The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1907-08-15
BAD AS EARTHQUAKE
SAN FRANCiSCO'S INTERNAL
STRIFE RENOS CITY.
The Rivalry of SpreckeLs and Cali
hOun Has Divided the Town Into
Two Camps and for Months the
Battle Has Ragged.

San francisco correspondence:
Time alone will reveal the full truth
of the extraordinary intrigue and war
fare. class feud and personal vendetta,
that Involve the graft investigation in
San Francisco and that have filled this
city's cup OF bitterness and strife-a
more disastrous visitation, indeed, than
that of earthquake and fire.
San Francisco, the farest and great
est of cities on the Pacific coast, in
cOmparably favored by natural advan-
tage with illimitable resources behind
her. and the trade of the Orient facing
her. destined to be one of the greatest
ports In the world. has been veXed and
torn more by internal strife and dis
ordeY than by the calamity which start
ed at 10 O'Clock "Wednesday morning
April Is, 1906. shaking her foundations,
and by the consequent fires devastating
four square miles and destroying five
hundred millions worth of property.
In San Francisco today the fight is
not merely the Old one Of capital
against labor, although that is still be-
ing wagtd fcrccly and without quarter,
but the opposing forces Of two captains
of industry, two of the heaviest capt.
taliStS ia California, are drawn in a
struggle to the death. For some months
the lines Of battle have been clearly
drawn, and while, outside of San Fran
cisco. public attention has been con-
rentratcd upon the dethrOnemnnt of
Eugcn" ScLmitz, thrice mayor of San
Francisco. and the surrender Of his
partner ana manipulation, Abe Reuf,
here the fCud between Patrick Calhoun,
president Of the United Railroads. and
Rudolph SproCkcls. the largest property
holder ~ san Francisco, has been most
closely watched.
Patrick Calhoun, who is a grandson
Of John {. Calhoun, aud is man Of
great ability, impressive force, and who
has built UP great fortune. controls
street railroads in PittSburS, as we'll rs
in san Francisco. Five years ago. the
United Railroads, in which Mr.. Cal
hOun is the heaviest stOckhOlder. alb
SOrbed NEST Of the street railroads in
San Francisco, and set about vast inn
provcmcnts of the system. Shortly be-
fore the disaster of April. 1905, the
United Railroads commenced the elec.
itriciZatiOn of it's system. After long
and emhitteTed controversy. in which
Calhoun and Spreckels first joined is
sue, Mr.. Calhoun decided on adopting
the overhead trolley system. SprecHelS
and his colleagues, of whom the chief
was eX-Mayor James d. Phelan. had
insisted that the United Railroads
adopt the underground conduit system.
The Merchants Association employed
William Barclay Parsons, of New
York whose conclusion was positive
that the best way of meeting the trans
portatiOn problems of San Francisco
WAS to convert the cable roads into the
overhead trolley. His report was Wig
Orourly assuieQ by the Sprcckels group
of theorists, who, disappointed in their
obstructive tactics. organized the Mu-
nicipal Street Hallway Company, with
S14.OUU,UOO Of capital stock. IncorpOr
alton papers were filed the day before
the great disIstcr-and the war was
on.
Th. earthquake and the fire occa
stoned the temporary pOStpOnemCnt Of
the SprccHrIS-phriAn street railroad
plans, hut immediately afterward they
were found concentrating their efforts
on attH"Nin& ana hNriling the United
Railroads AID It's president. Rudolph
Sprcckr.S carried his opposition so far
that in the famous Committee of Fifty.
which took charge Of the city'S affairs
after the fire. he objected to the United
Railroads rrSuNng car service, advan.-
ing the fauciful view that the operation
of the cars might cause further conia-
grafton Despite the dire need OF the
suffering people, the service was
st0ppcd for several days, and the gen.
eral manager of the United Railroads
was threatened with arrest. The Uni
ted Railroads agreed to carry the pco.
pie free of charge. This permission
was finally granted. but again Mr.
Spreckcls interyened, claiming that the
free transportation caused such over
crowding Of the cars that business men
willing enough 10 pay their fares, cOulC
not find accOmm rd&tiOn.
Thus the fight progressed, until final
ly th,re came the graft investigation
in the course of which Spreckels man
aged to have Calhoun indicted on the
charge of bribng officials with $20O,O00
Calhoun and his colleagues proclaim
their innocence of the charge Of bribery
anG express their willingness to NEE
their enemies. At present their case
are being delayed by other trials. Th,
people of San Francisco are now fail ll
divided into two camps-cOmprising tl.
adhcrents of Spreckels and the force: