The San Francisco call., 1910-10-13
ENEMIES OF lSLAIS
BONDSCHECKMATED
Attempts to Stif1e Discussion
Before State Editors Were
Neatly Blocked
James Rolph Jr. and Senator
Welch Put Question Clear
ly to Newspapermen

Not content with their campaign OF
special pleadings to defeat the Islais
creek bond issue, which comes before
the voters OF the state at the November
election. the interests antagonistic to
the project made two futile attempts to
stif1e discussion on the matter before
the state editorial association.
Thes first was made when the editors
of the state press were taken down the
bay on a sightseeing trip on a vessel
belonging to the California transporta-
tfon company, of which James McNab Is
one of the largest stock holders. The
second try was made when McNab.
toastmaster of the banquet given the
editors in the ST. Francis hotel, re-
quested James Rolph Jr. not to go into
the discussion Of the Islais creek prof.
ect. At that time McNab is reported
to have told Rolph that the banquet
was "a Panama-Paciflc function and no
other topic should be introduced. Rolph
did not see it that way. He refused to
be muzzled, and SO he was given a
place far down on the list of speakers.
Then he delivered his arguments on the
Islais creek basin.
BUYING NEWS SPACE
The work of the local proponents of
fective, for the combination of lumber
men, real estate spectators and lobby
lists working to defeat the bonds has
recently been sending missionary"
among the country editors to buy up
their columns for news" stories at
tacking the bond issue.
Coming close on the nleanderings of
the special agent of the interests, a
young man named Mcpherson. who
Il. L .,.-- 1<xl 1f
Duncan Mcpherson, the Santa Cruz ed
itor, was the two page subtlety of the
Chronicle of last Monday. The Chron-
icle sought to becloud the issue by
printing an article which assumed that
the city of San Francisco had title TO
land in Central and China basins, but
had forgotten all about 1T. or course,
there is no connection between Central
and China basins and the Islais creek
basin. They are separated by half a
mile of land and water. but that did
not appear any too clearly in the
Chronicle article. Nor did the matter
of fact appear that the city had never
relinquished it's claim to the land in
question, but that, SUCCESSFULLY. Mayor
Adolph Sutro and Mayor James D.
PheIan signed, with the governor and
the state board of harbor commission
ers the leases granted TO the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe railroad.
McNAB FOILED
When James McNab and his cohorts
took the editors down the bay. both
Senator Dick Welch and James Rolph
Jr were aboard the steamer. McNat
started to explain to the editors his
views of the Islais basin proposition
but Welch and Rolph were able to
checlmate him and put the issue
squarely before the editors.
1t was Clearly pointed out that the
SIS blocks in question were required fol-
increased harbor facilities. and the
point was insisted upon that the
81 900. 900 bond issue will not be taH
on the state. but will be met by the
proceeds of San Francisco harbor
The Islais creek inland harbor i'm
provement association is planning a
mass meeting to be held on the floor OF
the Merchants exchange probably on
TUESDAY. October %. The meeting will
be under the auspices of the Merchan ants
exchange. the Merchants association
and the chamber of commerce Gov
ernor GiIlett has been invited to speak
James Rolph Jr will. also be among
the speakers. On Thursday evening
October 20. local speakers will ad-
dress the Alameda chamber OF COM
nerce when the organization will con-
slider the Islais basin bond issue
.o-