The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-01-09

STATE IL SOW EHElGN.
The State Of California, a sovereign
/ State OF the United States Of America,
has no quarrel with the Government
/ OF either Japan or China. On the
contrary, California has the greatest
! respect for these two countries, and
I deprecates equally any indignities
! which may be put upon Americans in
Japan or China or upon japanese or
] Chinese subjects in this country.
But, nevertheless, until the courts Of
I this country shall have declared that
California has no right to do so, this
State reserves to itself the prerogative
and privilege of conducting, under
law, State, national and treaty,
/ its schools in such manner as seems
est disrespect toward the Government
/ Of the United States or the subjects
/ Of any foreign nation.
CALIFORNIA; HARBORS
With a north and south coast line
/ OF something like eight hundred miles
California has but four natural har-
bors Of sufficient size to safely accom-
mOdate a large ocean commerce, viz,
at Eureka, San Francisco, San Pedro
and San Diego. If the shores of these
harbors shall be monopolized by a
single, or a few. transportation COM
panies, that healthy development of
trade and competition. upon which the
prosperity Of cities, States and coun-
tries depends, win be greatly ham
pered and the whole State will suffer
in consequence thereof
san Francisco Bay, on its Oakland
side. is an example of the paralyzing
effect Of such mOnopolization. Here,
when the town was first organized, all
the water front was given over into
private ownership. This ownership
finally passed into the hands of the
Southern Pacific Company.
The struggle of the Western Pacific
to break through the Southern Pacific's
water front barrier is an example of
what difficulties competing roads must
encounter in their endeavors to get TO
San Francisco. That city and the
whole State of California would be
better off If this impediment to the
approach of competing railroads did
TO STOP MONOPOLY
I renew my recommendation that
well guarded law be passed, under
which any railroad company may be
allowed to lease from the State a suf-
hclent, and only a sufficient, portion
of the public submerged lands lying
within the limits Of incorporated cities,
or within three miles thereof to en-
able them conveniently to carry their
traffic TO naVigable water. This law
should be carefully guarded so as not
10 remove il from court review and
so that only portions of the public do
main not more than two hundred feet
in width shall be leased to any cor
poratlon. The greatest care should be
exercised to keep out of such legisla-
ton a repetition Of the attempt of 1903
10 put II into the power OF a single
corporation. or even a few corpora
tons, TO monopolize, TO the exclusion
OF competing roads, public lands. the
proper use Of which is Of such greaQ
value TO all the people OF this State.
Such lands, in limited quantities.
ought to be leased to the corporations
desiring TO use them; and the terms
OF the leases should be such that the
rental TO be paid shall be determined
at intervals Of not longer than ten
years. While the yearly rentals should
in no case be large enough TO hamper
trade or put any onerous burdens upon
the lessees' the privilege to be enjoyed
IS valuable enough to call for the pay
ing of reasonable rental. And in
this rapidly growing State there would
be no hardship in providing that the
rental should be fixed every ten years.
BOARD IN POLITICS.
The method of administering the
States property at the port Of San
Francisco has long since outlived its
usefulness. Already decrepit. its abso-
Lutte inability became apparent when
the great catastrophe suddenly threw
upon il large amount Of extra work
for which ii was not prepared When
smaller its affairs could be readily
managed by a commission OF three
members, none OF whom need be or can
be, under the law, expert in such mat
years, as this one is and composed,
as this one has to be under the law,
Of men whose business is not connect
ed with ships, shipping wharves or salt
water, must necessarily fall. as the
HarbOr Commission has, slowly but
surely, deeper and deeper into the pool
OF politics, until ii is looked upon,
from SiskiyOu 20 San Diego, from Del
Norte TO Riverside, as a convenient
place in which to take care of political
workers and incOmpetents of all kinds.
This is no new thing. 1t has grown
UP during the years until the pressure
from the politicians upon the commits
sioners is too great to be entirely re-
sisted, and the San Francisco water
front is looked upon as fair haven
into which shall be towed the political
derellcts or the whole state It would
be cheaper, far cheaper, for the State
TO pension off on full salaries a large
percentage Of the employees OF the
water front and employ in their place
competent and Industrious men. Under
such circumstances the work could be
better, more eXpeditiously and more
economically done with two-thirdss or
one-half as many employees.
The whole system upon which the
administration of the San Francisco
water front is based is wrong, .radi-
cally wrong. Instead of there being
three commissioners there should be
one commissioner, whose term of Office
should be dependent only upon his
rendering efficient service, and who
should be paid a salary commensurate
with the value Of the service rendered
to a business of the magnitude Of that
transacted on the San Francisco water
be various departments, each headed
by men selected by and responsible
dinates of these department chiefs
should be selected by and be responsible
to, and only to, their chiefs. Efficiency
and competency should be the only
criteria Of employment or retention.
But while the executive functions, for
the sake of a more energetic admin
istration should be thus concentrated
in one person, it might, and probably
would, be found expedient to associate
with the commissioner an advisory
board. in about the same way in which
the State Commissioner of Public
Works has associated with him, for
certain purposes, an auditing board.
In this way, and in this way only can
the water front of San Francisco be
put in shape to properly take care of
the business passing and to pass
over IT.
REVENUE REFORM
In my former message to the Legis-
lature / advocated the separation so
far as ii could be accomplished of
State and local taxation as being the
necessary first step toward the reform
desired This is the conclusion reached
by the commission and it has devised
a form of separation which ii believes
will be both practicable and equitable
Briefly stated, il consists in taking for
the exclusive use of the State all the
taxes to be derived from certain classes
Of corporations; also the poll tax. in