The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 28, 1896, Page 8

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 1896. o FREE TRADE HITS EVERY INDUSIRY. Viewed in any light there is no reason- eble way by which the Democrsts can evade the tariff question, yet their paid champions persistently ignore ‘it, u'eekmg to throw doubt and confusion in the minds of the masses by their perpetual cry of free silver. TaE CaLL, however, has presented many facts to show that the industries of the country are suffering from an attack of free trade 1n a mild form, the same malady which such men as Bryan heralded as the sovereign remedy for industrial ills. Continuing the investigation of the ques- tion along the lines marked out in previ- ous issues, covering a period long anterior to the nomination of William Jennings Bryan, it can be shown beyond any gques- tion that the industries of the country suffered greatly after the first effects of the Wilson bill, and that they have prac- tically been running down hill ever since. The vice-president of the Cambria Iron end Steel Works, in answer to the inqui- ries of the American Economist as to the effect of the Wilson bill, made the follow- ing repl There has been a hard struggle to keep the factories open. Prices have generally been re- duced some 25 per cent owing to the dull times in order to effect sales at all, and now that the new tariff has become a law the man- ufacturers are asked to reduce tueir prices, by the amount of the difference in duty between the old and the new laws, even below the low rices at which they have been recently seli- ng. If this be done there must be a still further reduction in wages. The manufac- turers, moreover, are now compelled to carry &tock, as they cannot receive orders in ad- | vance, the jobbers placing all risk upon the shoulders of the manufacturers. _ It is the same story in every line of in- | dustry. Under the McKinley law there A Study of Conditions Arraigns the Wilson Bill for Industrial Wrongs. was hope and prosperity, and when it was stricken down there was despair and busi- ness stagnation. s The Economist’s report was but a mild form of the stagnation now felt in nearly every industry in the land—factories closed, hands idle, capital discouraged— all plainiy showing that the advocates of a tariff knew whereof they spoke, and that there can be nothing but business ruin under a regime of iree trade. Inquiry among the shops, factories and many business houses of £an Francisco shows that nearly all have felt the injury done them by the Wilson bill—emblem of business depression; yetit was heralded by the new: political Moses, Bryan, as a panacea for all industrial ills. The report on the knit-goods industry is interesting, for it shows the early and disastrous effects of the measures advo- cated by the Democrats. The report says: From 1889 till 1892 there were many new mills built, and nearly if not all the milis ran steady from 1889 up to about December 1, 1893." From that time up to the present date the average of the running of the mills would not exceed 50 per cent, while for the past year many mills have not started up since they shut down. The immediate effect of the Gor- man tariff on the knit-goods industry is thatit has caused much uncertainty and hesitancy among the manufacturers. That 18 one view of the question, show- ing a side of the shield which Democzats now dread to look upon. Just a mild form of free trade, only a threat of Bryan- ism, has always been enough to alarm capital, to suspend industry and send labor into the dumps. The report, how- ever, continues as follows: There has not been any special increase in orders for goods, except a change from the better-made goods to goods of & poorer qual- ity, many mills making choice goods having been forced by the demand to manufacture goods made of shoddy and waste. From 1889 to December 1, 1894, the manafacturers used finer wool and made on an average a better class of goods than was ever before produced in this country. At presenta large per cent of the output is made of the cheapest material, producing the poorest and cheapest goods ever made in America. Though contained in early reports on the subject the foregoing is in close cor- roboration of the evidence of Agent Schles- singer, the wool expert who was inter- viewed in THE CaLLa few weeks ago. Mr. Schlessinger told in detail how the mapy mills have been closed, how 60 per cent of them are idle and how there is stagnation from the meadow where the shepherd tends his flocks to the silent mill where but two and a half years ago the factory girl watched the loom. Mark how, in view of Mr. Schlessinger’s words, the Economist’s foreshadowing was in the line of prophecy. It ran as follows: The general opiniop among the manufactur- ers is that they will be obliged to close their mills