The San Francisco call., 1909-02-18
Bills Provide for Condemnation
of Sixty-three Blocks and
SI.000,000 Bond Issue
Two San Francisco SOIOns Only
Opponents TO Project In
dOrsed by City
Enemies of Improvement Plan
. See Little Hope of Defeating
Scheme in Assembly
[sesoiol Dispatch 10 The C0lIl


L CALL HEADQUARTERS. CHAMBER
+ OF COMMERCE. BUILDING, sACRA-
MENTO. Feb. 1.-THE Islais creek
bills, providing for the condemnation
OF So blocks and for bond issue Of
100000 to purchase the property
/. condemned, passed the senate today.
Despite the uneQuivocal signs Of the
wishes Of san Francisco. manifested
by the vote at the last election and by
the unanimous Endorsement OF the com
nercial bodies of the cities. two san
Francisco senators, Gus Hartman and
Dan Rely, did what they could to de-
feat the bills.
When Senator Welch called up the
bill authorizing the condemnation Of
the 6s blocks in the Islais basin, Wright
OF san Diego offered an amendment
providing for the condemnation OF a
blocks only. Instead Of Kentucky
street he sought TO have Massachusetts
street made the limit of harbor i'm
provement.
WEIGH OPPOSED PLAN
san Francisco" he explained. will
ultimately want all the land aNallabie
for harbor facilities, but right now l
doubt the advisability Of condemnlhg
land which the state holds In trust Tor
the people. 1 believe every foot below
the line Of low tide as IL crosses 1slais
basin belongs 10 the state
Gus Hartman and Dan Reilly echoed
the wornout objections which John
McRae has been industriously circu-
lating in the lobby.
I'm for the a. blocks" declared
T. hartman. but not for taking the other
ls from the people who individually
own them. II you condemn those
blocks YOU viii drive the lumbermen TO
Oakland"
This is a gigantic real estate deal.
insisted Reilly. People owning prop
erty IN the Mission and Potrero slept at
the switch for so years and now lot
OF silurians want to gaspipe the up 10
date men who got hold OF that prop
erty. I'm the biggest holder of Mission
real estate in this senate; this would
help me, but I'm for the Wright amend
ment."
Welch.
THE eighteenth senatorial district,
responded Reilly.
DO you live there?" persisted Welch.
NO, but I'm true TO my constituents,
declared kellN-
Wolfe pointed out that Wright had
offered the amendment in a perfunctory
way without indorsing 1t, and this was
borne out when Wright voted against
it. Wolfe told how the south had beaten
the Islais creek measure, because re-
ouested so 10 do by the chamber OF
commerce, but explained that this
would not happen again, because the
life Of state bonds had been extended
-
solid for the measure now.
WRIGHT AMENDMENT LOSES
Hurd Of Los Angeles. Price Of Santa
Rosa and Strobridge Of Haywards told
OF their visit TO the Islais basin and de-
clared that the only regret they had
was that more land in that vicinity was
not TO be condemned. Estudillo of
Riverside thought there was a 'nigger
IN the wOOdpile," but acknowledged
inability to coax him out. Besides, he
said, the right of eminent domain was
a drastic measure which should be eau
'tiousiy exercised.
The Wright amendment was lost by
q vote Of 80 to 3, Hartman, Reilly and
Estudillo being the only senators TO
support ii. The original bill was then
passed by a vote of 35 to 2. Hartman
and Reilly alone voting against the
wishes Of San Francisco and a large
part OF the state.
Following the passage Of the condem-
nation measure the bill providing for
the $1,o00,o00 bond issue was called up
and passed without debate by the unan-
imous vote Of 35 senators. Hartman and
Rely pretty we'll scared by this time.
. seeking cover when their names were
called.
George McRae, agent for the lum-
befmen' VIII now turn his attention to
the assembly, where his success T,fSs
fair TO be as small as in the unner
house.