The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 18, 1898, Page 11

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1898 COLNON [RIES TO WRIGGLE But the More He Tries the Worse His Predicament. Boasts of a Mysterious $88,000 Saved by the Use of Colusa Stone. Proof That No Such Sum Was Saved, Unless to the Contractor, ANALYSIS OF THE BIDS. Little Jobs About the New Ferry Depot in Which Colnon Other Can Be Discerned. Harbor Commissioner hed into print. He seems on that a Grand may try to ascertain what he and sociat have been up to. He vs his ole of evasion. out the ss of his woe warps his judgment, 1s in doing is to*mis- ) f a San Francisco nd demonstrate that the presi- board, however well he may 1 contracts, cannot juggle Figuratively speaking the h is open and the Colnon e rus by the intima ntleman claims that 1g misused the funds n providing Colusa stone rts that in reality the aving to the State of ertinent to ask where $53,000 wen ading of the figures of Colnon's views would correct. But this is no less reading. To place ms so simple that all | nd them the bids of Mc- t the contract, and of ion uses for the pur- 1 for all masonry work, specifications for house, San Fran- | | ing all work and ma- and masonry is of using the rick and terra cotta trim- | xterior walls and alls, where speci- tire interior of enameled brick | d terra cotta trim- | terra cotta floor samples here- | 1d marked Bid | . H. McKay $173,000; difter- odying all work and mate- s and masonry sis of using the S and g of first story interior ecified, and facing up erior of grand nave wit € eled brick and white enam- ed terra cotta and hollow, flat terra cott 1 work and ne and m s of using ston s and tower, brick, and fae- m: terra cotta trim- | enameled brick up to nd hollow flat terra (brick_and stone to les herewith submitted, ked Bid No. 4) for the Mc lusa stone) | (Oregon gray) It will be noticed in the first place that McCarth bids were so much lower than those of McKay as to excite a suspicion that some hint had been | given that the specifications would be changed so as to enable him to carry out a contract which it is clear, an- other contractor would have found ruinous. But this is a minor point. There will be time later to consider it with more detail. It must be remembered that the ecifications for interior work were he same in every instance. It will be ‘rved that the differences were very . at first ranging from $101,000 to $105,000 on the basis of brick finish, while on the basis of stone finish there was a difference of only $53,000. As the intertor of the building, regardless of | the, character of the cuter wall, was to | remain the same, it is clear that the | notable change in figures was' due to this material alone, the relative cost of the crude product of quarry or kiln. These outer. walls are necessarily, then,’| to be cons ed as an independent | proposition, bearing no relation to the inside. McCarthy offered to do the work the brick exterior for $167,000, or with gon stone exterior for $230,000,. an | nee of $63,000. Then McCarthy ently thought that the stone alone s amount more than the d cost. to build with a brick 268,000, or with Colusa s for $283,000, an advance 0. Then it is clear he t the stone alone would cost nt more than the brick would ct should not be lost sight at Colnon boasts about having the State $53,000 on the exterior when as a matter of record the itractor was permitted to discard terial he had reckoned to be worth 3.000 more than brick, substituting for material which the other bidder 1 had estimated to be worth $15,000 than brick. Therefore it would r that the contractor had done the ng on his own personal account. If the State saved that money it would leased to see the color cf it. Colnon’s unfairness appears in this: = quotes the McCarthy bid and the Kay bid, which show in their totals fference of $53,000, and tries to make the public think that Colusa stone is worth this sum more than Oregon stone. Me ignores the fact that in both bids are included much more than the i ob: | flimsy | sandstone, the contractor being allowed erection of the exterior walls. Em- OUT OF A FIX ARCHITECT EDWARD R. SWAIN. The Man Who Gives His Official Sanction to All Matters Pertaining to the Construction of the Ferry Depot Bullding. (From a Photograph by Taber.) braced within them are the fat con-| tracts such as the floor of the nave which McCarthy could not have con- | structed on the terms he proposed, and | for which he was kindly permitted to | substitute cheaper material and cheap- er methods. Neither should the circumstance-be overlooked that there were seven bid- ders besides McCarthy, that several of them made bids on both Oregon and Colusa stone in each instance the Ore- gon being figured as the more expen sive. There were between McCartl and these other bidders as striking dif- ferences as between