within a few months and remain closed until there is an adjustment of wages and value of merchandise with foreign importa- tions. They all remark that they hove no re- liable basis on which to figure for future oper- ations, as they do not know what will be the character of tza foreign competition that they will have to meet, . Since then, however, they have learned to their sorrow the character of the com- petition they had to meet. They know the dreadful results of shoddy and foreign labor, and tbe idle hands who once worked in prosperous mills can tell the sad story of the free trade blight. % Everybody in the West knows that times have been hard here under the peculiar ideas of Cleveland, Wilson and Bryan, yet the latest reports from industrial centers show that the suffering in the West has been less than in the Eastand South. The report under consideration says: The number of reports that were received from the Pacific Coast was not large, but they indicated much better conditions having ex- isted there than anywhere else in the United States, the loss in the employment of men be- ing 10 per cent, in wages 20 per cent and in 'the amount of business or output of factories 80 per cent. From this it would appear that the hands have been kept working when not actually needed. That this should be the case both there and in New England, and to a less extentin the middle section, shows the very earnest desire on the part of the employers to give their employes every possible opportunity to get on in the world. Since tha¥ report, however, as recent in- uiries have shown, the condition on the ‘acitic Coast has become worse. Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald, speaking of in- dustrial conditions a few days ago, said: There have been more than 7000 applica- tions for positions the past year, and we have not been able to give places to more than 1000. The student of politics, the observer of conditions, eager to know the cause of present distress, will admit that every re- port vet published in these columns is as conservative as history. In the last four articles reference has purposely been made to conditions that were acknowledged to exist at least a year ago. This removes the possibility of an accusation of campaign malice. The report of the statisticians heretofore quoted from continues as follows: A peculiar condition appears to have existed in the Southern States, where there was a de- crease of 35 per cent in the employment of labor, of only 25 percent in wages and of 26 per cent in the output. The fact that the average of wages was not cut down shows that more hands were entirely discharged; the average earnings of those remaining increased by $40 per capita. It should be remembered that wages generally are much lower in the South than in other sections of the country. Heuce it was possibly not found advisable to make such large reductions in the payrolls as ‘were made elsewhere. In the Western States and Territories it would appear that every possible effort had been made to retain wage earners in their po- sitions. The large reduction in wages is ac- counted for, perhaps, by the fact that wages are much higher in the Western States than they are in New England, the middle or south- ern sections. The loss of employment to the | wage earners was 26 per cent, and there was a | 1oss of 54 per cent in the wages earned and of 33 per cent in output. The average reduction in the earnings of every individual worker amounted to $126, a loss that must have en- tailed a very serious amount of distress. DEMOCRATS FOR SOUND: MONEY, They Will at Once In- augurate a Vigorous Campaign. REASON AFPPEALED TO. Logic and Nct Buncombe Will Be the Means Used by Them. DELEGATES TO INDIANAPOLIS They Will Leave Calitornia This Evening to Attend the Sound- Money Convention. The executive committee of the Sound- money Democratic League of California was named yesterday by President E. R, delegates tothe National Convention will depart on the train to-night. DANIEL A. Wants $20,000 From the Pullman and Southern Pacific Companies. SAN JOSE. CAn., Aug. 27.—Daniel A. Shea to-day began suit in the Superior Court against the Pullman Palace Car Company and the Southern Pacific Com- pany for $20,000 damages for being ejected from a Pullman car attached to a Scuthern Pacific train at Mohave station on Sep- tember 2, 1895. On that date Shea pur- chased a first-class ticket trom Los Ange- les to San Francisco with sleeping-car privileges. When the train reached Mo- have the employes of the Puliman car forcibly ejected him. Shea allegesthat he was violently assaulted, dragged from his seat, beat over the head with some Hard instrument and knocked down, and then dragged into a day coach, where he was left in a bleeding and weakened condition from the loss of blood. The employes made no attempt to ease his pain and suftering, and he was obliged to continune in such a condition to San Francisco, with- out being allowed the privileges of sleep- ing-car accommodations. . Shea alleges that he suffered great physi- cal and meatal anguish and was confined to his bed for two months, besides having his face scarred for life. Besides $20,000 damages prayed for he asks for $50 dam- age done to his clotbes and costs of suit. SHEA’S SUIT. SIS e CAMP GARFIELD EXERCISES. Concerts and Salutes to the Flag That Please the Public. SANTA CRUZ, CaL., Aug. 27.