The San Francisco call., 1906-10-22

in the name of the Mayor. the Jekyll
and Hyde Mayor of San Francisco, than
been seen in its boundaries. Mayor
Schmitz appears to us In two lights.
First, he is the great man of the
find the papers of April and May bris-
Ting with tributes to him. He was
credited with many virtues and greeted
with hysterical applause for the many
reforms promised. The Mayor eagerly
assumed the new role. He proclaimed
that history for him began with April
Is He even displayed a spasm of civic
Commission.
The Police Commission was reformed
Then one of the deposed Commission
ers snatched at the Mayors pharisa-
few moments SO that the people had
visions of whisky graft at $50 a bar
rel, or French restaurant holdups that
went into four figures The people.
snow white robe once more and stood
before the people chaste as New Eng
land spinster. He dropped some of his
old acquaiHtances and substituted new
er, richer ones Rumor had it that he
was breaking into society. Things were
looking up with the Mayor, but not SO
with his administration.
Then with his work unfinished. his
post-earthquake promises untitled, he
set out on a tour of Europe. A few
days later the acting Mayor, his crea-
Il. n.
Another act in San Franciscos farce
comedy has begun.
But the people still think of the
Mayor. He wished. poor fellow, to re-
count history from the 18th of April
but the former days still clung to the
calendar He wished to reform the
Police Commission Augean stable of
his Municipality, but there was no cour-
age in his breast, only the weak, fut-
tering heart Of a poor. conscience
the blotter from his desk lest some ac-
cusing document confront him.
A MORAL INEBRIATE.
Thus Eugene E. schmitz stands be-
4 fore the world as man who tried to
reform and could not He is a moral
inebriate. He is a welcher. He is a
wanderer on the face of the globe, a
his own cowardice. This is DIR. Jekyli
But there are some who see in
Schmitz Mr.. Hyde. These do not give
the Mayor credit for even a spasm of
virtue and say that the great work of
the morning of April is was done by
i General Funston and prominent citi-
Zens of their own volition. These peo-
pie say that he has now gone from San
! Francisco, taking with him vast sums
of money gained through the granting
of the trolley franchise, plotted even
while the embers smouldered, and that
he will never return.
The United Railroads is universally
believed to have acquired its trolley
franchises by corrupt means. 1t is said
that prominent merchants will crane
and crook and bow and scrape to get a
nod of recognition from Abe Ruef. Ruef
has used the advantages given him by
the State of affairs to corrupt the
greatest city in California. Ruef owns
the Board of Supervisors. The Police
Commissioners belong to him. The sa-
loon keeper who wants a license, a
corporation that wants favor from
the Board Of Supervisors. has only to
I TpfQ a in a an Of at e.
sufficiently large.
1t is said that tens of thousands of
the best citizens of San Francisco failed
to register for election. Those people
get what they are entitled to. The
people stand still and permit them
selves to be looted, their franchises
jobbed. They only get up in arms when
the gaspipe men begin to fell citizens
4 right and left even in the places OF
city, and then when universal feeling
that each citizen himself is likely to be
the next victim they call Indignation
meetings. and call 1t patriotism 1t is
again only selfishness. Selfshness will
never solve the problem of good gov
ernment
PATRIOTISM NECESSARY.
Until men give up class hatred and
suspicious, until they put patriotism
above selfish interests. there can be nc
permanent reform in San Francisco.
Let few resolute. clean handed
business men of San Francisco who are
. not towards. who are not cutters OF
. grafters, get together and make q
! purse of twenty. fifty or hundred
thousand dollars; then employ the
J ablest attorney to be had and set quiet.
iy TO work to find the graft and punisI
the grafters. They could make chape
exercises on Sunday afternoon in Sar
Quentin look like a political rally II
San Francisco inside of two years.
Let capital and labor take their diff
ferences out of politics and get togeth.
! er on some basis assuring a measure
of permanency and protection for both
! Let the people put aside all selfisl
/ ideals of municipal government. LIE
! honesty, cleanliness, efficiency, peac,
/ be the service demanded of officials
I Let this be planted as the deepest con
! viction in the hearts of the people ant
/ let them live for this conviction, suffer
I for it and die for 1t.
In this will be the regeneration O
T San Francisco
1t is nature for woman to love
man more than she should.