him and McKay, | with such relative changes as tend to | support the theory here advanced. If it were possible for the architect | =2 who planned the ferry depot building | to come to life and view the nearly | completed structure that now obstructs | the view at the foot of Market street he would, no doubt, find it difficult to | recognize more than the bare outlines of the noble edifice he believed was to be a monument to his own talents, and | a credit to a great and wealthy State. | Were he to ask why this or. that change | had been made, or why, in almost every detail ' of the construction, cheap or material had been substituted for the enduring material originally specified he would receive the reply that it had been done “at the sugges- tion of Commissioner Colnon.” It was at Commissioner Colnon’s sug- gestion that the change was made from Oregon gray stone to Colusa the full amount of his original bid in spite of the fact that he would have to transport the first-named material a distance of more than a thousand miles from the quarries in another State, while the Colusa stone is practically at the city’s door. Commissioner Col- non is credited with the suggestion that resulted in the substitution of pine for oak in the interior finish of the building, at an additional cost to the State of about $3000. Commissioner Colnon is entitled to whatever credit should be given for the suggestion that resulted in substitution of expanded steel and cement floor arches in the place of terra cotta arches and steel tie rods, a substitution that effected a sav- ing to the contractor of about $35,000. The cheap brick work, poorly con- structed metal work and a half dozen other items of construction—each rep- resenting an exra outlay of the State’s funds—are, rightly of wrongly, credited to the chairman of the Board of State Harbor Commissioners. The latest costly “suggestion” that is laid at the door of Commissioner Col- non is the substitution of cement floor- ing for the bituminous rock flooring that was put down in the new depot building some time ago. The bitumin- ous rock that fell under the ban of Mr. Colnon’s disapproval was laid by the Pacific Paving Company at a cost to the State of 9% cents a foot. The bitu- men was laid on the concrete founda- tion furnished by the State, the thick- ness of the bitumen covering being 2% inches. Soon after Commissioner Colnon con- ceived the idea of substituting artificial rock for bitumen the following bid for doing the work was made: January 27, 1898. We hereby propose to pave the exits in the new ferry building, aggregating ap- proximately about 5125 square feet, with a 14-inch layer of Santa Cruz bituminous rock upon a l-inch binder course of con- crete (cement to be furnished by the board) for 7% cents a square foof, with' the understanding that the bituminous rock now covering the passenger waiting room, aggregating an area of 10,08 suare feet, shall belong to us after we have tak- en sip and removed the same. Very truly ol B'I%STREE’T IMPROVEMENT CO., W. E:. Dennison, Secretary. (Indorsed). Accepted by order of Chairman Colnon and Commissioner Chadbourne. January 27, 1598, The 2% inches of bitumen covering the 10,080 square feet of floor space has been “taken up and removed.” The new work has not yet been begun. The bar- gain that was made by the City Street Improvement Company can be seen at a glance. The State furnishes the ma- terials and gives them 7% cents a square foot for putting down the bitu- men, and then makes them a present of enough bitumen to cover 7500 square feet of space to the depth of a little more than an inch. In other words, the firm gets more than ample pay for doing the work, and then gets enough “hoot” to make the job compare favor- ably with other “suggestions” that have emanated from the same source. —_————————— Was Fighting Drunk. John Lagerfield, a machinist, went to his boaraing-house at 7 Misslon street yes=*—ay afternoon in an intoxicated condition. He was in a fighting mood, and attacked E. Letig, an employe in the house, with a knife, cutting him twice on the left arm. Letig seized a broom handle and knocked Lagerfield down. He also hit him on the face with a tin can. Lager- field and Letig werc taken to the Re- celving Hospital, where their wounds were dressed, and Lagerfield was later locked up in the City Prison on a eharge of as- sault with a deadly weapon. —_————— AFTER WHARFINGER ROOT. S. A. Hussey Claims He Has Been Soliciting for a Baggage Com- pany. At a meeting of the Harbor Commis- sioners yesterday afternoon a complaint vas filed by the Unfon Delivery Com- pany, charging Chief Wharfinger G. W. Root with being a member of the San Frantisco Transfer Company, and while forming his duties as wharfinger he t the same time been soliciting bag- freight, etc., for the transter com- . _Root’'S connection with this com- il be the means, it