The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-11-17
GREAT VICTORY
WON IN FRISCO
For Good Government And
to Curb the Rapacity Of
Big Business.
BY United Press Wire.

San Francisco, Nov. 17--Followlng
the adoption at Tuesdays special
election, of series of charter amend
ments which, for the first time In
the history of this corporation
dominated city, puts San Francisco
with the forefront of cities favoring
advanced municipal legislation. the
vote will be officially canvassed to-
day by the board of supervisors prior
to the presentation of the amend
ments of the Legislature for rati-
fication in January.
"Bg Business" which opposed
most of the amendments probably
will make it's last stand in the legis-
lature, but there is little likelihood
that the legislature will fail to
ratify as II Is now controlled by the
railroads.
The big problem of whether San
Francisco, once corrupt, has purged
herself of corruption by the passage
OF these amendments remains To be
SEEM The amendments, themselves,
mark long step In advancing In
science of municipal government in
this country and several theories in
volVed have never been tried in
this country. The most vital amend
ment of ALL which establishes ma
jority rule by simplifying the official
ballot, carried overwhelmingly Big
business" made a hard fight at the
polls but defeated only one amend
ment against which 1t fought and
that was the provision for the estab-
| lishment of free city employment
| .nfhf hU
dred votes.
The feature of the amendment pro
viding for the initiative referendum
and recalls the public utilities fran
chises and all franchise renewals
must be submitted to a popular vote
This is believed to insure as long as
the amendment stands the impossi-
bility of a renewal OF the recent
graft scandals through the pur-
chase of franchise from City officials.
| Another amendment provides that
any one pretentng a petition, sign
ed by ten or twenty indorsees may
become a candidate for office and
have the right to file a statement OF
principles running from 100 to three
hundred words which will be print
ed by the city and mailed with n
sample ballot to voters.
The amendment providing for the
elimination of the party circle on the
official ballots also provides for the
rotation of names of the candidates
and in addition provides for putting the
names in a different order in different
districts. so that each candidate will
have the opportunity to head the
ticket in some part of the city
| Another amendment was that pro-
vidng a minimum wage for 80 day
for all laborers and an eight-hou'
day This was fought desperate'S
ION principle" by the so-called Inter
ests" but was readily adopted.
When the amendments were frs
submitted, the interests" proposed
number which failed in the specla
election. Among them were provi
sions that the salaries of all city OF
hcials should increase the city library
patronage under the mayor, which
is alleged, would assist In building vi
a political machine.
The upshot of the whole election
result is that the people have secured
a hard and fast grip on the ballo
boxes; that they signihed their de
sire to run the city intelligently dem
onstrated that they knew what the
waned and then got II. Wheher n
lpeople VIII continue 10 show discern
ment now that they have the politica
power In their own hands depends
say the reformers. upon the contin
ued efforts Of the promoters OF ciyi