The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 21, 1899, Page 6

THE SAN 6 THE CALL AND PUBLIC ; OPINION @ e Y @a’u l "HE m‘ost noted contest in the history of Ameri- ; == = can politics closed when the Legislature ad- ESDAY. ..MARCH 21, 1809 journed. JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. Address All Communications to W. S, LEAKE, Manager. PUBLIiCATION OFFICE......Market and Third Sts., S. F. Telephone Main 1868. EDITORIAL ROOMS..........2IT to 221 Stevenson Street Telephcne Main 1874. DELIVERED BY CARRIERS, 16 CENTS PER WEEK. Single Coples, & cents. Terms by Mail, Including Postage: DAILY CALL (including Sunday Call), one year. DAILY CALL (!nciuding Sun g Sunday Call), 3 months. th Y. CALL (includ CALL—By Sing! NDAY CALL One Year. WEBKLY CALL. One. Year All postmasters are authorized to receive subscriptions. Sample coples will be forwarded when requested. OAKLAND OFFICE. ..908 Broadway NEW YORK OFFICE ....Room 188, World Building DAVID ALLEN, Advertising Represcntative. WASHINGTON (. C.) OFFICE ... Wellington Hotel C. C. CARLTON, Corrispondent. CHICAGO OFFICE.. . Marquette Bullding C.GEORGE KROGNESS, Advertising Representative. BRANCH OFFICES—587 Moptgomery street, corner Clay, | open until 9:30 o'clock. 387 Hayes. street, open until €30 o'clock. 621 McAllister street, open untll 930 c'clock. 615 Larkin strest, open until 9:30 o'clock. 1941 Mission street, opan until 10 o'clock. “2291 Market street, aorner Sixteenth, open untll 9 o'clock. 2518 Mission street, open - until 9 o'clock. 06 Eleventh street, open uptll 9 o'clock. - 1505 Polk street, open until 9:30 c'clock. NW. corner Twenty-second anaq Kentucky streets. open until 9 o'clock. | | | 1 | AMUSEMENTS. 00 and Free Theater—Vaudeville every afternoon llis streets, Specialties. Tat 1t o'clock, at 12 Elev- There had been failures before to elect a Senator. There had been contests which cnded in taking up side candidates and electing them, by the help of the minority, like Christiancy in Michigan, Cameron in Wisconsin and Tipton in Nebraska. But in each case the scat was contested for by the incumbent. Zach ‘Chandler in Michigan, Mat Carpenter in Wisconsin and Thayer in Nebraska were pushed aside by the fu- sion of a Republican minority with the Democratic minority. % Here the case was different. A change in party con- trol had found a seat vacated by a Democrat to be filled by a Republican. The record of the outgoing Senator, with but little exception, was strong and commendable, and his great ability had proved itself in the Senate. His Republican colleague, without the advantage of a legal training, is yet so equipped in the school of experience that he ranks well up and is a most useful and creditable Senator. It was the aspiration of the Republican party to fill the vacant seat with a Senator worthy in ability to suc- ceed White and the equal in influence and usefulness to Perkins. ¥ When the candidacy of Burns appeared the party was appalled. He represented a force that had here- tofore been invin¢ible. For more than thirty years the Southern Pacific Railroad had never lost a battle in California politics. No matter which party had a majority in the State, the wishes of that corporation had never been resisted nor denied successfully by either. Indeed, so supreme had its power become that it did not have to solicit an alliance. Both parties sought its-favor, and the one that was denied. seldoin put up a stout fight, but was content to” wait until it was needed, when the fickle corporation would chan_ge and use it as the instrumentality of its purpose. With this record behind the power that supported him Burns had grounds for the swagger with which he en- tered the fight. The Call recognized the natural politics involved in giving the Senator to Southern California, but we had no candidate. For reasons that Carp. —Thursday, March 23, at 12 m., ia street, Real | onday, March 27, at 12 o'clock | . Real Estate. | THE NEW MILITIA BILL. = Governor Gage signs the bill for the | ion of the National Guard he should | some of the leading offi- | Not being a military man, will naturally be unable to understand i of the measure in question, to understand them before he at- s a proposition which can scarcely originally framed the bill was than it is now, but it still contains | r of so-called reforms which are of| :nd which may, instead of placing the | ore substantial footing, tion. | | rd upon a aniize pain left the militia of California in | isheveled condition, consequent upon{ nt of a large number of its members in the olunteer service, each enlistment hav- ted to discharge a guardsman. - But | ) pearance of men and the resignation of offi- | cers do not call for the changes of system which are made by the bill now before the Governor. Under our | hod of government the chief executive of State | is the commander in chief of the army and | The reasoh of this is perfectly plain. In e military commanders used to be indepen- | as a result they often utilized their soldiers n upon ‘the throne. It is to make the | ment of the Government subordinate | vil and political departments that all ire appointed by the President or Gov- ernor and are made subject to his command. The reorganization bill