The San Francisco call., 1906-10-06
Dingee in Blaze of Wrath Declares
That Magee IS Not a Gentleman.
Denying Parks to
Refugees Raises
a Row.

The Board of Park Commissioners,
a staid body that is seldom ruffled by
anything like friction at it's meetings,
gasped yesterday when il found itself
in the vortex of a real sensation. The
boards stand against allowing refugee
houses in certain parks produced an
Outburst that resulted in declarations
by one member that he would resign
and that a man prominent in relief
work was not gentleman and
wouldn't have time enough before he
died TO become one. The meeting broke
up with relations between the Park
Board and the relief officials far from
pleasant.
The meeting was held in w. ]. Din
gees Office corner Post and Franklin
streets. yesterday afternoon. Dingee,
feeling that the commission had been
insulted by the conduct and language
Of Thomas Magee and the utteraRces of
n. +. Dohrmann, and noting that his
fellow Commissioners, William H. Met
son. R. H Lloyd and Earl Cummings,
were not firmly resolved TO resent the
assault on the boards authority. lost
control Of his temper and declared that
he would resign at once and never at
terlu another meeting of the commits
sion.
Dingee left the room, closing the
door as he departed. Before leaving
he expressed his mind in this language:
NO man is gentleman who would
write such a lerter as Magee has writ
ten to this commission Two genera
tions could not make such a man a
gentleman Magee IN leaving the room
when Superintendent McLaren was ad
dressing the board in reply to his let
ter insulted the commission. No more
houses are need for the refugees; the
relief committee will not find tenants
already constructed. I admit that
was fool enough TO give $4,000 TO the
relief fund. This money and $4,000. 900
more given for relief might just as we'll
be in the bottom OF the bay
OBJECTIONABLE LETTER.
Commissioners Lloyd. Metson and
the ground that he was overzealous
and would be sorry for what he had
written. Alexander Mackie of the re-
lief committee regretted that Dingee
had spoken so harshly of Magee. as
suring the board that Magee was u true
gentleman.
The Nagee letter which incensed the
Commissioner dwells at length on the
proposition that the Park Board in
August last gave permission to erect
wooden houses in the squares. In a
letter Of October 4, 1906, addressed to
Herbert Schmitz, secretary of the Park
Commission, Magee wrote:
Since you now refuse to give US La
fayette, Alamo and Alta squares we
cannot build there, but having erected
a number of cottages in Jefferson and
Hamilton squares with your permis-
sion, il would be unjust to the people
in these squares not yet housed to dis
continue operations there. and ii is
too late in the season TO move the peo-
pie elsewhere. We shall therefore con-
tinue TO build there unless you forcibiy
stop US. Our whole purpose and our
only interest is the convenient housing
and comfort Of the refugees during the
coming winter
Before the storm broke the Park
Commissioners were in session, with
Mr.. Metson in the chair. Then came the
big chiefs of the relief and Red Cross
committee, painted for combat. James
D. Phelan was first to enter. Follow
ing the ex-Mayor came Thomas Magee,
Rudolph Spreckels, NJ. H. de Young and
w. I. Dohrmann. Before the field was
cleared for conflict the chairman sug-
gested that the ladies, two in number,
should be heard.