—A new feature of military entertainment—new to Santa Cruz—was presented to a large number of spectators at Camp Garfield this afternoon. After the concert by the First Infantry band, that won the fre- quent applause of the people who occu- LN LR N EDWARD R. TAYLOR, President of the Sound-Money Democratic League of California. =L — Taylor and its naming is another quick- step in the campaign march of the true- blue Democrats of California, who have a higher regard for their ancient and honored party principles than for the anarchistic Chicago platform and the gathering in of alittle patronage under the mere party name. The league is practically a State party organization and the executive committee, which 1s practically a State Central Com- mittee, contains the names of many of the leading Democrats of California. The committee is as follows: E. B. Pond (chairman), Jeremiah Lynch, T. B. Berry, Peter F. Duune, Charles P. Eells, Henry F. Fortmann, Robert Y. Hayne, John P. Irish, J. W. McDonald, Norman McLaren, Wal- ter P. Johnsou, George M. Pinckard, Emil Tohli, Christian Reis, John Rosenfeld, Marcus Rosentbal, J. E. Runcie, Colin M, Smith, Wil- liam Thomas, Joseph 8. Tobin, T. 8. WilliamsJr. Chairman E. B. Pond will call a meeting of the executive committee within a day or two, when the working sub-committees on literature, finance, membership, head- quarters, et cetera, will be named, and the organization put in complete working shape, Active campaign operations in the line of the systematic distribution of sound-money literature, arrangements for speakers, and so on, will promptly foliow the close of the National sound-money Democratic convention at Indianapolis on September 2. Although the sound-money Democrats of this State -will be prevented by the ballot-law from runningan electoral ticket in support of the Indianapolis candidates, they wili nevertheless conduct a vigorous campaign to the end that sterling Demo- crats who are loyal to the trme princi- ples of their party at all, “go a fish- ing” on November 3 for the sound-mouey ticket, or else cast their votes for McKin- Jey, who represents the best that is put h in this campaign in American polutics. John P. Irish left last night for Indian- spolis and quite a party of additional pled shady spots under the trees,“and when the guard-mount duty had been performed, . retreat was sounded. and while the band played the “Star-spangled Banner’ the American flag was run down. This patriotic incident of 'camp iife is of interest not only to the citizens, but to the troops, and it 1s an incident to which they have become accustomed at their stations. Colonel Miles had only to intimate the desire for a flagpole in Gar- field Park when F. W. Ely, manager of the electric railway, and John R. Chase of the Sea Beach Hotel, immediately pro- cured one and had it raised. These con- certs and salute to the fleg will occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thus alternat- ing with the dress parades. The field work of the troops is proving very satis- factory and the men are fast acquainting themselves with the vicinity. SRS SREh s Washington Republican Ticket * TACOMA, WasH., Aug, 27.—The Re- publican State Convention completed its work this afternoon. Following is a full list of nominations: Governor, P. C. Sul- livan; Lieutenant-Governor, J. W. Arra- smith; Supreme Justice, Judge Hoyt, re- nominated; Secretary of State, James H., Price, renominated; State Treasurer, J. A. King; State Auditor, John E. Frost, renominated; Attorney-General, E. % Ross; Superintendent of Public Instruc- tion, E. C. Brunton; Commissioner of Public Lands, W. T. Forrest, renominated ; State Printer, O. H. White, renominated ; Electors—E. B. Andrews, Sol Smith, John Conna (colored), and W. K. Ke nnedy. - Another Case of Typhoid Fever. It was reported at the Health Office yester- day that l.nnm; case of typhoid fever, that of & young man who up to two weeks was employed at A, E. Buckman's grldln;‘:lmp. about which there has been so much conto- versy, had been taken to the City and County Hospital. Buckman is said to_ be making preparations to move at au eariy date. ——le Caucasians are more liable To deafness han people of any other race, . NO SETTLEMENT YET AGREED ON, Affairs of O’Farrell & Co. Still in a Muddle. The CREDITORS MEET