under discussion erects the jor general of the California militia into an inde- | I It cuts down the Governor's staff, | and requires that some of his militia appointments | oproved by the major general; it fixes the | e latter at a definite period, and authorizes | lently of the Governor in the dis- s duties, notably in ordering en- ving them out. s all wrong in principle and should not be Depriving the Governor of power over the | onal Guard will not tend to reorganize that insti- ution, while it will infract a very important feature of | em of government.. If Governor Gage will | is aid the prominent officers of the militia how him hew this bill is certain to operate vantage of the organization. We are sat- fed from a cursory reading of the measure that it | increases the expense of maintaining the Guard. This zlone is an objection which ought to appeal forcibly to the Governor, who is on record as an economist of most ompromising character. There are some good things in the bill, but they are counterbalanced by the attempt to make the major general of the militia an irresponsible commander. We think that such an innovation will generally meet the disapproval of the National Guardsmen. e —————T— 1depent ated. The court which gave Dick Williams a new trial, and then another, and promised him a third, was not the Supreme Court -of the State, as the entire matter was within Federal jurisdiction. Inadvertently a writer on this paper had accepted the theory that the fault of William's escape lay with the Supreme Court. ex-convict emerging from an immurement of ten years finds that the gold he buried before incar- ceration has been dug-up. We do not hesitate to de- nounce this as not having been a square deal. If there is honor among thieves, now is the time for some- body to come forward. Filipinos must not burn any of the American pris- oners who fall into their hands. This counfry seems -rot to be averse to war, but to be satisfactory it has to be conducted on at least a semi-civilized plan. A Seattle incendiary has burned a church. If it is any faction for him to know it, he is the meanest creature of his kind, and the best of the outfit to es- cape lynching got more than he deserved. The Deputy Sheriff who murdered a boy at Colma seems to have the worst excuse ever advanced. At least, if anybody ever had a worse one he has been hanged before now. Senator Perkins says that-he kept out of the Sena- torial contest. 'He did this from choice. There were several others who were. never really in it, but who _tried to be. : RESE T Certain papers are just now making much of the sums given by Armour to charity. But what propor- tion of the gifts were derived from rotten beef? 2 —_— | of the fact that they, with Grant, were less candidates 1 ‘ vegetables, and the announcement is made that aspar- i Pacific has discovered that it is not the sole power in are now history we opposed both Grant and Burns. As the long fight wore on it became plain that the heretofore irresistible force behind Burns would lose | 110 point nor spare any resource to effect his election, | and after clearing the air in the revelations of Speaker Wright's serpentine and sinister part, thereby laying | bare also the ante-election incidents in Grant's cam- | paign, we enlisted all the resources of The Call in the service of the majority opinion and public judgment | of the State, which clearly ran against the election off Burns. . The contest settled down finally to a siege. The | majority of the Republican members, representing a | majority of the party and the people, and standing | for the State’s good name, stood the siege well. They | pursued no offensive tactics, but stood firmly on the | defense. The excellence of their discipline and their loyalty to the right were proved by the fact that from the first ballot to the last only six men deserted them. | Every blandishment which can dazzle men and make them forget the future and the past in the delirium of the moment was exhausted, but the Republican Old Guard stood firm, yielding not. We believed that our pésition was right when The Call announced it, | and our initiative was taken in advance of the use of means for ascertaining public opinion, but we as- sumed that the people were right on this issue, and | our confidence was not misplaced. The Call was in | line with the party and the people, and therefore won | its fight. It voiced public opinion when it pulled | Wright out of the Speaker’s chair, in which he had | sat only seventeen days, enjoyihg briefly the fruits of | chicane and deception, and The Call has continued to | utter the public will to the close of this battie royal, | from which Burns retires defeated and discredited, | and in which the Southern Pacific Railroad has met the first defeat in its history. We by no means underestimate the value of the for- titude shown by Grant, Barnes and Scott. Grant de- | ported himself with dignity and decency, self-restraint | and wisdom, while Barnes and Scott never lost sight | for the Senate than they were trustees of the pany's‘ future and the State’s honor. Through it all The Call | has fought at the front, has fought fairly and has won every objective point which it sought. The Southern this