The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-22
A CINCH GAME
ON PLACERVILLE
An Effort Made to Collect an
Old and Unjust Debt on
Railroad Bonds.

CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA-
MENTO, Feb. 2L-The cleanest cut ctnch
game that has sought the legaltzing en-
actment of the present Legislature has
been unearthed in Senate bill 64S and the
people Of the city of PIacerville are up in
arms to defend themselves against the
onslaught that IS threatened on their
treasury by a clique Of grafters that has
for years been seeking to make profit out
Of the financial misfortune Of historic old
"Hangtown."
Senate bill 64s, If It be passed, will open
the door of the city treasury TO a cold
steal of s240, coo, bagatelle in some quar-
tiers, but a large enough amount TO set
PIacervfIIe so far back in her finances
that the ultimate result OF the shock can
not be foreseen-
PIacerviIie's troubles have started as
have the woes Of many Of the prosperous
mining towns of the mountains-at the
hands OF the benefcent railroad Back in
the early sixties the people OF old FL Do
RADIO wanted a railroad and they wanted
1t badly, so much so that they were will
ing TO pay a portion of the price The
railroad wanted Ell Dorado and It wanted
it just as bad as is the fashion Of rail-
roads, and it was more than willing that
FL Dorado should pay the price
The people of FL Dorado and the cor
poration finally came together, and as the
result of the meeting the Sacramento
Valley Railroad Company, a fractional
part OF the Southern Pacific, agreed to
put line through to Placervflle. It was
an expensive task, however The high
est bridges and the sttnest grades in the
State characterized the route and the
company suggested that the people at the
other end OF the line bond their town for
s35 600 and turn the issue over TO the COM
pany TO be realized on. In return the
company would put q line through TO
PIacerviIIe without undue delay.
The bargain was struck and the city
went into debt and in good faith The
stopped at Folsom, just forty miles from
making good their promise. After years
of delay the work was begun again and
there it stopped and nothing more was
done until 1899. when the company had
saved enough by exorbitant freights and
worse fares to close the hfteen-mtle gap
between Single and Placervtlle- Since
that day the mountain town has been
accommodated with the most abomina-
Bile service IN the State.
Meanwhile the company sold Placer
ville's bonds for their face. The first
upon the sale. When the holders of the
bonds called upon PIacervtlle for pay
ment the people there rung up Folsom
and asked II work on the road was prog
found that the compact had been broken
as soon as the cash was in hand they
promptly repudiated their Indebtedness.
Suit was brought against the town, but
when the summonses were made out there
was no one found 10 serve them upon;
every officer Of the city had resigned his
Job and was rusttcating somewhere up
the Tahoe road. At the next election the
/ citizens OF the town refused to participate
and ever since that day the government
OF Placerytlle, though an Incorporated
town, has been administered by the Off
GERS Of the county.
Suit after suit and Judgment upon judg-
ment have been filed and with accrued in
terest and judgment the original debt Of
s35 600 now amounts to $4,000 and a few
dollars over.
During the past few years Drury Me-
lone, the Napa capitalist, acting as agent
for a syndicate. has been buying the
bonds at from 10 cents to 80 cents on the
dollar, and he now controls nearly the
whole issue. He has had the backing of
the railroad in all his deals and schemes
Of every variety have been tried IN an
effort to induce the town into a position
where II could be muIcted. Everything
falling the force Of legislative enactment
is now TO be tried, and the following bill
is intended to accomplish what the
schemes have failed IN:
Section L Whenever in any Incorporated city
in this State there has been election for
municipal officers for a period OF more than
elected have failed for more than two years
TO discharge the duties OF the Offices to which
Governor OF the State OF California within
thirty days after the passage of this act to fill
such offices by appointment.
Section provides that 1t shall be the duty
OF the municipal officers appointed provided
I In section or this act 70 make provision s
soon possible for the holding Of an election
by the qualified electors OF such Incorporated
cities to I'LL such municipal offices. Such cleo
ton shall be held II there had not been
failure to elect for more than two years az
provided and declared IN the first section OF this
act.
Sec. 5. Upon the assumption of office by the
elected officers CT such Incorporated city as
provided above, the municipal officers so ap-
pointed by the Governor in such INCORPORATED
city, hereinbefore provided, shall surrender
their offices to such elected SUCCESSORS; provided
Athat all official acts of such provisional and
de facto municipal officers shall have the same
Validity If performed by elected officers:
nd provided further, that any process served
| non such provisional and de ,acto municipal
/ ohcers so appointed by the Governor under
tia provisions Of this act. shall have the same
validity as to service IL served upon officers
elected to such municipal offices
Tat bill simply means that set of
offidaIs is to be forced upon the city OF
Plaosrvilie whether II wants them or not
for 10 other reason than to enable a
! eotere of spectators to realize big money
on a repudiated debt based solely on a
broken and dishonored compact. Senator
Ashe { San Francisco introduced the
neasurs. but says that he did so by re-