is contended, ning nearly all the business of the ent shipping companies, as they will undoubtedly be influenced by his posi- . Francisco Transfer Company 3 nized about the 1st of last mont and the nominal owners of the company are George Grunewald, A. W. Johnson, Lemuel Lucas and James Gaffeny. It is claimed that Root and a; are the principal men in the organization. Root denies emphatically that he has ever solicited business for the transfer company during the hours he was sup- posed to be Enrlnrm(ng his duties as finger an claims that whatever negotiated was done after the e of his official work. WEDDING TOUR OF THE PULLMANS Walter Sanger and His Bride for Del Monte. Leave The Town Gossips Declare That the Lady in the Case Is All of Thirty-Two. The Pullman-West wedding caused a good deal of talk in the town yesterday. The couple stopped at the Palace Hotel night before last and left the city for Del Monte yesterday afternoon. did some shopping previous to her depar- ture and the groom received the congrat- ulations of his chums. The marriage license procured in Oak- land gave the age of Louisa Lander West as 24 years, but acquaintances of the fam- ily who formerly attended dances at Lunt's Academy with the West young ladies say that the bride is 32 years old. Annette West, who married” Hugh Me- Donnell, the rich mining man,and Louisa, who was married to Mr. Pullman, lived | many years ago on Sacramento stree The young ladies were well known Q:Lta: large circle of friends. Annette at one time held a position in the School Depart ment as a teacher in the evening schools. They were regarded as intelligent, hand- some and ambitious, but did not figure to any extent in society. What action the Puilman family will take can only be conjectured. The bride, no doubt, is intellectually the superior of her husband, and may develop the young man’s character on the lines which the late George M. Pullman hoped for devel- opment. The little disparity of age may turn out o the advantage of the Infatu- ated twin. —— FRAUD IS CHARGED. W. A. Shepard of the Clerks’ Ex- change Bureau Arrested. As a result of the invesucations made by Labor Commissioner Fitzgerald in re- gard to the manner In which a number of employment agencies have been conduct- ing their business W. A. Shepard of the Clerks’ Exchange Bureau was arrested iy;xesquz;' Sé‘u;wf’ complfilmsr,i charging m wi y larceny fl’};‘. dc\'!ce.l - y by trick, fraud he complaints were sworn to in J: Campbell's court by Benjamin “'eln‘)‘{r:v?;u’f fen and Mrs. Conklin, 'he former paid $3 and tne latter $5 to Shepard after being promised good positions, but the positions were never secured for them. Shepard’s books, when examined by the Labor Commissioner, showed that since November 6 last fees had been paid in by 0 women and only twenty-five were sup- plied with position: — e © Concert at the Presidio. The band of the United States First In- fantry Regiment will give a concert at 3 o'clock this dfternoon at the Presidio. The programme will be as follows: Over- ture, “Toncredi” (Rossini); song, “Sym- athy' (Liszt); “Ernani,” Op. § (Verdi); ntermezzo, ‘‘Pagiiucci” (arranged by Erdmann); pligrims’ chorus, ' “Tannhav- ser’ (Wagner); waltz, “Farewell to Mu- pich” (Gung'l); “Gloria” (Mozart). —_——————— Commissioner for San Jose. United States District Judge de Haven yesterday appoint~d William F. James as United States Court Commissioner at San Jose. 5 —_—————— Headache Quickly Cured. Dr. Davis’ Anti-Headache never fails. 25c.* The bride | BE A LUXURY An English Syndicate to Buy Out Small Manu- facturers. In Consequence the Price Will Be Raised a Degree Higher. The Stock Brewery Under Corpora- tion Control and the National May Follow. Beer may soon be a luxury if price is considered any item. m numerous rather mysterious moves made by a syn- dicate which controls twelve of the lead- ing breweries of America, it has been rumored that beer will soon be raised $1 a barrel and that all “small fry” in the business of manufacturing the liquid will have to pull in their horns and start in some other line which may result more profitably. An English syndicate, of which Mr. Al- vord is the local president and C. B. Stone general director, is the main factor in the move. Within the past few days the syndicate has purchased the machinery in the Stock Brewery at North Beach for fear that some other parties may buy up the property and start on a large scale, although the business has already gone under, and it is reported the National Brewery will be the next on the list which will be purchased for the purpose of doing away with competition. Among the breweries now controlled by the par- ties who are looking forward to a clear fleld are the Philadeiphia, Chicago, United States, Willows, South San Francisco and numerous plants in Oakland and outside districts. Just where the whole matter will end is a