State, for the people of the State. must be reckoned with. We have not set down anything in | malice against that corporation. It has rights which | we will as readily defend against demagogues and | anarchists as we have just defended the people against the corporation in a matter where it had no rights at | stake and wherein its presegce should have been .un- | known. We have taught the lesson that a newspaper to have influence and power must ali_gn itself with en- lightened public opinion, and then must fight without flinching. DIPLOMACY IN THE PHILIPPINES. HILE the results of the fighting between our Wtroops and the Filipinos have been on the | whole satisfactory, it is clear that an-attempt to | establish peace throughout the Philippines by strictly military methods would entail a long and costly strug- gle. We could easily dispose of the insurgents if they | would come forth as one host in battle array, like the Dervishes at Omdurman, but it will not be so easy to track a thousand separate bands of marauders | through the jungles and the mountains. i From the reports that come to us from Manila it appears the Filipinos have had sense enoigh to learn already the difference between an American and a Spanish force. In the earlier fights the insurgents | stood their ground with some firmness, and in one or | two instances even took the offensive and attacked our | lines with no other arms than bows and arrows. They have now abandoned tactics of that kind and | are fighting like fleas on the jump. They snap at us in one place, and when we reach for them they are | somewhere else. | As a consequence of these tactics on the part of | the insurgents our troops have been compelled to re- sort to what are known as “punitive expeditions”— that is to say, detachments are sent out to destroy | property, when they cannot find the enemy. Thus we are told that a recent expedition, after having scat- tered a band of Filipinos, proceeded to burn five miles | of huts and to destroy all the rice in the storehouses | and the growing crops in the fields. Punitive tactics are very effective in civilized coun- tries and in the temperate zone, but are considerably | less so among semi-barbarians. in the tropics. The | Filipino is not much dismayed by the destruction of | his bamboo hut, for he can build another without any cost for raw-material and with no labor except that of his wife and children. Neither does he care much for his fields in a land where nature affords an abun- dant supply of vegetable food, and where, owing to the climate, the amount of food required to sustain life is very little. 1 “The White Man's Burden” ‘seems to be in great measure the trouble of reading about it For these reasons it is probable the settlement of lis reported to have stated that he has investigated the | profitable {"cess,” which amounts virtually to inclosing the fruit FRANCISCO CALL, TUESDAY. MARCH 21, 1899 commissioners sent out by the President than upon the army. It is noted that the natives have been more impressed by the kind treatment accorded to prisoners taken in battle than by the valor of our troops or the deadliness of our arms. “When it is-clearly impressed upon them that we.do not mean to reduce them to such a condition of wretchedness as Yhat imposed by Spanish rule they will probably be willing to listen to reason and accept our government peacefully as long as we remain in the islands. In the meantime it is certain that in our dealings with a people whom Kipling has described as “half savage and half child” we shall have tq humor them a good deal. Punishment for any attack upon our lines must of course be swift and sharp. It will never do to.let them get the impression in their minds that we cannot whip them. At the same time it is going to be 50 hard to catch the villains in order to whip them that a considerable amount of coaxing will be judi- cious in the interests of economy. U ing at this time a niore serious. responsibility than that with which the Regents of the Uni- versity are charged by the duty of selecting a suc- cessor to President Kellogg. It is hardly too much to say that the whole work of higher education in Cali- fornia will be more or less affected by the personal in- fluence of the man chosen, and thérefore the choice to be made is one of no+ordinary moment. Universities, ever since the days of the academy founded by Plato, have performed an important ser- vice in shaping the course of civilization, but never in human history was the influence of such institutions so potent as at this time. The increased reliance of men upon science to devise solutions for the social problems and needs of the age has given the uni- versity a leadership which it never had before, and has rendered the personal characters of its president and its professors matters of no small concern to the community. The time when a university was simply a scat of &cholarship is past. The people now turn to the uni- versities for lecturers on all forms of knowledge and on all issues that arise. From farmers’ clubs, from literary societies, from university extension associa- tions, fromreform organizations, and even from politi- cal committees, come demands upon them for a| scientific study of the