The San Francisco call., 1910-01-01

annus mirabiliS The discovery of the north
pole and the conquest of the air objects that
have inspired human aspiration what time the
memory of man runs not to the contrary.
We have accomplished what has for generations
appeared to be the unattainable, and the question
naturally occurs, What shall be the next great
human achievement? 1t might easily be the dis
covery and isolation of the germ, as result
of the splendid endowment fund bequeathed for
research in this field by the late George Crocker.
A review of the year and its history in San
Francisco recalls many important changes and
events some of them psychological and some
material. We shall not be accused of lacking
sense of proportion if place at the head OF the
list the spirit of unity that characterized the
work for the Portola fiesta and IS now actuatlng
the preparations for the Panama canal exposition.
The people of San Francisco have got together.
The same spirit of unity inspires the effort to
bring the public service corporations OF the city
under some sort of discipline, either by taking
for municipal control their operating plants as
in the case of the water company, or by installing
competition as in the matter of the Geary street
railway. The impudent and oppressive domlna-
ton exercised by these corporations in the past
is in the way to work its own cure.
Perhaps the most important industrial and
commercial event affecting life in California and
San Francisco during the last year was the COM
pletion and opening of the transcontnental West
Pacific railroad 1t does not mean compet-
ton in rates, but must result in larger and
improved service besides making important new
territory tributary to San Francisco.
In political way the most considerable event
of the year in California was the election of
labor union mayor for San Francisco, and the
popular mandate from the polls which is con-
strued to that the graft prosecutions in this
city might better be dropped Los Angeles like
San Francisco had an important municipal cleo
ton which resulted in the decisive defeat OF the
Southern Pacific political bureau.
San Francisco in the closing days of the year,
undertook to build and operate the first municipal
street railway in America. 1t is an experiment on
which much depends and will be watched with
interest in every part of the continent. In the
same line of progress steps were taken to buy for
the city the existing water supply and supple
ment it from Sierra sources in pursuance of the
Garfield grant of rights in the Hetch Hetchy
region.
The year may be said to have completed, or
substantially completed, the rebuilding OF San
Francisco in a manner that has elected the adnra-
ton of the whole world. AS matter Of fact the
great fire and the impressive social and material
movements that followed in its train have CON
centrated the attention of all civilized peoples on
this city. =
In wider field the world is watching the
progress in aviation and speculating concerning
its bearing the. future of military tactics and
strategy. That man can fly and govern his course
in the air has been fully demonstrated by the
aeroplane and the dirigible balloon. AS a com
mercial proposition aviation cuts no figure,
but the art is as yet wholly in its infancy
1t is conceded that the discovery of the north
pole was accomplished during the year by an
American, Robert E. Peary. 1t was quite ur1for-
tunate that the proportions of this remarkable
accomplishment in degree obscured
for time by the wrange over the rival claim of
Dr. Frederick A Cook which is now conceded to
have been spurious.
The most important piece of national legislation
for the year the revision of the tariff at the
special session of congress immediately following
the Inauguration of President Taft The political
and material effect on the country of that revision
is still quite uncertain but it is conceded that there
was no substantial fu1lment of Mr. Tafts prom
ise that the tariff would be revised downward
Mr. Taft's journey of $4,000 miles may be
classed in sense political event because
it was made the means for an exhaustive exposi-
ton of his policies In a large sense the president
promises to press and pursue the policies initiated
by his predecessor. His approval and indorse-
ment of the new tariff law was-received coldly in
the middle west.
A sharp conflict has ragged and continues to
grow in bitterness concerning the policy of con
servaton of national resources. 1t is alleged that
Mr. Taft's secretary of the treasury, Richard
Achilles Ballingers of Seattle is secretly hostile
to this policy and his connection as attorney with
the supposedly fraudulent Alaska coal land claims
is cited in support of this theory Mr. Ballinger
Ivehemently denies the accusations and has
demanded congressional investigation of his
conduct in office and out of office so far as it