matter which is causing the retail dealers a vast amount of worry, but in many instances the dealers who rely on local manufacturers state that the beer will not be rais by the move, but, to the contrary, lowered from the fact that the local breweries not under the control of the syndicate will decrease the price of beer for self-protection. Whether or not they will be able to stand the strain placed upon time to solve, dent, and in conse ing developments m uence some_ interest- be looked forward ideas of many heavy move has been made by the syndicate for the purpose of clos- ing yp and keeping out all opposition or as his been stated, intruders, but some state that the local beer is the best in the market, and that & purchaser or retailer will always buy where the price suits them, and in accordance with their ideas stay with the local firms against whom a fight will soon be waged which may re- sult in explosions of many firms and pur- chases of othel hich ‘may appear to be dangerous e; JIM McDONALD WAS SELECTED The Popular Baseball Player Will Referee Tuesday Nighvs Fight. te. According to the dealers in beer, t Light Betting on the Contest, With Jeffries a Strong Fa- vorite. The managers for Peter Jackson and | Jim Jeffries met at the Olympic Club last | evening and lost very little time in their selection of a referee for next Tuesday evening's entertainment at Woodward's Pavilion. Billy Delaney was asked if he had any names to propose, and when he men- tioned that of the popular baseball ref- eree, Jim McDonald, Jackson's manager called a halt. “Delaney, your choice pleases me,” he sald, “and I am perfectly willing that McDonald referee the contest.” There was no further ‘“business before the house,” and the managers left, satis- fied that Jackson and Jeffries will receive | just treatment from McDonaid, who has | accepted the office. The directors of the Olympic Club met last evening and discussed matters per- taining to the fight.. Captain John Cu tin was engaged for the purpose of ha ing order preserved on Tuesday evening, and, as the captain will not stand any | nonsense, it goes without saying that the | sporting public can look forward to easy access and egress to the fight. The cap- | tain will have a force of filteen able men | under his command, and those who will | insist in blocking up the entrance and | passage ways can expect a warm recep- tion. There will be two entrances to the main | floor and one entrance to the gallery. The t event, which will be a ten-round “g0" between ..enry Lewis of this city | and “Kid” Parker of Boston, will be | called at 8:30 o’clock sharp, and the event of the evening will start promptly at 9:15 o'clock. According to an agreement entered into by the fighters, the man whose arms are free after the referee says break can hit hig opponent in case the last-named may be’ holding on to save himself from pun- ishment, but hitting in clinches is for- | bidden. | “Superintendent Kennedy said last even- ing that there are sevel first-class seats to be had now but, judging from the demand for good seats, there will not be many left by Monday. Jackson and Jeffries will quit training on Saturday and rest up for the big o Althonsn 1itth Although very e money, compara- tively speaking, has been wagered op the fight as yet, stll Crowley gzl Raggett sold some pools’ vesterday at $10 to $s, Jeftries on the long end. e THE CLERGY AND THE TENDERLOIN. Strenuous Efforts Will Be Made to Suppress Houses of Ill-Fame. An attempt will be made b; Otis of the %auust Communlty,ywfiig::: with Rey. R. C. Foute of Grace Episco- pal Church and the property owners and residents of the district bordering on the | Provisions of the law are carried out the tenderloin, to close the houses in Bacon and Belden places, which are now occu- pled by women of jll-fame. Since Father Otis succeeded in closing Quincy and St. Mary's streets strenuous efforts have been made to open adjoining streets for the same purpose for which thlg lormer wer‘e c}otlel . acon place is simply 2 continuation o Quincy street, it being situated unnthg opposite side of Pine street, between Du- pont and Kearny, while Belden place is situated south of Kearny, extending from Pine street to Bush. Considerable money is being expended by the opgosltlnn to contest the move- ments of the clergy, and it is suspected that a member of the Board of Super- vlsor‘s is working in the interests of these eople. The latest move to rehabilitate this sec- tion of the city with objectionable ten- ants was made a few days ago. The resi- dents of the neighborhood of Pine and Dupont streets were notified that the alley running parallel with Pine street, between that and California, wouls shortly be opened and a number of houses erected. In addition to this a pas: ay. in the shape of an L and running in the rear of the houses on Dupont street would be cut through