problems of the time and a UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS. PON no set of our State officials is there rest- | mitted popular exposition of them. The presidency of a university is now a vantage | point from which a strong, clear-headed, wise man | can make himself widely useful to the community. A small man in such a position is worse than nothing, for his inability to usé®the power the position gives | renders that power valueless to the community, and;' one of the greatest forces of civilization is therefore | lost to that people. | Regent Rodgers, who has just returned from an | extensive tour made for the purpose of seeking out | I a man well fitted for the presidency of the University, | qualifications of ten_men, and is prepared to submit | a report at the meeting of the Regents in April. This | probably means that the question will then be settled | and the selection made. That being so, it is well at; this time to remind the Regents that they are choos- | ing' a2 man not merely to teach young men and| women the learning that can be found in books, but a leader of the higher thought of the State. If they cannot find at this time a man who measures up to that standard they had better postpone the election and put the presidency in commission for a while. AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS METHODS | | | RECENT number of the Exporter, a Sydney publication devoted to the export trade of the | Australian colonies, gives, concerning the fruit trade with Europe, a good deal of information likely to be not only interesting but instructive to Califor- nians, since it shows the vigor with which the people of those far-off countries are striving to compete with ! us in that line of industry. From the reports given it appears the Australians ship to England not only fresh fruit but even fresh agus and green peas arriving in England between No- vember and March are sure to bring good prices. The chief difficulty to be overcome in the trade in fresh fruit is that of preserving. it during the Jong voyage across the ocean, though of course the heavy freight rates also constitute a handicap on the enterprise. Both in Victoria and in New South Wales the fruit mei, aided by their Governments, -are energetically | ard scientifically striving to master fhese obstacles. 1t is noted by the Exporter that the Victorian Gov- e-nnient grants a bonus on fruit exports, and in that | way soffsets the freight charges and stimulates pro- ducer; and shippers to devise some means of pre- | serving the fresh fruit so as to make the shipments Several plans have been tried, but none seems to be wholly satisfactory. The one most in favor at present -seems to be what is known as the “Southerland pro- in waxed paper bags. In the meantime the Govern- ment has been lending its aid to the work and the Agricultural Department is experimenting - with” a | process of preserving ‘fresh fruit by means of ster- ilized air. It is said that some apricots treated in that way by the department were kept in good con- dition for forty-three days, but the bioom had faded and the fruit would not be attractive in the market. It is worth noting that the British correspondent of the Exporter advises fruit and vegetable shippers to send their goods direct to Manchester instead of London or Liverpool, on the ground that the markets oi the two last-named cities are the general dumping ground for the exports of all nations, while Man- chester, with the swarming populations of the manu- facturing cities around it, is a comparatively over- looked market for such articles. Another illustration of the comprehensive manner with which the Australians are seeking:to increase the consumption of the products of their industry is found in an announcement in the same journal that the Government of Victoria has induced the railroads to serve a tumbler of colonial wine with lunch or dinner at all their eating-houses without extra charge and to furnish it by the bottle at a shilling a quart. By that means it is expected to make the use of native wine common among the people and thus build up a large home market for it. It will be seen from these reports, all of which are given in the ordinary course of a trade review, that the Australians, though far from the great markets of the world, are not sitting in idleness waiting for some one to come along and help them. Through their Governments as well as by individual enterprise they are working out a solution of their difficulties and bid fair to succeed. There was something distressing in the thought of the electrocution of 2 woman in New York, but now that it is over it seems to have been the proper course. With the Oregon at Manila some of the powers | is less than GAS CAN BE SUPPLIED ONE- THIRD CHEAPER Excessive Cost to City and Public. SOME SUPERVISORS DISAGREE [ | | | | HEAT‘ED DEBATE ON REPORT OF GAS INVESTIGATION. Dr. Perrault Presents a Minority Re: port Which Is Finally Received but Consideration De- ferred One Week. An acrimonious debate marked the pro- ceedings of the Board of Supervisors yes- terday when an attempt was made to fix the rates to be charged the city by the San Francisco Gas and Electric Company for lighting the streets