TO-DAY The Failure Still a Matter of Much Comment in Busi- ness Circles. STRONG TALK OF COMPROMISE Umbsen & Co. Are Making an Earnest Effort to Buy the Entire Business. The financial affairs of J. J. O'Farreil & Co. continue to furnish an ,interesting topic for discussion in business circles. Naturally the failure of so prominent a real estate firm has created a world of talk and gossip, some of which hasa de- cidedly unsavory flavor. This is particu- larly true since many of the main facts attending the assignment have come to light. In endeavoring to explain some of the circumstances which brought about his financial ruin, Mr. O’Farrell saw proper to refer to his business relations a few years back with N. H. Lang. He stated that the withdrawal of the latter from the firm of O’Farrell & Lang was attended with considerable financial strain, and was finally responsible for bis downfall. Mr. Lang denies this, but declines to discuss in any way his late partner’s finan- cial affairs. “*‘AIl 1 have to say,” he re- marked, ‘‘is that the books and the bill of sale I gave him when I retired from the firm tell quite a different story.” Yesterday there were many callers at the office of O’Farrell & Co. on Mont- gomery street and anxious inquiries made by those who will suffer most through the failure. As yet no definite plan of settle- ment has been agreed on, though several have been suggested. The one promising the greatest amount of relief and security to the creditors is a proposition said to have been made by Umbsen & Co., to pur- chase theentire business of the defunct firm. A meeting of creditors and clientage has been called for thisfi?nrpou to-day at 20’clock. The chief difficulty in the way of a straight-out sale seems to be the ques- tion of price. It is considered likely, how- ever, that this objectign will be safely got over at the meeting to-day. Should the plan to sell to Umbsen & Co. fall through it is said that some of the creditors will make an effort to have them placed in charge of the business until the exact liabilities can be ascertained. The amount of O’Farrell's indebtedness has not yet been ascertained, but it gives promise_of running well into the thou- sands. In the meantime Umbsen & Co. have temporary charge of affairs. Mr. Heggerty of l%e firm of Knight & Heggerty said last night: “‘I" have no doubt that an amicable set- tlement will be reached at the meeting to- day. The failure is a perfectly honest one and has been coming for the last four years—ever since in fact his partnership with Mr. Lang. There is not the least thing crooked about it and all such talk is extremely unjust to Mr. O'Farrell, *‘Umbsen & Co. have temporary charge of the business and will submit a proposi- tion to theé creditors to-day which I think will be accepted.’” PRESS CLUB ELECTION. The Year Just Closed the Most Pros- perous Ever Known to the Iustitution, The annual election of the San Francisco Press Club took place yesterday, a rather heavy vote being polled. This was unexpect- ed, for most of the ofticers of the year just closing had been renominated, on account of the great success of the administration. However, new nominations had been made for the directory, some of the former offi- cers being unable longer to serve, and for these, and one or two other places, there was some good-natured rivalry. The ticket as elected was as follows: For president, C. M. Coe; first vice-pres- ident, James P. Booth; second vice-presi- dent, James MacMullen; third vice-presi- dent, W. F. Bogart; recording sectetary, F. 8. Myrtle; financial secretary, P. 8. Montague; librarian, W. K. Briggs; direc- tors—Arthur McEwen, Dr. Philip Mills Jones, L. L. Levings, Paul Cowles, C. A. Lowand C. A. Webster. The retiring administration has added nearly 100 new members to the club and has paid $2000 of indebtedness. It has also added between and $4000 worth of pictures to those in the handsome club- rooms, and has built np a library of some 600 volumes. About $800 of debt remains, but the club is on so successful a basis that this sum does not in any way count. Itis | the intention to continue the same finan- cial and general policy that has resulted in such prosperity to the institution. The jinks and other entertainments which have made the club the talk of the town because of their excellence will be contin- ued as before. ———————————— MASTER PLUMBERS. New Schedule of Charges for Work Will Go Into Effect September 1st. On and after September 1, 1896, all -the first-class plumbers of San Francisco will use a schedule of prices for charges on all kinds of plumbing goods and repair work. This measure was finally adopted by the Master Plumbers’ Association, a local branch of the National Plumbers’ Asso- ciation, after a careful consideration of the urgent needs of its members, who have fourd from personal experience