and broadened so as to accommodate a space for the erec- tion of a number of additional houses. Every effort is peing made both by the cier and laity to prevent the opening of the streets. BEER MAYS00N |ODIOUS MEASURE Merchants Universally De- nounce the as Bold Robbery. It Is Regarded as a Blackmailing Scheme, With tortionate Det Investigation of the so-called “seal- ing” act, by which the lawgivers of the State, under guidance of the late Senator Mahoney, sought to cinch mer- chants and create a fat position for the inspector of weights and measures, shows that it is universally condemned. Merchants who have investigated the matter are appalled at the unbridled power vestéd in the officer created by the act of 1891. It would be an easy matter to make a calculation which would show that the fee bill for the official thus empowered to inspect weights and measures would amount to a prodigious sum in a year. The lowest sum named as a fee is 50 cents, which would have to be paid by every person who is engaged in the business of selling goods that are to be measured by tape or yardstick. This would include the owners of all lum- ber yards, dry goods houses and other establishments where footrules are in use. Every grocer and many dealers in liquids use ordinary scales. Drug- gists, confectioners, bakers and all who use even the commonest balances will be compelled under this law to pay the censor of weights and measures the sum of 75 cents for each scale or balance inspected. On scales that weigh as much as 6000 pounds the an- nual fee is the sum of $L. | Under the provisions of the odious law the Secretary of State is ex-officio | sealer of weights and measures. He | is required to seal and certify to all standards of weights and measures | used by sealers throughout the State. The refusal of the Secretary of State to heed the law has heretofore been a | barrier in the way of the fulfillment | of the purposes of the cinch bill. It} is probable, however, that there would.\ be little trouble in inducing the courts | to mandamus that officer in tne event of the appointment of such officer 1n‘1 e various counties. mlf ‘l!}‘lere is an attempt to have such an officer in the city and county of San | Francisco it is evident that he will find a great deal of opposition. Merchants Who oppose the strange system of| blackmail involved in the law will fight the matter In the courts and carry thei case to the tribunals of last resort. There have been previous attempts to have such a law enforced, but such measures have always been worthless. The first act on the subject was passed as early as 1850, but it was amended and often modified down to 1861 In spite of the fact that none of its pro- visions were as odious as the Mahoney | Jaw, this act was repealed in April, 1863. During all these years the people of the State have been able to live and trans- act the business of life without any- body to watch over them to prevent them from being robbed at the bar- ain counter. | g’l'he feature of the measure that is| most patent to all who give it even t_hel most casual examination is that its | main purpose to to benefit the personsi holding the office. The uselessness of the measure, the absolute lack of any reason for such an | office, is so apparent to all that the| matter needs not a moment’s thought. | Merchants who had not known of the | matter until lately have universally been appalled at the magnitude and boldness of the attempted steal. They look upon the entire measure as a blackmailing scheme instituted for the purposes of plunder and possessing no other merits. A striking illustration of the feeling of local merchants on the law came to light yesterday in the form of an old circular, which was Issued about a vear after the passage of the act. T}'{e following excerpt from the circular is in point, and it brings out the strong fact that the law is largely useless by reascn of improved methods in the con- struction of scales. It is as follows: Every person who knows how modern scales are constructed, so different from the old beam and peoise, must know the uselessness of such a law as this. Tt is known to have been designed to create a horde of bloodsuckers to prey upon the ublie. pThe peoplé owe it to the courage and ill wer of the present Secretary of g(;te‘:mE. G. Waite, that the law has never been put in operation. Immediately on the passage of the act representative merchants, among the number Governor Newton Booth, made arpeals to the Sec- Tetary to thwart the schemes of the pub- lic plunderers, and not in vain. The following additional opinions, supplementary to those published yes- terday, will show the general feeling on the subject: CAPTAIN C. F. TAYLOR—Everybody knows that the law is useless and that the appointment of such an officer is only part of a scheme of robbery. If the office will be one of the best in the United States. The rafes charged are certainly most_extortionate, alnd}peu system is a& isgrace to modern legislation. dJiMES O'BRIEN of J. J. O'Brien & Co.