and public build- ings. A searching inquiry was.made by the board recently as to the cost of gas, and a report was expected from the Finance Tommittee, which had charge of the in- vestigatian, yesterday. Mayor Phelan pre- cipitated the ‘discussion by asking if the report on the gas question was ready. Dr. Perrault replied: “I am ready to present a minority report, which my a: sociates on the eommittee refuse to sign. Supervisor Collins said: ‘“As a member of that committee I wish to say that I am not ready to report, but will do so next week. I object to the reading of the mi- nority report.” “I conferred with Mr. Collins in this | matter,” rejoined Perrault, “and as his feport 18 ready I believe it should be sub- now." “The doctor is mistaken if he thinks he knows all I have to report,” replied Col- lins. *I merely told him one thing—there is much more to be embodied in the re- port. I will bring in a report next week, although I do not know whether any one will sign it.” | ““The minority report is ready first and should be received by this board,” sald Perrault. *“] want to resign the chair- manship of the Finance Committee and want to clean up all the work on hand. In this case the other members of th committee do not agree with my ideas and those of his Honor the Mayor.” Here Attridge took a hand. *“I don't think it is necessary to read this mfnority Te] | | 1 ort,” he said. | “ollins indignantly chimed in: “I don’t | like the way this come about. This re- | port was presented to me at o’clock ature. This_ gave me no investigation ‘and is not the to proceed. I won't have any report crowded down my throat. When- ever I have any report to make I present it to my associates on the committee be- fore we enter this room Perrault—I did not intend to slight the committee. The course I took is the usual one. It is customary for the chairman of a committee to prepare the report and take the ltadlng part in its presentation. The other members of this committee did not take the active interest in this inves- tigation which they should have done. layor Phelan ended the debate By say- | ing it could be received as a resolution if not as a minority report. ‘When it came up for the second time it was laid over for one week, Perrault, i,aclggmmx and Deasy voting against such The report, which follows, is Interesting, showing as it does that the city pays one- | the jons for the con- e Sunnyside dis- sive of fees pare plans and specificat! struction -of sewe;sgl& tl;xclu trict at a cost ol ), and charges for his official services. o The Building Trades Council presen em a draft of an ordinance which would prohibit the papering, tinting or kalsgm- ining of walls In buildings without krslv. removing the old paper, tinting or Ka'= somining. The petition was referred to the Health and Police Committee. Applications for boxing permits were récelved from the California Athletic A?- sociation, _ashington-square Ath!et'c Club and Metropole Amateur Athletic Club. They will be passed upon next Friday by the Health and Police Com- mittee. Coroner Hill requested the appointment of two matrons for service at the Morgue. For one of the proposed positions he rec- ommended Mrs, Grace Harris at a salary of $75 per month. Th referred to the Heal mittee. The Pacific Surety Company, which in- sures boilers, reported to the board that the hot water heaters in the Free Library and County Clerk Deane's office were in bad condition. were pronounced vorn out and unfit for use. It was sug- gested that the pipes leading to_the heater be covered, thus giving bettér service on the use of less fuel. A report was also rendered on_the steam boilers which sup- ply power for the building. The report states that there is but one 'safety valve for these two boilers, “In getting up team in the cold boiler, which® has no afety valve,” says the report, “‘the only hing the man in charge has to go by .is the steam gauge, and, should anything g0 wrong with it there is no possible means of knowing what pressure may be on the boiler. This state of affairs should not be allowed to exist any longer than the time it takes to remedy it.” e DR. WEBB AND THE NICKEL-IN-THE-SLOT CAPTURED BY ITS SEDUCTIVE INFLUENCES. Royal Flusk and Now Machine of His Own. The Vanderbilts have stamped the nick- el-in-the-slot machine as the praper thing. The deceptive little box with its straights and flushes and full hands, which sepa- rate so many nickels from their specula- tive owners, has won the hearts of the I1th and Police Com- He Struck a Has a | Vanderbilts, and that is almost enough to | wipe out all the harsh things the preach-| ers and Supervisors have said about them. The seductive jingle of the nickel falling into the box, the click, click of the op- | erating rod and the whirr, whirr of the | cards have literally entranced the Van-| derbilts, and now the Vanderbilts have one of their own. Nickel-in-the-slot gambling was the first purse-loosening amusement that caught eyes of the Vanderbilt party when they rolled into the State in their rivate pleasure cars. At Santa Barbara r. W. S. Webb, brother-in-law to Corne- lius Vanderbilt Jr. and president of the Wagner Car Company, dropped into a cigar stand on the main street and no- tlclns the nickel-in-the-slot “machine standing invitingly on the counter he in- quired what its use was. The cigar dealer explained to his Inquisitor that all it cost to play it was a nickel, and a person was liable at any time to get a royal flush. “If you get a royal flush you get a hun- dred fine cigars,” said the cigar merchant, with the alr of a man who was used to paying off on a royal flush two or three times every day. ““A hundred for a royal flush, and it oniy costs® a nickel to play it,” retorted the doctor. “Well, I guess I'll try it.”” “The main guy of the Vanderbilt par- t as Patsy Carroll would term Dr. Webb if he were tellihg the story, half dollar on the counter and asked for a few nickels. 