The San Francisco call., 1910-02-01
FOUR BOARDS
REORGANIzFD
BY MCCARTHY
Fourteen Commissioners Re-
moved Without Warning
After Conference
Startling Political Coup Is Ar
ranged at Early Morning
Gathering

Ira he there were present the mayor s
secretary. L. c. Lefingwell, his adviser,
Z. l. Dam. and James II. stevens. dep
Uty county clerk assigned to Judge G.
Il. Cabaniss' court stevens prepared
the osths which were taken by the new
commissioners before County Clerk
Mulerevy yesterday morning a few
minutes before the county clerks Office
was opened for business.
Mccarthy Redeeming Promise
When the hour for taking up the
citys business rolled around the new
commissioners were in possession or on
their way TO take possession of the
quarters occupied by their ousted pre-
decessors. Mayor Mccarthy had par
italy redeemed his promise OF threat
10 wipe out every vestige OF the Taylor
administration.
Each OF the i commissioners dis
missed for cause was accused among
other things OF general incompetency.
There were other specifications. but all
The members Of a commission were
I'd 'oesAlA eAa-hF- az lntuDEES Vl Nne
board of health were accused of will
fully. deliberately an fully vio-
lating the charter in tIi. they en-
pio3ed Chester J. Roadhouse. a resi-
dent of Alameda county. as dairy in
spector. The charges allege that Road
house was appointed over the protest
OF the civil service commission, but
makes no reference TO the alleged fact
that there was no eligible on the civil
service list
Another charter violation. willful and
deliberate, charged 10 the health com
missioners is the employment Of Miss
II. J.. Parsons as superintendent of
nurses al the city and county hospital.
Miss Parsons so IT is charged, had her
legal residence in Boston
Neglect of Duty Charged
The civil service commissioners were
charged with both general incompe-
tency and neglect Of duty One of the
specifications was un0ue laxity in the
matter Of holding examinations. Com
missioner Kellogg. who was one of the
tNt NAel ecu Win SSutfal 1ncOfnpe-
tency, wrote the civil service article of
the charter. AS an offset to the charge
of lsxity. Kellogg declares that the
Taylor commission examined more ap-
plicants than the first commission, of
which Mccarthy was a member; more
than five times as many as the COM
mission OF which Mccarthy was a mem
ber by reappOintment and that the
whole number Of applicants examined
Boy the ousted board was in excess of
5000
The park commissioners were let out
for g variety Of causes They were
charged with neglect Of duty; extrava-
giant use OF public funds: unbusiness-
like administration of the affairs of
their Office; the purchaser Of an autOmo-
bile for 1880 without advertising for
bids; paving s75 a month rent for Of
fees IN the Mills building instead of
meeting at the lodge in the park. and
with hiring William Dodge of Alameda
county to expert their accounts.
The fire commissioners were less for
innate in the particulars of the speci-
ficatiOns Of cause for their removal.
They were told that they had been gen
orally incompetent; had neglected their
duties; had misman8ged the affairs of
lhe FIRE department, and had been
guilty of conduct subversive of the
best interests Of the city and the affairs
OF the fire department.