—The act of 1831 is an outrage, pure and simple, and not only should the Boards of Supervisors neglect to have it enforced but it should be repealed at once. I am not saying this because I ob- ject to having my measures tested; on the contrary, I think it would be only right and_proper to have an official in- Snector who will come around say once or twice a year and see that everylhhelg is all right, but he should be a salari official, and then there should be some one over him to see that he does his duty. But to say that a member of some politi- el ring will have the priviiege of Invad- ing the houses of reputable business men wgenever he is in need of a little ready Money and compel the storekeepers to pay him what is certainly. an exorbitant pricé for his services Is. as I said before, Pothing more or less than an outrage, an it is the duty of every renutable news- aper_to take a firm stand against it. e Supervisors are not angels by any means, gut T hardly think they would be the means of perpetrating such a down- Heht swindle on the business community of San Francisco. We should have an adjuster of weights, measures and bal- ances, but let him be paid a regular sal- ary for the performance of his duties. ?OHN ELLIOTTof Monl%lomery & Co.— 1t is simply a _perfidious scheme originat- ed, so far as I can see, for the sole pur- e of giving employment to some mem- er of a political ring. The merchanis of this city are already overtaxed. We must have a license to Go business, a license to run a delivery wagon, and are taxed for everything it is possible to find a pretext for levying a _tax upon. This plan means just_simply that we will be robbed of so much sunual&y. and nobody will be a bit the better off except the man who gets the fat plum of official sealer. If there were a salaried inspector it would benefit | ting short weight it doesn’t take him long | | I would be perfectly willing 11 Scale Law a Fee Bill Ex- in Every : ail. both the legitimate business man and the general sub ic. This system would either make a drain on the business man or the general public, as one or the other must pay the difference, and the chances are | that both would be losers to a certain ex- | tent, as a great many would be forced to do with a little less on account of inabil- | ity to pay a higher price. All over the world there are inspectors, but such an abomination as a fee system is an un- heard-of thing, and I am sure the mer- chants would rise up as one man against any such imposition. 1 suppose that if | some politician with a big pull and little | brains wants the position the Board of Supervisors will feel themselyes called upon in the interests of the public to give him the glppointmem. J. J. STALDER, superintendent Union Square Market—I have followed the ins and outs of this law from its inception, and am thoroughly conversant with the whole scheme. I can confidently say that it is rotten to the core. What purpose it can possibly serve outside of making a fat position for some boodling politician who is unable to make an honest living by honest means is a problem too deep for | me to fathom. A law which will give one | man the Ed\'llege of making piratical | raids on the business community under | the protection of a corrupt Legislature is | simply infamous, and for myself there is | no good purpose which it can serve. A | good reliable man, paid an honest salary, | is all that is required, but to give him the privilege of fixing his own salary and al- | lowing his vietims no choice but to pay | his demands is more than business men | can be expected to tolerate. We are now | already overburdened with heavy tax and license fees, and the enforcement of this | measure would mean that many who are | now just becoming able to see their way | clear after the period of depression would | be forced to close their doors. If any Board of Supervisors gives its sanction to this law the members may just as well withdraw forever from the political field. If an attempt is made to enforce it we will fight it to the bitter end, as it is not | only against the interests of business | men, but the general public as well. | CHARLES MERRILL, of Holbrook, Merrill & Stetson—There is no necessity whatever for the appointment of an offi- | cial sealer, whose rees must be pald by | the business men, and why they should | be forced to pay them when the benefit, | if any, will be to the public, is more than 1 can conceive. It simply amounts to forcing a man to pay the penalty of a | crime simply because he is in Such a position_as to be able to commit the | crime. If a man'is appointed at a salary to do the work the chances are that he | | will not do his duty, and it will be neces- Sary to pay another man to watch him. I can hardiy see the necessity of subject- ing weights, measures and balances to| an inspection, anyway. If a man is get- | to find it out, and the merchant is the loser every time. | HARPER SMITH, Smiths’ cash store— | to have.