The San Francisco call., 1909-03-11
Million Dollar Bond Issue for
Purchase of 63 Blocks
Carries, 20 to 5
Proposition InSures Building OF
Land Locked HarbOr for
San Francisco
Local Delegation Split on Mea'
sure Despite Known Desire
of People
So pisealeh o ~ IN


y ACRAMENTO. March l0--The
assembly today passed Senator
- Welch's Islais creek bills pro-
riding Tor a 100000 bond issue for
the purchase of % blocks and the
building of landlocked harbor in
San Francisco by a vote of 20 to 5,
after the ~ block amendment Of the
Acme lumber company and other Pri-
vate interests had been voted down,
IS to 80.
The assembly witnessed the sorry
spectacle Of the San Francisco dele
CATION split almost evenly on the
proposition, as result of the activity
or the lumber company's lobby with
Chairman Beban, Speaker pro tempore
Perine and John 8IeAanus doing all
possible TO carry the a. block PROPOSE
tion. despite the fact that the voters
Of san Francisco last fall voted about
to j in favor OF the 6s block scheme.
Schemers' Hope Nanishes
whatever chance the private interests
lad of holding 10 blocks for themselves
while the state made harbor OF the
remaining - blocks went a glimmering
several days ago when Senator Wright
deserted the cause of the proponents OF
the - block proposition because he be
lieved money was being used to influ-
ence legislation. with McRae discred-
ited with the clean men in the legisla-
fure. his employers saw At "a. send
former Judge Carroll Cock here Sunday
night TO direct the fight TO the end.
Todays vote does not indicate that
Cooks presence aided the cause he es-
poused.
Lavish entertainment for those San
Francisco assemblymen who would ac-
cept il was provided by the uncouth
8IcRae. who early in his campaign had
won over Beban. George Black, who
has proved himself a dismal failure as
p legislator, also developed a strange
interest in the A block proposition.
Henry Beatty and Charles Nelson
ably handled the fight in the lower
house and they were supported by six
other members Of the san Francisco
legstion-CoghIan. CaIIan. Gerdes.
Collum, Pugh and Schmitt
Mentions Discredited Report
McManus, in presenting the minor
ity report for A blocks. referred TO
the discredited report Of the hoIdover
committee which had declared for A
blocks. This report has never been
submitted to the legislature and Sen
stors Wright. Wolfe and Kennedy,
who were on the committee, voted for
So blocks when the bill was up in the
senate.
Beatty explained that the PROPOSE
tion 10 issue million in bonds for the
So block proposition was &feated at
the last election because the bonds
were for 20 years instead Of IS years
as now provided. He added that the
lumber interests working for the A
block plan represented only a tenth
Of the lumber people Of San Francisco
Black and Perine each read speeches
Possibly that accounted for. the ab-
sence of Cook from the lobby yester-
day afternoon.
BfcNanus closed with a long harangue
IN which lie demanded that an investi-
cation be made of the charge that
money was used. When he read from
the news columns Of The Call of two
years ago. attempting to sustain the
charge that The Call was opposed to
the So block scheme then, Beatty read
from todays Call an editorial vigor-
ously advocating the project. Boards
lee hared up. asking if Beatty had read
the editorial to cast stigma on those
who would vote against the CO block
proposition.
The vote was as follows.
For a. blocks.