in procur- ing business that it was becoming an im- possibility to do honest work except at a heavy loss. This condition of affairs has been brought about by the cupidity of custom- ers, by poor business methods and by the “tramp” journeyman, who has no fixed place of business and who is willing to cut prices in every department of the trade. For the past ten months, through the instrumentality of the Master Plumbers’ Association, wholesale merchants have stopped selling plumbing supplies to all persons except registered plumbers, and the association requires all its members to comply with the regulations of the Board of Health. A revision of the present credit system among tradesmen is also in contemplation. ONE OF NATURE'S FREAKS Horseshoes Absorbed by a Tree Generations Ago Discov- ered. The greatest natural curiosity brought to this City in many aday arrived Wednes- day on one of the gasoline steamers from Point Reyes. It is composed of a large piece of liveoak, embedded in which are three horseshoes. They are of an ancient pattern and are very little worn. The cen- ter of the shoes are filled with a knot, and from its appearance one would judge that the pieces of iron had been hung on a small branch generations ago and that the tree had gradually absorbed them. The shoes are. now a part and parcel of the wood, and in order to remove them a hammer and chisel would have to be brought into requisition. The find was made by Thomas Irving of Point Reyes. He purchased a cord of wood last week and on Monday set a man to work splitting it up. One piece hung together very t:naciously and a mallet bad to be used. When split open the shoes were revealed. ‘‘Those things were made for males,” said old Captain Bvrnes aiter an inspec- tion of the curiosity. “They are hand made, and good iron is in them or they would not be as well preserved as they are now. Who knows where they came from ? Perhaps a hundred years ago a roving band of S}gunisrfla camped under the trees at Point Reyes and one of the men hung up the shoes cast by the mules during the journey. In the hurry of departure they THEIR FINGERS N ALL PIES, Mr. Clement Calls Super- visors Tyrants and Then Tells Why. A CHARTER MEETING. Good Points Made for the New Charter at Academy of Science. CONSOLIDATION ACT SCORED, Citizens’ Charter Association’s En- thusiastic Meeting—New Men}- bers Elected. Last evening at the regular meeting of the Citizens’ Charter Association in the lecture room of the Academy of Science, President James D. Phelan in the chair, about 200 interested citizens were present, including a number of ladies. ' 'l;ue was plenty of enthusiasm and applause. _ Chairman Nathan Dohrman of the com- mittee on press and publications, an- nounced that arrangements had been made with a newspaper for the circulation of at least 20,000 copies of the original charter. Ex-Freeholder Henry L. Clement ad- dressed the meefing on tbe ‘*Advantages of the New Charter Over the Old Consoli- dation Act.” Mr. Clement said that what he would say would cover the points made in a pamphlet entitled “Why the Pro- posed New Charter Bhould Not Be Adopted,”” to which his attention had re- cently been called. He spoke substan- tially gs foliows: “The question we are called on to solve is not whether the new charter isa per- fect document, but whether it is not better than the so-called consolidation act. The -consolidation act is not and never was a charter. It was never sub- mitted to the people to _be voted on. It was regarded as a makeghift until the people should have time find an opportu- nity to vote on a charter. It was gradually discovered by various City departments that they did not have sufficient power, and their officers went to Sacramento to ask for more power. For twenty years there was a disgraceful scramble for spe- cial legislation which did not stop till 1879, when the new constitution was adopted. Franchise-hunters were there, until now there is hardly a streetin San Francisco that is not claimed externally by a railroad comg}apy and internally by a gas company. rincely fortunes were may have been forgotten and the tree gradually grew around them. The oak 1s ::lllo:-growmg tree and it mu“b::"e e any, many years ago since it began ablorbingyt'hnt iryog." e . The curiosity was sent to W. Bend owner of the sealing schooners Bowhea and Winchester, and he placed it on ex- hibition in the Bowhead saloon on Clay street. *‘I have been thirty years in Cali- fornia,” said Bendt, “and during that time have seen many curious things. Never, however, have I seen arnything to ese horse or mule shoes embedded tree. It looks to me as though of iron were in the wood for d of generations.” ual th i the those pieces centuries inst made. 7 “If all the legislative acts were in- cluded in the book called the consolida- tion act, instead of the 442 pages there would