3 The cigar dealer, only too willing to change “half dollars when there was a prospect of somebody going up against his own {ame, handed the doctor five shining nickels and d quarter, winking at the same time to some of his statues standing | in_front. The man of money and cars dropped rod and then the.cards began to turn. ‘When they stopped Dr. Webb began to count his hand. "r'e_n, Jack, queen, king, ace, and all one third more for lighting than it should be | €O—’ charged, and that the general public is charged an exorbitant price for gas. The report submitted by Dr. Perrault reads: SAN FRANCISCO, March 20, 1899 To the Honorable the Board of Supervigors of the City and County of San Francisco—Gen- tlemen: Your Committee on Finance und Au- diting beg leave to report in the matter of the bills of the Company and the Pacific Gas Improvement Company for the months of Décember and January, as follows: - The Superlor Court has decided that the con- tracts under which gas and electricity were supplied to the ity and county of San Fran- cisco are void, but that the companies are en- titled to reasonable compepsation for com- modities- furnished, and that it js the duty of. the board to fix 'such reasonable compensa- tlon. Your committee has held an investiga- tion, giving full and fair opportunity to all parties in Interest to be heard, and herewith submits a sfenographic report of such investi- gation for the information of the board. We have elicited the following facts, as an ex- amination of said report will show: That the San Francisco Gas and FElectric Company is a combination of the San Fran- cisco Gaslight and the Edison Light and Power Company: that before or after such combina- tion mpst of the competing companies that had been organized for the purpose of supplying the city with lighting (gas and electricity) have been absorbed and that the present capital stock upon which dividends are paid does mot represent their real value; that rates are kept excessively high in order to pay dividends on fictitious capitalization; that in the matter of electric light the city pays more, in many in- stances, than is charged to private consumers: that the cost of gas delivered to the consumer $1 a thousand cubic feet: that competing companies will, if given facilities, supply the city with electric light of equal can- dle ower. for at least 33% ber cent less than is now charged the city. For these reasons we recommend: First—That the electric light bills in dispute De gettled on a basis of 25 Der cent less than the amount charged and that the gas bills be settled at the rate of $1 35 per thousand cubic feet. Second—That the rate to consumers be fixed on a graduated scale, as follows: Beginning one v ousand, and ts succeeding that the rate be fixed Tespectively at $1 45, §1 35, $1 30 and $1 25, thus at the end of five vears reducing the price of &as to $1 25 per thousand cublc feet to con- suniers; that these prices will vield a fair and reasonable return on the real value of the company’s plant, used for.the manufacture and distribution of gas anl electric light. Third—We recommend that new specifications be prepared for lighting the city streets, squares, public buildings, with gas and elec- tric light, which will admit competition, ‘and that new’ propogals be Invited and in accord- ance with the judgment of the court a new con- tract let. A. M. Hunt, a civil engineer, presented a voluminous report as to the cost of an electric plant for lighting the streets and municipal bulldings. The present cost of this, lighting is $400,000 per year. With its own plant the cost would be $170,000. Mr, Hunt estimates the cost of a plant and distribution system at $459,000. 'his does not include real estate upon which it would be installed. The communication was referred to the Street Light Commit- tee and also ordered printed for distribu- tion. among the members of the board. 