesT This mode of set
ting public questions is irritating and almost
durable but in the past it has been effective 1t has
been quite humiliating as well as eXasperatlng tor
three hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants Of
mercal metropolis to have to ask themselves how
much of their earnings were to be conhscated through
some of their representatives in the municipal legS
ature and to what extent municipal property was to
be donated corporations in order that they might
use the resources of a community, gratuitously
CURED to extort enormous incomes from the lnd1-
viduals of whom the community is composed.
II the present Board OF Supervisors contains ring
of seven with absolute power to act irrespective of
the minority and of the Mayor, and who the
tools of the street railway monopoly then there is
doubt that the seven can outvote the FIVE But while
fully comprehending the pessimism OF our citizens
predicated OF past experience The Call has not yet
become convinced that in the year ISoo have one
OF those rings 1t prefer believe that the proposals
OF the Market Street Railway Company are to be sub
jected to some honest and intelligent test
On this assumption, then, what ought to be done?
The Call did not support the charter, but when
that instrument received popular Endorsement and leg
sative ratification became the law to be respected
and enforced long as it consttutionally exists.
The last expression OF the public WILL therefore, is
that franchise privilege should be granted
within the municipal limits except in conformity with
its provisions II the Board OF Supervisors accepts
the instruction OF the balotbox and of the Legisla
ture, the entire subject ought be postponed till
after January I, 1000
But suppose it be admitted that the exigency of the
situation, under the promptings of the North Central
Improvement Association and the Merchants Asso-
cation will not admit of eight months delay, and
that some immediate action must be taken, what
should it be? The answer is very plain. II the OBJ
ject be attained is connect the northeastern part
OF San Francisco with the Potrero and the interven
ing territory all that is essential that could be
honestly required is that the application of the Mar
ket Street Railway Company for new connecting
franchise on Taylor street. between Geary and Post
Streets be granted, and that, if the law permits, it
be awarded the privilege OF using electricity on its
entire line from Brannan street to Montgomery
street and along that street and through Washington
and Jackson streets to Sansome street. and perhaps
on Sansome street for one block This would involve
some material changes in the order for which the
company has petitioned in order to the priv-
lege OF using electricity to franchises heretofore
granted" 1t would eliminate Geary street from Tay
lor street to Grant That portion of the order
to which we have not specifically alluded namely, on
Post street. from Taylor to Leavenworth street. along
Leavenworth street and across McAllister street to
City Hall avenue and thence by way of Grove street,
with crossings on Larkin and Market street. to
Bryant street. if included in the electrical privilege,
would perfect the system and meet all the require
ments of the property owners and publc-spirted
citizens in the two associations to which have
ferred
The demand for a new franchise from the intersec-
ton OF Geary street and Grant to Bush street
and down Bush street to Sansome street. and the ap
plication for the privilege of using electricity
Geary street. from Taylor street TO Grant avenue and
also on Sansome street. except between, Washington
and Jackson streets, should be fatty and promptly de-
MED The application for this new franchise is the
completion of the scheme to exclude competition.
An electrical line Sansome street, from Jackson
Market street, would interfere with heavy traffic
and would be excuse or an opportunity for sub
sequent attempt to electrical privileges on
Market street The worst "joker in the plan is the
Geary street electrical proposition and it will be
readily understood when the first watering of stock
and issue of bonds by the Market street railway
bination is recalled The company has a cable
line mainly Geary street from Market street to
the Golden Gate Park, the franchise for which will
expire in 1902 It also holds unused franchises on
Geary street. from Grant avenue to Taylor street,
which ought to have been forfeited long ago. under
section OF the OF March 49, 1897 The new char
ter limits street railway franchises twenty-five
years, and compels the payment during the first FIVE
years, now exempted from such taxation, of per