be 1150 pages of finely printed legislative matter. “The Board of SBupervisors of the City of San Francisco,” he continued, ‘‘has been deluged with power by legislative acts. It is the tyrant of the City, It has witiated the atmosphere of the City till a decent man hesitates to commit himself for public office.”” Mr. Clement showed the number of owers that had been conferred on the ard of Supervisors year by year from 1856 to 1879, and said: ‘‘After the new At oint Reyes Live Oaks Are Felled and Sold for Firewood. Thomas Irving Bought a Load, and in Splitting One Picce Discovered Three Horseshoes Embedded in It. People Are Now Wondering How Long It Took the Tree to Absorb the Irem. constitution was adopted still the Legis- lature persisted in_ passing fifteen acts conferring additional powers on the Board of Supervisors, and in all there were 110 of the acts conferring additional powers on the board. *“The result is,’’ he said, “‘we have over 1100 pages of undigested and indigestible matter, under which the Board of Super- visors have misruled this City and will continue to misrule it until theact is wiped out by a new charter, They have made it master of San Francisco. The board should have the handling of no money. The Mayor has r.o power. The solid eight or solid nine, whichever it should be, has passed into history. “We can find Supervisors at the City Hall almost any hour of the day. People wonder how they can spend so much time for §100 a month. You can hardly con- ceive a detail of the City and County busi- ness that the Board ot Supervisors does not have its hand in. The building cf even bay-windows and all sorts of contemptible things too numerous to mention it has the power to interfere with. *'They also wield the power and curse of patronage. City departments are com- pelled to go to the Supervisors for extra apFroprintion_s, and they can’t get them unless they give the wily Supervisors the patronage. This is a temptation to in- crease appropriations, in order to provide places for political friends. The combin- ing of the legislative and executive func- tions in the Board of Supervisors is de- structive of good rovernment.”’ He referred to the temper of the sand- lot agitators and of the people of Cali- fornia in 1879, which demauded an end to special legislation and a new constitution. “It is impossible for any lawyer to tell you to-day,’”’ he said, ‘“what portions of the so-called consolidation act are in force. If the new charter is adopted it will bring order out of chaos. It institutes a system of checks and balances under which the corruption of the past will be absolutely impossible. 1t has been declared by com- petent authority to be themodel city char- ter of this country. The new charteris a model of simplicity. The dnties of each department are cleverly and explicitly set forth. I have not read one single criticism of the financial system aslaid down in this new charter. The Mayor, under the new charter, will not have one tithe of the power that the political boss has now.: ““Itjs not the powers of the Mayecr that the policicans are afraid of. The Mayor, under the new charter, will be found in his office in the day time in the new City Hall and not in the back room of a dive reached by a private doorin the night time. The Mayor will have. the power to remove officials for wrong-doing and the charter requires him to bring legai pro- ceedings against all parties who do not verform their contracts and to cause franchises to be void the terms of which are not lived up to. ‘I bave for thirty years,’’ he went on, ‘“‘done what I could to secure the adoption of civil service in our political system and when I found I was to take a part in framing a new charter I firmly resolved that it should speak in no umcertain pound in regard to civil service.” / The speaker then read extracts from the civil service section of the new charter, and continuing said: “Under civil service and the new charter you will have a clean City government. There are a few good clerks in the service of the City, but the most of them are political heelers and ward strikers, who spend their nights in saloons. , Those who do not have business with the’City can have little knowledge of these things. Under tbe new charter you will have a city government run on busi- ness Erinci les,” *‘The public utilities of water and gas, streetcars and electric lights should be- long to the people. Great fortunes have been made by private individuals and cor- porations out of these privileges. The new charter gives the City power to own and operate these facilities if the people at any election decide by their votes that they want them. The new charter embodies the two great principles of home rule and civil service,” he said in conclusion. Colonel H. H. Hecht was down for an address on the Fire Department. He brc:;dened