The San Francisco call., 1908-09-12
WAGNER REPLIES
TO HIS ACCUSERS
Calls Sullivan and Other OppOn-
ents Idiotic Children and AS
serts His Own Integrity

More sparks-this time a perfect
shower of them-few from the down
town business district yesterday. IT
was the secondary effect of Friday
nights India basin act harmony"
meeting, when Matt I. Sullivan, dele
gate from the Mission Promotion asso-
citation, clashed with the commercial
bodies of the city and hurled the
gauntlet at the feet of Engineer Luther
Wagner with charges of personal
financial interest in the measure
Yesterday Wagoner accepted the
challenge and dubbed his accusers
small children" "Asinine'' and
-idiotic" were other terms he applied
to the argument of his opponents. The
attack on Wagner brought TO his aid
the executive committee of the feder-
ated harbor Improvement associations.
while the commercial bodies, also at
tackled. flew to their own defense and
stood behind Wagner.
The India basin act is a project for
the improvement of Islais creek and
India basin by the creation of great
inland harbor. The bill was passed by
the last Legislature, but. owing to a
flaw in the printing, it had TO be sub
mitted to vote of the people in order
TO become law. The act authorizes the
state board OF harbor commissioners to
issue bonds to the amount of $1,000. OOO
for the requirement of 81 blocks of tide
land in the district affected.
In report TO the federated harbor
Improvement associations Engineer
Luther Wagner and Consulting En-
gineer Colonel w. Fl. Heuer. recon-
mended that only 40 blocks be acquired.
arguing that the same amount of
wharfage room might be had with the
lesser purchase and that the cost would
be greatly reduced.
Wagner has also since presented
figures which. as he declares, show the
harbor board could not finance the
$1,000, 600 bond issue If IL were made
20 year loan. as provided in the act
The report of the. engineers was ac-
cepted by. all the commercial associa-
tions involved except the Mission Pro-
motion association and the Merchants
exchange. These two, bodies have been
urging the passage of the measure, de-
claring that unless the land is acquired
at once it will rise in value or be re-
claimed by Its owners within the two
years of delay that would result from
the defeat of the act.
II knew Sullivan was going to spring
a lot of stuff against me at that meet
ing last night" said Wagner yester-
day, and for that reason I STAYED
Sullivan. Rolph, Phelan. Magee, Davis
and the -rest-were up here in my office
in the afternoon and we argued and
rowed over the bill for hours, but il
came TO nothing hut a deadlock Why.
from the way they talked they remind
ed me of small children. Their argu-
ments were positively asinine and
idiotic.
..As for Sullivan's charges that have
a contract to fill in the % blocks we
left out of our report. that is all wrong.
Ny report was turned in to the fed
Grated harbor Improvement associations
in March and in May of the same year
the Acme lumber company engaged my
services as an engineer to draw plans
for the reclamation OF FIVE blocks of
the land there involved I drew the
plans and the contract has been let TO
the Rincon Hill improvement com
pany. The land is to be reclaimed with
the earth taken from R;ncon hill
1T would be impossible for the har-
Dor board to finance a $1.000,00O' bond
issue. There is already a $4,000 600
bond issue authorized for the construc-
ton Of a sea wall. and when the in
terest and sinking fund for this bond
issue and for the other loans which
the board now carries has been maid
the surplus revenue Will not be enough
to meet the requirements of the basin
Issue. With a short term bond issr,e
the law requires that the board ser
aside annually 10 per cent Of the prin-
cipal- for a sinking fund With long
term issue. say. for IS years, no sink.
ing fund is necessary for 10 years
What we want is the long term fssue
and we believe that by defeating tha
India basin act now and waiting for
the constitutional. amendment to am
thorize 75-year bonds the board win he
able to finance the Improvement with
out getting hopeIessly into debt"
Matthew Sullivan. firm in his ad-
vocacy of the bin. characterized War-
oher's figures as 'all supposition." He
said the $1,000, 600 bonds which had
been authorized for the sea wall huf
had not been issued. could wait. but
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