'his was not the only light shed upon the question of illuminating the city. The following _communication was received from the Mutual Electric Light Company. It was referred to the Building Commit- tee with instructions to report at the next meeting. It reads: ® To the Honorable - the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco, Cal.: - The undersigned. Mutual Elec- tric Light Company, hereby offers to furnish incandescent light. for use in the City Hall in fifteen days from date of acceptance of this offer (said fifteen days being. necessary for making underground connections with electric wires in sald City Ha¥) at a rate or price of 6_cents per thousand watt hours, being 40 per cent less than the price which the city and county has heen and is now paying for electric current used in the City Hall. We will furnish | suah bonds as may be required as a guaranty | for the quality of the light and the efficiency of the service. MUTUAL BLECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY. W. R. SUMMERHAYS, Vice President and General Manager. Upon motion of Chairman Aigeltinger of the Street Committee, it was decided to employ two extra men un Fourth-street bridge. This will permit of its being opéned at any hour of the day without expense to owners of ships passing through the draw. An assistant engineer at $75 a month and a bridge tender at $60 will be appointed at the next meeting. . At the instance of Dr. Perrault., City and County Attorney Lane was requested to give Assessor Dodge his legal advice on questions which the Assessor may submit to him during the administration of his duties, - Sheriff Martin was empowered to, em- ploy two men at $55 per month to guard prisoners at work on county roads. Francisco Gas and Electric |- “‘All one what?” chipped in the cigar dealer, as he stretched his neck to see Dr. ‘Webb's hand. ““All one color. That's a royal. flush, isn’t it?"’ asked the doctor, with an as- sumed air of innocent surprise. “I think that’'s right,”” said the crest- fallen dealer. . Dr. Webb got his cigars, but he liked the game and remained at the stand some little time playing the machine. ‘When the Vanderbilts arrived at the foot of Townsend street the other day Dr. Webb came up town and invested in a brand new nickel-in-the-slot machine, and he didn’t say it was for the baby, either. Evidently the doctor thinks there is more profit in runing a nickel-in-the-slot machine than building cars. Or perhaps the doctor intends to keep dropping nick- els in the machine until he gets another roval flush and pay himself.for the win- ning.- Or he may want to play the ma- chine a while and see how much percent- age he would lose if he continued to go up against the other fellow's nickel win- ner. However, it may be that he may want to do husiness with the members of the Vanderbilt family. AROUND THE, CORRIDORS. W. C. Potts, a Jamestown merchant, is at the Grand. €. J. Cox, a Hollister merchant, is regis- tered at the California. ‘William H. Turner of Boston and C. P. Turner of New York are registered at the Palace. J. P. Graves and his brother, C. M. Graves, two mining men of Spokane, are at the Palace. J. B. Kirkland, passenger agent of the Southern Pacific Company at Portland, Or,, is a guest at the Lick. Dr. M. M. Shearer of Santa Rosa and Dr. C. E. Reed and wife of Petaluma registered at the Grand yesterday after- noon. Harvey C. Somers, the well-known mer- chant and capitalist, has returned from an extended sojourn in the Eastern States. A. D. Spencer, a merchant of Scranton, Pa.; F. W. Leadbetter, a paper manufac- turer of Portland, Or., and P. D. Horton, a merchant of Tacoma, are among the | arrivals at the Palace. { | Richard Schmidt, a winemaker of Calis- toga; John W. Howell of Merced, a land appraiser for the local banks; E. E. Bush, a real estate man of Hanfard, and Charles L. Smith, a Sacramento attorney, are some of the guests at the Lick. CALIFORNIANS IN NEW YORK. NEW YORK, March 20.—A. J. Hanford of San Francisco is at the Marlborough. THE: FlIGHF FOR DECENCY SAN JOSE, €al, March 20, 1899. - Editor of the San Francisco Call: I congratulate The Call and Chronicle for their successful fight for clean politics in the selection of a United States Senator and preventing the election of Boss Burns. As much as we regret not being repre- sented in the Senate by a man that would consmnnd our respect and capable of ser¥ing the people with distinguished ability, the better class of the Republican | party will thank you for your firm .stand against the boss, which has saved the State from disgrace had he been ‘elected, I know I voice the sentiments of a ma- Jority of the Republican party in Santa Clara County when I so express myself. __WILLIAM ROSS. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. A DAY N 1846—J. C., Alameda, Cal. The 15th of February, 1846, fell on a Sunday. MARRIAGE IN. NEVADA-E. H., Oak- land, Cal. This department has not been able to find any law of the State of Ne- vada that requires a certain length of the Philippine imbroglio will depend more upon the would better put on their good behavior. The City Engineer was directed to pre- residence In the State before marriage. e communication was |- threw a | Ahe first nickel in the siot. Click went the | AMERICAN MAL THAOWN ASIDE DY CANADIARS Twenty Tons Rotting Near Skaguay- CARRlEfiS WILL NOT TOUCH IT THE INTERNATIONAL POSTAL AGREEMENT VIOLATED. i AP }Only Letters Bearing the Dominion Postage Ave at thle Present Time Transported Over the ® Pass by Contractors. The postal service to and from the Klondike has been most unsatisfactory for many months, and friends and rela- tives of the gold seekers in the frozen north have long been puzzled over the fact that their letters have never reached their destination. The fault lles with the Canadian contractors who are employed to transport the