the scope of the subject. He said: { “I am satisfied that at the time this charter was framed it would have Been passed by the people. The people of San Francisco are extremely forgetful. It takes a majority of all the votes cast at the election to carry the new charter. For 1instance, if there are 70,000 voters registered 35,000 votes at the election will not carry the new charter. Under the new charter every department has' charge of its own funds and is responsible for them.” The speaker showed that in St. Paul, which he said is one of the best governed cities in the United States, the Mayor ap- points the heads of all departments, and inquired, “How do you like that ror an autocrat ?” “Take the Fire Department out of poli- tics, and there is nota ficeman in the City who is not in favor of that and the new charter. There is no better Chief and de- partment in the country than we have to- day. Under this plan the Chief will, no doubt, give you the best Fire Depart- ment in the United States. The new charter gives a pension at 60 years of balf the amount of the salary an officer drew the year previous if he needs it. If youdon’t pass this charter it will probably, be six or eight years before you will get even a chance to pass one.” E. A. Bergerot said the public school teachers of S8an Francisco objected to the new charter under the impression that they would have to undergo civil service examinations. This impression is erro- neous, he said, as the teachers are not required to pass such examinations, The new charter also states that the present police and fire departments shall constitute the police and fire departments of the City. Colonel Smiley expressed the thought that the new charter ought to require cer- tain qualifications for eligibility to ap- pointment as & member of the Board of Public Works. Colonel Smiley objected to giving so much power to the lfiayor. * Colonel Hecht stated: ‘‘There is a gen- tleman in this room who has been spoken of as a candidate for Mayor, and I would not be afraid to trust him with every cent of my money or the people’s money.'’ After this energetic expression there was prolonged applause. Colonel Hecht gave no intimation as to whom he referred. In the courseof a further explanation Colonel Smiley stated that he did not see the necessity of a new charter if the pres- ent laws were enforced and the Southern Pacific, among other people, made to toe the mark. A voice in the rear oi ‘the hall shouted: “Mr. Smiley is arguing in our favor. That ;l ]En the reason we want a new char- er. All the various organizations in the City, numbering in all 567, will be invited to 1jvom the Charter Association. he following new members were elected : C. E. Grunsky, 3006 Clay street, Catifornia Association of Civil Engineers; Otto von Geldren, 1513 Vallejo street, Oalifornia Association of Civil Engineers; H. R. Fee, 2253 Market street, Golden Gate Wheel- men; Charles G. Nagle, 632 Market street, Golden Gate Wheelmen; Joseph W. Ma- uire, 1218 Howard street, Liberty Cycling Tub; F. C. Bonton, Liberty Cyelin Club; J. 8. Hutchinson; 1910 Howa: street, Men’s League; W. H. Hyde Jr., 1837 Mission street, Men’s Leagne; Alex McDonald, 104 California street, San Francisco Commercial Salesmen’s Union; A. Redecker snd J. Halpisch, German Krieger Verein; 0. P. Walden and C. J. Deseda, American Railway Union. The first big mass-meeting of the asso- ciation will be held in Metropolitan Tem- ple, September 4. The next regular meeting of the associa- tion will be held in connection with the Merchants’ Association in the Academy of Science Hall, September 10, . — EvERY NATIVE SoN will want the Wasp's grest special number, out Saturday. The past and present of San Francisco 1s shown in sixty g'c’:nfi. rere and beautiful engravings. Prgoa e The Japanese religion demands that a man must “worship on the soil” every day. Princes and rich men evade this by sprinkling a little dirt in one corner of a room—sometimes on a square of cement made for the purpose, THEY WILL FIGHT THE AMENDMENT No. 1, Article Thirteen, Is the Objectionable Clause. FAVORS THE CAPITALIST Associated Improvement Clubs to Wage War Against Its Adoption. SECRETARY SCHWARTZ'S VIEWS Declares That It Favors the Money- Lender and Double-Taxes the Borrower. Before the Associated Improvement Clubs, which convene in regular monthly session next Tuesday night, a resolution wili be introduced pledging the united members to vote and work against the adontion of amerdment No. 1, article 13, of the State constitution. If the measure is passed, and those who have the matter in hand have no doubt of this, an earnest and systematic crusade will be instituted against the proposed change in the State law. It is contended by the opponents _of the measure that the amendment, as it now reads, places a double burden on the bor- rower, because