The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-12-06
OVERMHEL MING
SENTIMENT FOR
GREATER CITY
Hundreds of Citizens of
Bay Communities
Join Forces
GATHER AT BANQUET
Merchants Exchange Din
ner Assemblies Partisans
of Consolidation
BUT ONE DISSENTER
Col. J. P. Irish Declares
Movement Casts Slur
at Oakland

cisco bay; one for all and all for
one"
In these words A. II. Elliott, presi-
dent of the Oakland city council,
sounded last night the slogan of the
movement for a great consolidated
city on the shores of San Francisco
bay-a slogan that raised $50 citizens
of the bay cities, who were in attend
ance at the greater San Francisco
banquet of the Merchants association
at the Fairmont hotel, to their feet in
vociferous, cheering response.
That the urban community of San
Francisco bay is destined to become
united in one magnificent municipality,
and that as such its future is limited
only by a greatness that is even now
not dreamed of nor comprehended, was
the thought that dominated the STIR
ring speeches delivered at the first
great public Inauguration of the PLAN
of consolidation. From every city about
with Just that spirit Of patriotism and
boundless determination which has
brought San Francisco triumphant
from the ruins OF material disaster and
moral corruption. Almost Without
dissenting voice they declared them
selves completely in sympathy with any
feasible plan of union which may re
suit in the greatest good to the cities
that face the shore of the bay and
which will bring them together in civic
federation as they now stand shoulder
to shoulder in all other respects.
EvEHY CITY REPRESENTED
No more representative gathering
possibly could have come together to
discuss the theme that was uppermost
at the banquet last night, for in the
throng that filed the great Norman
cafe of the Fairmont hotel were men
from every community that feels an
interest in the plan for consolidation
which is sweeping over the bay shore
cities in a wave of enthusiasm. They
were not men thinking from the mar
row standpoint of individuals of a
single community, but men imbued
with the deepest loyalty of the now
various cities in which they have their
homes-men who have striven for these
cities and towns with all the patriot
ism that a man can strive for the
home he loves-yet Joining in the
common impulse of greater patriotism
which can bury partisan feeling be-
meath the loftier desire Of unselfish,
devoted cooperation in greater
cause.
Down the length Of the magnificent
new Norman cafe of the Fairmont,
thrown open last night for the first
time, stretched the dozens of long
tables at which sat the guests of the
Merchants association. Bare of any
attempt at special decoration, the ban
Duet hall still added its mute testi-
monial TO the new greatness of San
Francisco, for in it's heavily beamed
ceiling, its walls built apparently OF
iron chandeliers and its general at
mosphere of stern solidity such as
might have hung about an ancient
castle hall, it typified the sound, i'm
perishable spirit of the city that is
building anew And it was this same
spirit that bound the men about the
banquet board in closest attention to
the discussion of the subject that had
brought them together and that raised
them to their feet time and again in
riotous enthusiasm.
IRISH SOLE OPPONENT
In all that was said last night there
was but one voice raised in protest
against the project of centralization of
municipal government for the cities
by the Golden gate. Colonel John p
Irish of Oakland denounced the plan
with all the fervor he could throw
into his words He took the stand that
the movement for greater city is
sneer at Oakland. that it is a project
of selfishness Matched by San Fran
cisco and that it is a plan to which the
people of Oakland will never give their
consent; he declared In effect that the
suggestion of such consolidation is an
open insult to Oaklands dignity and
he threw down the gantlet of oppo-
sition.
Far different from the views of
Colonel Irish were those of A. Fl. FL
liott, president of the Oakland citv
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