The San Francisco call., 1907-03-11
Says That Success
Of Amendment Is
Impossible
BY II. WSiT1StOCk
Member Of Sacramento Chamber Of Commerce

friends Of Sacramento could have no
objection thereto. But the facts are,
and q is quite possible that you may
not be aware OF the facts, that the
whole thing is purely town-lot
scheme, gotten up by a number OF
clever real estate spectators, who, we
believe hired the services Of several
political managers TO cOerce and IN
timfdate many Of the members Of the
Legislature into voting for this meas
ure on the threat OF dire pOltlcal
vengeance il they stood out.
That the bill will be voted down is
an absolute certainty, since under the
constitution the seat OF state govern
ment cannot be changed unless a ma
jority Of the registered electors vote in
favor thereof The records show that
only so per cent OF the registered cleo
tors vote, and II we take the last State
election as a basis we find that out Of
this so per cent only 33 per cent vote
on constitutional amendments. As
Stunning, however. that the interest
aroused in the capital removal ques-
tiOn would increase the vote on the
proposed constitutional amendment
from 33 per cent 10 say 90 per cent tne
probable results would be about as fol-
lows.
hess ssy % per cent for stay at homes
Balance ..............................s 800. 600
Less say. 40 per cent not voting on
constitutional amendments --..-.----.-l -l2s,0 600
Total ................................I92.o 1872. 600
Votes necessary 10 carry the measure
at least OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES -@OO'oul
Thus. il every vote cast on the pro-
posed constitutional amendment IS cast
would still fail. AS a matter OF fact
however. il is not likely that 60 per
cent Of the electors voting at that cleo
ton viii vote on the amendment and II
IS a moral certainty that, II not a ma
jority, at least q very great minority
viii vote against IL. so, in view OF the
law and the forecast based upon the
experience Of the past the passage Of
this measure by the vote or the people
Is mathematical impossibility.
There is no one thing that could be
done at this time that is likely to cost
the people Of California so much as the
agitation OF the capital removal Ques-
tiOn. AS you know, the people of the
bay cities and the great valleys Of the
State have expended hundreds OF thou
sands OF dollars in the last few wears
for promotion purposes. What think
you must be the opinion OF pros
pective Eastern home seeker who,
after reading California promotion lit
erature dwelling upon these California
attractions has his attention called to
the following statements and utter
ances made by the Californians them
Under date Of February Is the
Berkeley independent in its editorial
Berkeley has a climate which can
not be beaten anywhere ia the world.
Ii permits work all the year round,
with none OF the hot spells and fear Of
against the claims of an interior city
for the capital"
Again, quoting the language attrib-
uted 10 q prominent Alameda County
merchant, speaking at a recent Berke-
ley public meeting Of citizens,
Here Is Sacramento climate-fog and
end Of the session excessive heat
bringing nearly every legislator to his
bed at some period Of the session"
or, quoting from 8 Judge Of the Ala
media Superior Court, who took part
in the Berkeley public meeting Of cit
izens, the same appearing in the Berke
ley Reporter Of February ls:
For six oreary weeks the legis-
lators had worked in the clouds Of
tule fog, reading their bills and hold
ing every committee meeting by gas
light, even in the daytime"
The public is led TO believe that
the Capitol building had been a serious
sufferer by the earthQ uake, when. as
a matter Of fact, not one pane Of glass
was broken, not one brick disturbed.
not only in the State Capitol but any
where throughout the Sacramento Val
ley, in consequence Of the April earth
quake.
And even if the impossible should
happen and the measure should carry
by popular vote two years hence
II would unfavorably affect San Fran
cisco and its interests, because, ac-
cOrding to the statement of the Berke-
ley promoters themselves. by concen-
trating ali the State officials at Berke-
ley IL would make needless the $500, 900
appropriation passed for the erection
of a State building in San Francisco.
Furthermore. IL would rob San Fran
cisco Of some OF its vitality needed
skilled labor that would be in demand
for the construction Of a great Capitol
building in Berkeley, and IL would
also seriously interfere with the pro-
posed appropriation Of $3,00O,000 for
the san Francisco Exposition to be
held in 1913.
II. as / said, the capital removal bill
IS in some impossible way carried two
years hence, and II, despite this fact
the State administration should grant
the request OF the managers of the
proposed San Francisco Exposition for
s three -mfllion-dOllar appropriation
this is what IL would mean in the way
OF increased burdens TO the taxpayers
OF San Francisco:
Taking the experience Of Albany. N
y; harrisburg, Pa; Philadelphia, Pa,
and San Francisco IN the erection Of
city halls and State capitols, ten mil
estimate OF the cost OF the new Capt.
tol. The taxpayers Of San Francisco
would be compelled TO pay at least
one-fourth o. this amount. say two and
a half millions, plus one-fourth Of the
three-mil illiOn-dOllar appropriation pro-
posed by the State for the San Fran
cisco Exposition, plus three million dol
lars 10 be subscribed by the people Of
San Francisco toward the exposition
fund Total tax on the people of San
Francisco, over and above the normal
tax would be 5000, 900.
The friends Of Sacramento propose to
stump the State, making this the chief
plank in their platform. They intend
TO show to the tax-ridden people OF the
State that the Republicans permitted
themselves to be made the tail to the
kite of Berkeley town-lot scheme
and at the expense of the people Of
the State to help crafty certain real
estate boomers lust for greed. They
propose TO burn all this into the minds
of the farmers and other tax-ridden
voters and to dwell upon the fact that
the Berkeley boomers with whom the
Republican managers are cooperating
are casting slurs upon the climatic
conditions OF the great valley Of Sacra-
mento thus doing infinite harm to the
State with the knowledge and consent
of the Republican political managers
You can readily appreciate how effec-
tive a campaign OF this sort can be
made against the Republican party Of
California and how this is likely to
cripple the possibilities OF electing a
Republican Legislature and Republf-
can representatives TO Washington.
LECTURE on BERNARD SHAW
Professor Charles NJ GayIey of the
rr~f~~o-ef@u ~ TaIfforufa will da1s.rar