mail. Letters come out from Dawson and other points in fairly good condition and as quickly as can be reasonably expected. But the mail going the other way is sidetracked. The explanation of this condition is the fact that the contractors who bargained with the Canadian Government to carry the postal matter from Skaguay to Daw- son refuse to handle any mail which does not bear the Canadian postage. Mail matter from the United States is throwa | aside when it leaves the steamer, and at the present time it is estimat¢d that | twenty tons bearing American stamps is { piled up in heaps at Skaguay. Thousands and thousands of letters from anxious friends and relatives who have not heard from the venturesome men who went into the land of ice to dig for gold are rotting in the open or being blown into the gul- lies and sea and will never be delivered. The anxiety of the snow-imprisoned miners can be imagined when month after month passes and no word comes from home. Then, too, there are hundreds of unfortunates who staked all their ready cash to defray the expenses of the inward trip, and this money has been exhausted since they reached the alluring gold fields. ;These men have been unsuccessful, and they are hanging around Dawson waiting for money from home to bring them back to civilization. The letters containing re- mittances are in_ the discarded mail at the seaboard, and the persons to whom they aré addressed are | desperate straits in consequence thereof. Frank Jaqua, a young man from Pater- son, N. J., who went over the Chilkoot a year ago, has just returned by the same | route. He brought messages to_ several | people in this city from stranded miners to whom money had been sent, but they had never received it and could not un- derstand why their correspondents here had not responded to their requests. Jaqua made a personal investigation of affairs at Skaguay, and he solemnly de- | clares that carioad upon carload of mail from the United States is lying ther heaps and that the Canadian carriers will not transport it over the pass. He in- formed a Call reporter that the only sure means of getting a letter into Dawson is to first send it over the Canadian line, to Victoria or some other point, enclosed in another envelope and have some friendly person repost it with a Canadian Stamp attached. ¥ ) Since his return to civilization Jaqua has recgived information from his home .that his relatives and friends wrote him repeatedly and that they were surprised to read in his letter from the Kiondike that he was not receiving any mail. He located the cause at Skaguay and called on the Canadian postal authorities there, but got no satisfaction. He was curtly informed by the contractors that they were not paid to carry American mail over the passes and that the;; would not touch the post coming frem the States. A well known lawyer in this city whose brother is mining near Dawson, when he learned from the Paterson man the true condition of affairs, decided to report the Jmatter to the postal authorities at Wash- ington. The refusal of the Canadian car- riers to handle American mail is a viola- tion of the internaticnal postal agreement and in all probability the Dominion Gov- ernment will be req‘uesled to investigate. In the meantime all persons wishln% to communicate with friends in the Klondike will be wise to send their missives to some one in Canada and have them remail them. Jaqua does not think the Klondike a very good place for miners. His partner is an expert mlnln%engineer and both say the country has been overrated. They went there as the representatives of a wealthy syndicate, in”which Vice Presi- dent Hobart is interested, and during the past year have traveled extensively through the regions where digging is go- ing on. While a few lucky argenduts have struck it rich, the majority of the thou- sands who rushed into Alaska expectin, to get wealth quickly will return wit! empty pocketd. City Sceks Lands. Suit was filed yesterday by the city and county against the éxecutors of the will of the late James G. Fair to quiet title o a piece of land running from Bay treet, from ‘the corner of Fillmore street, to the hay. This piece of land is divided into what is called ‘“‘water lots” by the Fair estate, but it seems that the city and county questions_the title of the eéstate thereto and will fight for their possession. = e Cal. glace fruit Sc per ™ at Townsend's.> s e | t s Special information supplied dally to business houses and public men bty the Press Clipping Bureau (Allen's), 510 Mont- gomery street. Telephone Main 1042 ¢ —_—— A LOST ADVANTAGE. Hicks—There's Grility. What a_pity that so fine alooking .Tellow should be deaf and dumb. : Wicks—The dumb is all right; but if he wasn't deaf, what an agreeable person he would be to converse with!—Boston Tran- seript. —_——————— Dr. Siegert's Angostura Bitters, the world- renowned appetizer ahd invigorator, s used over the world. Beware of imitations. —_————————— BLASE. “Well, Geordie,” said the caller, “what do you think of your new little baby sis- tel “Oh, I don’t know,” renlied the-Prairie avenue six-year-old with a yawn. *“She’s I sunnose. She relieves the mo- ‘—Chicago Tribune. RovaL Bakiggfowder Made from pure cream of tartar.