The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-06-17
From the San Francisco Chronicle, June TO- 1900
MUNICIPAL CORRUPTION

The attempt to make it appear that reformation
of the municipal government be effected by
acquiring and operating what are called public utilities
viii not prove successful, because long familiarity
with the shortcomings of those who serve the city
for a consideration has made acquainted with the
fact that they not honest industrious an
equal number of men engaged in private pursuits
Any one making an assertion to the contrary may be
plainly set down as a demagogue willing to shut his
eyes to the facts in order support for the
carrying out of schemes that, if inaugurated,
would produce greater trouble and waste than
the city has yet experienced.
The claim is made that if the Geary street road
is built at the public expense and operated by the
municipality it will once cease be source of
corruption 1t is preposterous to assume anything
of the kind Nothing is certain than out
come exactly the opposite of that predicted by those
who advocate municipal ownership From the day
that the issuance of bonds is authorized should the
proposition carry may look forward to intrigue,
fraud and waste Unless all previous experience is
reversed there will be uneconomca construction and
when the road put in operation the probabilities
that two dollars will be expended for service where
should suffice.
If any one believes that this is an exaggerated
view of the case, let him make inquiry concerning
the method of doing things in those departments of
the city government where the necessity for the
careful exercise of business economies exists If he
does SO he will find that work is never done at a
cost approxinating that which the careful business
deems proper In the clerical positions he will
discover that instead of devices reduce the labor
of the accountant and to insure the accuracy of
accounts, there is effort increase the
number of employees and decided tendency to so
obscure matters that the tax payer can not form
Judgment to whether his contributions are squan-
dered or properly expended. If the work is manual
and the possibility of using men to do one mans
work offers itself, it is resisted Ia purchasing
supplies despite closely drawn specifications there are
violations of the spirit and letter of contracts
in which the city gets the of the bargain and
officials profit by turpitude AS for civty and atter-
ton, the lack of it in public is notorious
and the increased security which strained consruc-
tons of the provisions of civil service laws
give municipal employees will still further accentu-
ate the evil.
Under the circumstances it is preposterous to
assume that public ownership of street railroad
would effect reform of any kind whatever. Nor
would it, is sometimes urged, save from the
evil of strikes On the contrary, it would increase
the chances of their occurring The experience of
England and France conclusively demonstrates that
high organization of the civil service results in placing
the government at the mercy of its employees The
vigilance required in Great Britain to pre-
coalitions of employees in the postofce depart
ment for the purpose of compelling compliance with
their demands by threatening 10 prayZe the business
OF the country, and only recently in France something
in the nature of military intervention required to
stop public servants from achieving their purposes
by the methods.
No argument that has yet been brought forward
will satisfy any reasonable San Franciscan that
would be good public policy for the city to build and
operate the Geary railroad To do so we would
have to add couple OF millions to already heavy
burden of taxation, deprive the city of the opportunity
of having the line made part of system enjoying the
VAIN all of Sa,
Francisco and what is worse than ALL we should
place premium ineffciency by giving the United
Railroads excuse for bad service, which it would
certainly have if no more required of it than
to do we'll as municipality conducted line.