| every weight and measure in my store periodically inspected, but I don’t care to pay an unreasonable sum for having the inspection made. If the sealer can drop | into my store wuenever he sees fit and levy an extortionate sum upon me, I| would consider it an injustice, to which | nobody should be expected to submit, | How such a law ever came to be passed | or how anybody ever expected to enforce | it in a free country seems a truly won- derful thing. I know of no place where merchants are subjected to such an in- | justice, and they would never stand it here. 'If the Board of Supervisors can render this law inoperative by leaving it alone, it had better leave it alone. E. GRANT, of the Baldwin Pharmacy— Competition 'regulates honesty among dealers, but if the customers are not sat- isfied, the dealer should not be forced to pay high fees to satisfy them. An inspection is for the benefit of the pub- lic only, and a fee system is certainly odious.” 'T can hardly see how such a law | could be_ tolerated anywhere for any length of time, but politicians can do almost anything they choose, and the pegple must pay the fladler. R. B. HALE, of Hale Bros.—A regular | inspector should be appointed and salar- ied by the State. To saddle the business man with the expense is certainly wrong, both in principle and practice, and the | law must only have been sed to serve corrupt purposes. In fact the motive | seems not to have been to provide for an inspection, but to make a fat office by which a needy politician might feather | his nest without soiling his hands in hon- | est toil. If our Board of Supervisors can by any means render this law a dead letter, it is the only course for them to ursue in the advancement of the best nterests of San Francisco. I hardly | think there is much need of an inspector, | but if the people want one on an honest | basis the business men will be the last | people to make any objection, in fact we will do all in our power to make his | work easier for him. A man appointed under the law of 1891, however, would not | be an inspector. as no man b])t a cor- | rupt boodler would disgrace himseif by accepting such a position, and no honest | officials would put a man in such a place. C. H. JOUETT, manager Dunsmuir & Sons—The aj intment of sealers in this | State under the existing law is a black- | mailing scheme, instituted by the State for the purpose of carrying on a whole- sale extortion from its citizens and mer- chants. We have peculiarly constructed laws out here anyway, but this is the most ex- travagant and oppressiveoutcome of State legislating that I have ever heard of. The laws of a State must necessarily be for the benefit of the State and not for indi- viduals, as this undoubtedly is. I don’t think and I don't see how it would be ossible for any court to punish a man 'or violating the ordinance by refusing to pay the fee demanded by the sealer. If a man comes into my establishment in the busiest time of the day and com- mands me to suspend my business until he inspects my scales, compelling me through this delay to suffer the loss of several hundred dollars,and thendemands of me a fee for this uncalled-for and un- solicited investigation, I think that it is an outrage beyond the toleration of in- telligent people. This sort of thing could happen every day if the inspector con- sidered it necessary to add a few dollars to his purse, and what protection have I against such outrageous treatment? The law says he is right and in view of , this fact 1 must necessarily be wrong. My opinion is ignored, and if I contend for my rights or make an objection to his leasure I am arrested and thrown into ail. I think the law should be abolished and that the influence of merchants gen- erally should be brought to against it. CHARLES R. ALLEN, wholesale coal dealer—The law is a crime against munic- ipal government and an_ encroachment upon the rights of merchants who are compelled under its dictates to the extortion demanded of them by the seal- er. The merchants of this city, th wholesale and retail, fully undersiand the significance of the adoption of such a Jaw, and should unite and act as a unit in suppressing it. We have enough op- presl}cn now for carrying: on. our busi- ness without having more heaped upon us for no other reason than to create a “political plum,” as it were, for ambi- tious politicians whose chief aim it seems to be to live at the urnu of Individuals who pay taxes for the support of the vernment which creates laws of this g?n(‘!i for the wanton expenditure of such unds. i ‘As far as’ the appointment of an in- spector_of welfhu; and measures