it requires him to pay not only the interest on the mortgage, but all the taxes on the property. Under tb'a present law the holder of the mortgage is compelled to pay the taxes to the amount of his clsim, leaving the owner responsible only for the difference between thatsum and the assessed value of the property. The amendment to article 13 reads: ection 1. All property in the State notex- emptunder the laws of the United States or this constitution shall be taxed in proportion to its yalue, to be ascertained as provided by law. The word ‘“‘property,” as used in this ar- ticle and section, is hereby declared to include moneys, credits, bonds, stocks, dues, fran- chises and all other matters and things, real, personal and mixed, capable of private owner- ship; provided, that property used for frce public libraries and free public museums, growing crops, mortgages, trust deeds, prop- erty used exclusively for public schools, and S0 as may belong to the United States, this State, or to any county or municipal corpora- tion within this State, shall be exempt from taxation. The Legislature may provide for a reauction from credits of debts due bona-fide residents of this State. “I do not think that one man in fifty understands the importance of this pro- posed amendment,” said Secretary Schwartz of the Associated lmprove- ment Clubs yesterday. “The change is so slight—merely the insertion of three words, namely, ‘mortgages’ and ‘trust deeds’—as to hardly be noticeable at the first blush. Every man whose property is mortgaged should vote ageinst this amendment, because it will force him to pay all the taxes on his property, releas- ing the holder of the mortgage from any liability, and thus add the tax to the inter- est he now pays. . “Some days ago I addressed a communi- cation to Assessor Siebe, asking for cer- tain information concerning real estate and the number and amount of outstand- ing mortgages. The gaestions and replies to the same are as follows: What is the total assessed valuation of the reel property of this City? Real estate $186,- 827,380, improvements $88,506,915; total $275,334,295. What is the amount of mortgages held against this property? $50,928,692. How many different individual parcels does :)lgc real property of this City consistof? About How many of these parcels are mortgaged? ,000. “It will be seen from the above,” con- tinued Mr. Schwartz, “that over one- fourth of the real estate of San Francisco is mortgaged. Naturally the moneyed men and bankers will work solidly for the proposed amendment, for it is money in their pockets. The borrowers are the real sufferers, and I am sure they do not ap- reciate: the gravity of the situation. fianks, of course, would not be particu- larly interested in reducing taxes, as they would not be affected. “There is another end to be considered also, though I do not mean to say that such a course would be followed by all. The proposed amendment, as I view it, is nothing short of a tacit encouragement to capitalists not to invest, except in the way of loans. In other words it offers a premium to keep money out of business. On the other hand the money-lender has a certain risk to run. It is possibie to *cinch’ & mortgagor by assigning the mort- gage to a resident of another State, thus preventing reduction from credits of debts due bona-fide residents of this State. “I am satisfied ihe Associated Improve- ments Clubs will oppose the amendment as soon as they fully understand the danger. Every borrower, not only here but throughout the State, is directly inter- ested. The measure means practically a double taxation for them, and I am sure they will not submit to it when thereis a chance to kill it through the medium of the baliot-box." A Nice Point of Law. A nice point of law came up at the North London Police Court recently. The question was whether a marriage could be legal if the woman had given a wrong name. The lady who asked the question on behalf of her son was very astonished at being told that such a mar- riage was perfectly legal. “How could 1t be legal,” she asked, “when he didn’t know whom he was warrying?” But there was no hope for this rash young man, and we guite agree with the magis- trate that it certainly was his own fault if he did not trouble to find out more about his wife. After all a man does not pre- sumably marry his wife because her name 1s Jones or 8mith. And aithougn names tell tales the only thing for this rash hus- band to doisto remember the old line: “A rose by any other name.”’—Westmin- ster Gazette, NEW TO-DAY. BORDEN'S MEDICAL DEPARTHENT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 'HE REGULAR COURSE OF LECTURES will begin TUESDAY, September lst, at 9 A. M., at the College Building, Stockion street, near Chestnut, San Francisco. R. A. MCLEAN, M.D., Dean, 805 Kearny street, corner Bush, San Francisca