The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-06-04
MARKET ST.
GRAB PLOT
0FCALHOUN
H0rsecars Used to Create Pub-
lie Sympathy and Hide
Real Purpose
Supervisors Insist ON Power to
Reserve Rights on Out
side Tracks
United Railroads Seeks to Per-
petnate Monopoly of Lines
TO Ferry
Sutter Street Company Kept
Distinct to Bar Out An
other Road

Horsecars again traversed the
tracks in Market street yester-
day from Sutter and Sansomc
streets to the ferry. The super
visors and the United Railroads
are as far apart as ever over the
terms of the franchise in lower
Market street, and from the sen
tinents expressed on both sides
there is little likelihood that any
agreement will be reached for
the present.
On the surface the controver-
sy appears to be simple differ
ence of opinion on a matter on
little Importance. That, how
ever, is not the case; the prob
lem is a vital one and touches
the very heart of the traction
question in San Francisco. Mem
.bers OF the board of supervisors
fear that in its efforts to gain
sympathy for its contentious the
United Railroads will success
fully defect attention from the
basic issue TO the momentary
consideration OF the convenience
of the public
Through the paid agents along
the line of travel and megaphone
artists at the ferry building. the
United Railroads proclaimed all
day yesterday. that 1t regrets
the inconvenience to which the
public has been put by the board
of supervisors"
These agents stood at the m
tersection OF Sutter and Market
streets and at the ferry. At the
latter point they called through
their long pasteboard tunnels, Dir
recting passengers to the horse
cars and, Incidentally, attempting
to disparage the board of super
visors.
In order to impress the pubic
still further with the inconven<
fences of the altered situation ths
company sent its cars up Suttcr
street with half the customary
loads, allowing the passengers To
wait on the corner. Heretofore
the corporation has filed its SUIT
ter street cars to their capacity,
but yesterday as soon as the seats
were occupied the signal was
given and the cars shot forward,
while the throngs gathered and
waited. This congestion the rep
resentatives of the traction COM
pany, with much noise and many
gestures, attributed to the action
OF the city authorities.
The supervisors point out, on
the other hand, that the present
deplorabIe situation has been
created by the traction company
for the purpose of forcing the
board to deliver to it free Of
charge concessions whose value runs
well up to the millions
WANTS COMPLETE M0NDPoLY
In the frs. place 1t is pointed Qua
that the United Railroads could solvs
the entire problem in a few minutes BY
running a switch from Sutter street tn
connect with its main tracks in Mar
ket street But the company does noa
desire to do that 1t wants the fran
chfse which will give IL a complete
monopoly over lower Market street and
thereby assure II complete domination
over the streetcar situation in San
Francisco for the next 20 years Such
control as the United Railroads pro-
poses to secure would not only insure
il against opposition by privats COM
pany. but also quite as effectualfv
against any municipal undertaking.
The Supervisors offered the Suttss