The San Francisco call., 1909-09-05


forthcoming election is
"a ! fronted with triple choice OF
! evils and whatever he does he'll
be sorry. 1t is not at all that
! the three candidates for mayor
& Is are not reputable citizens i'll
! their private lives. At least two
s-...--Ns of them might be described
'jolly good fellows" It is their affiliations that
diffuse an unfortunate perfume and it all comes
out OF the same bottle.
UNDER WHICH BOSS?
If you were brought face to face with the neces-
sity of picking mayor from among Tim Sullivan,
. Gavin McNab and P H. Mccarthy, what would
YOU do what will YOU do? If it were my case
would be inclined to hold my nose and vote for
McNab But il really makes important differ
ence. AlcNab | think would give much
decent government he thinks is good for us.
The others don't know the rules of the game
we'll and the results would be very uncertain.
THREE BROTHERS
The truth is that all three candidates are the
political offspring OF the public service corpora
tions that aflict San Francisco. How far any OF
them might be inclined to go depends rather on
their daring than on their sense of justice. 1t is
lovely situation and the corporations with which
san Francisco is at should be congratulated
on their fine strategy. 1t might make horse
laugh to see the city. delivered over by her own
people bound hand and foot to the three corpora
tons which are slowly but mercilessly sapping
her vitality
AS TO HETCH HETCHY
Politically. and in the administrative sense. l
don't think it makes bit of difference whether
Tom, Dick or Harry gets the distribution of the
loaves and fishes. That end OF the game, which
IS the whole game TO the professionals, concerns
the plain citizen very little. He asks favors and
chases no Job. But he Is concerned in those forms
OF public service which performed by
irresponsible and law defyng corporations. 1t is
the dearest ambition of 90 per cent of the San
Francisco electorate to get rid of Spring Valley
and install municipal water supply 1t is
to the knife between the city and the water COM
pany and all three OF the candidates for mayor
close up to that corporation.
KNEE DEEP IN PROMISES
Oh, yes, l know they will all make pledges of
devotion to the Hetch Hetchy project but remem-
Der where they came from. In the strenuous two
months ahead OF US there will be competition of
promises-symposium perhaps is the word-that
would make a doorpate blush for shame if door
plates were not SO brazen. Consider the source.
NOTHING DOING
Therefore you need not expect to see the Hetch
Hetchy project make much progress in the next
two years. There will be plenty of promises and
fair words, but nothing doing. Imagine Crocker
taking counsel with Tim Sullivan on one side and
General de Young the other. Think of Doc
Leland advising with McNab about aggressive
campaign against Spring Valley, and finally
slider Mccarthy in conference with John c. Lynch,
and, contemplating these friends in council, take
your choice with what appetite you may.
THE BUSINESSMEN"
In this acute strategy which has pocketed San
Francisco without striking a blow there was Just
one bad break That, of course the aston
ishng ticket OF eighteen businessmen" for super
visors, Mr.. Calhouns negotiable instruments"
That aggregation of talent was raw that it came
wrecking the whole campaign. On the morn
ing after the last election of Schmitz. Ruef looked
over the paper and when he the bunch OF
supervisors that had been chosen he calculated
Great Scott! I'm in for hell of time He
was, and he is not out OF it yet. Now the "busi-
nessmen" recently propounded for ed6caton
would have made hell OF time for somebody
Most of them in Ruefs picturesque phrase, would
"eat the paint off house"
WHAT WRECKED RUFF
That board of supervisors wrecked Ruef He
felt constrained to accept some sort of guardian
ship for the outfit. He knew there might be
trouble but he was responsible for the situation
and was compelled he thought, to accept it.
He had to take the helm of ship that he ought
to have known was headed for the rocks. If