is con- cerned I heartily indorse such action, but I think that such an officer, or officers, as the case may be, should receive a stipulated and regular salary for the per- formance for such duties and not be al lowed the arbitrary power of taxing the merchant whatever he pleases for carry- ing on such an inspection. The public should be protected from the frauds of unscrupuldus retailers, but at the same time the merchants should not be perse- cuted and robbed because they happen to use scales and measures in the opera- tion of their business, whether it be proven that they use either true or bogus weights. My idea for the regulating of a desir ablé system of inspection is to_invest the power in the hands of the Police De- partment of the o By the proposed Scheme unnecessal expense woul be abolished by the appointment of an in- spector frcm the force who wouid be provided with the necessary machinery and materials for carrying on the investi- gation. This officer could be sent on & tour of inspection to a separate district of the city eacn day and could easily in- spect the scales, measures, etc), of that district. By appointing a different officer every day the merchants would be un- able to bribe or buy him. This is my idea of the solution of the problem, and the only possible means of preventing fraud and invalidating the present law go"ernln;‘; the ugpnlnlment of sealers. I think if the scheme were carried into effect it would prove both effective and at the same time inex- pensive. The mere thought of the construction ! of the present law is an insult to the in- telligence of people possessing ordinary common sense and a notion of the dis- tinction between right and wrong. think that the law should be entirely annulled or amended so that the sealer would be deprived of arbitrary power. HENRY BIESTER, wholesale and re- tail grocer—If the law is passed it will be an oppression to all merchants and es- pecially those in my business. do not see why the State insists on carrying into effect such obnoxious and slavedriving laws as this. In no way will the mer- chant or the general public reap any ben- efits from its adoption. It is an arbitrary power invested in an individual of the community from which no one but the in- spector himself will profit. If it was passed for and in the interests of the peo- ple it should be approved by them before its adoption. In appointing this sealer the State neither asks the approbation of the public nor pays the least heed ta whatever objection that might be mada against it. The politicians who passed tha law wanted it, and the people as a conses quence will have to tolerate it. I most as« suredly denounce the law as oppressiva and antagonistic to the principles of lib« erty. WILLIAM C. OESTING, wholesale pro< duce dealer—That such an act should ba passed is beyond my comprehension, as the community will derive absolutely no benefit from its adoption. The legislatorg who passed the law must have known or hould have known at the time that it was encroaching upon the rights of mer- chants as citizens of the community; and they should have foreseen that they wers inflicting an_enormous burden upon the merchants of every branch of industry. am willing to see a duly appointed official invested with the power of carrying on an inspection of weights and measures in the interests of the people at large, but I do not think that such an inspector should have the arbitrary prerogative of making an investigation whenever and as often as he pleases and charging a fee, the extent of wbkich would be regulated by his own discretion. The law is an unjust one and should not be carried into effect. —_——— Died of Alocholism. James E. Donovan, a tanner, residing at the Turk-street Hotel, was found dead in bed yesterday morning. He had been on a three weeks' spree, and the indica- tions were that death was due to disease of the heart. An inquest will be helu. —_——— The Fire Department. The Fire Commissioners met yesterday afternoon and accepted the resignation of William Ryan of Engindéd5 and.appointed Matthew J. Glennon to fill the vacancy. Joseph Walls of Engine 20 was fined flve days' pay for springing an axle in a hose wagon. —_———— Died of Hin Injuries. Quong Choy, the Chinese cigar-maker who cut his throat on the corner of Du- pont and Jackson streets on March 12, died yesterday in the City and County Hospital. The body is at the Morgue. ADVERTISEMENTS. nflN’T Let WHISKY get the BEST of you. GET the BEST of WHISKY, which is the GENUINE DISTILLERY BOTTLING OF PEPPER HISKY. Bottled and Distilled only by JAS. E. PEPPER %00, Lexington, Ky. Under the same FOR- MULA formore than 100 YEARS; is_guaranteed ABSOLUTELY the PUREST and BEST in the world. SAMPLE CASE $15 Sent on trial, which, if not satisfactory, can be returned and money will be refunded. 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