The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 13, 1907, Page 6

WEDNESDAY EDITO RIA L P A G EE FEBRUARY 13, 1907 The San Francisco Call «....Proprietor JOHN D. SPRECKELS CHARLES W. HORNICK. . .General Manager ERNEST S. SIMPSON Managing Editcr Address All Communications to THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL “Temporary 86"—Ask for The Call. The Operator Will Connect You With the Department You Wish. Telephoné, .......Market and Third Streets, San Francisco O'clock Every Night in the Year. ..Market and Third Streets 1651 Fillmore Street, Near Post «..Telephone Oakland 1083 ..Telephone Alameda 559 1016 Park Street. CE—2169 Shattuck Avenue Telephone Berkeley 77 C. George Krogness, Representative ~Marquette Bldg. NEW YORK OFFICE—30 Tribune Bldg...Stephen B. Smith, Representative N BUREAU-—1406 G Street N. W..M. E. Crane, Correspondent WASHIN SUBSCRIPTION RATES Cénts Per Week. 75 Cents Per Month. Single Copies 5 Cents. i1, Including Postage (Cash With Order): g Sunday), 1 year... , 6 months. 20 Delivered by Carrier .$8.00 .$4.00 T6c . 250 £ oo 300 $8.00 Per Year Extra 4.15 Per Year Extra sstbee : . 1.00 Per Year Extra United States Postoffice as Second Class Matter. ARE AUTHORIZED TO RECEIVE SUBSCRIPTIONS. “opies Will Be Forwarded When Requested. ing change of address should be particular to D> ADDRE! in order to insure a prompt y their request. THE PULLMAN COMPANY, OUTLAW AND TAX SHIRKER stion appears in the recommendation® of ission for the ascertainment of the n Company. This corporation rker in the United States. It report of earnings in California tion, and that body has been com- c at some basis of assessment. The same - reported from other States in which the business. The city of Chicago recently ver back taxes on the $27,000,000 surplus ver co ited anything to the public treasury. an rates paid by passengers are outrageously high. For e corporation has paid dividends averaging 8 per ently ordered a stock dividend of $24,000,000 to d among the shareholders by way of reducing the un- 1 The back taxes on that surplus claimed by the ricago amount to some $5,000,000. w much the Pullman Company justly owes the State of s that ought to have been levied will probably For years the State Board assessed the corpora- and last summer made it $600,000. Repeatedly »oard o1 ss in the d W ts have always been refused, and the State Board never took teps to compel the company to disclose the figures. This matter is gone into at some length by the Revenue Com- its report, and a rough estimate is made of the gross from Pullman cars in California for the years 1905 and The process of calculation used by the commission was ely conservative, so that the results are certainly less than The commission finds by this process that the gross earn- 1e Pullman Company in this State for 1905 were $841,690 1906 $1,012,875. For those years the corporation paid taxes on $500,000. If we accept the estimate of earnings made by e commission the Pullman Company would have to pay more ble its present taxes, if 4 per cent of gross earnings is to measure of taxation is-very well; but we must take into consideration the fact that the Pullman Company is an outlaw. It obeys neither law nor order. It flouts the Federal and State authorities alike. It dodges taxes, refuses information of earnings, declares itself amenable to no sort of rate regulation and evades just claims by prolonged liti- The corporation tells the Interstate Commerce Commission s not a common carrier, but a hotel keeper. If sued by a passenger for damages it pleads that it is not subject to a hotel keeper’s liability. Everywhere and always it dodges taxes. There is no trouble in arriving at the earnings of other trans- portation companies, but the Pullman people have so far succeeded in concealing this information. If this gap is not filled by an order of the Interstate Commerce Commission requiring detailed state- ments of earnings by the Pullman Company the State must pro- vide the necessary machinery if it is hoped to collect anything from In the meantime and pending the adoption of a constitutional amendment revising the revenue system the State Board of Equalization should multiply by three the present assess- ment of the Pullman Company. for n se tax dodgers. JAPANESE DISCRIMINATIONS { HE tremendous fuss raised by the “gentleman nation” over the segregation of a few students serves to direct attention to the numerous forms of discrimination against American residents in Japan. There are so many of these that space forbids state- ment of them all, but a few may be here enumerated. We quote from the letter of an American resident of Japan, printed in the New York Herald: 2 We are not allowed to own real property or to have any mining rights. We can only buy certain securities. We cannot hold Japanese on certain mortgages. When in order to do business we place certain properties or securities in the name of a Japanese, and the said Japanese absconds, the courts will not even consider his act as a criminal one. We are not allowed to attend Japanese schools, old or young. We are only permitted to reside in certain sections. Such a simple thing as sailing a private pleasure boat is restricted. We cannot leave the treaty port unless with a permit, and it is next to impossible to secure a permit. The Japanese go anywhere desired, but a foreigner cannot enter any port of Japan except the regular open ports of the water front. At the theaters the Japanese rate is 60 sen. under 2 yen (200 sen). The hotels are on a similar basis. It is 2 knoen fact that justice cannot be had except in the higher courts, and every rase against a foreigner is carried to the Supreme Court before justice is given. The legation at Tokio knows this point only too well. In taxes foreigners pay double the rates paid by the Japanese. The treaties state positively that foreigners shall not be subject to war taxes or duties. These were levied just the same, and we did not think it wise to raise any objection, but the facts are as stated. There is basis here for infinite diplomacy and powpow ad libitum. If President Roosevelt wants a grievance to offset the segregation of a hundred Japanese students he will find an assort- ment of first-class trading injuries in this list. We don’t want to go to war about any of them, but as means of promoting the pend- ing international horse trade they should be invaluable. Your true diplomat could talk for a week and tear his wig to rags about any one of them. We are not going to war about a Japanese hotel keep- er’s bill, but consider the outrage to our feelings. > Besides these complaints others more serious are made that Americans are being deprived of their property in Korea by the No foreigner is admitted Japanese and denied the right to work concessions granted long ago. pany was asked to make returns of earnings, but these| The Foolkiller—*I Guess I'd Better Get Busy.’ NOY WA e 34 Y — ’ “rezzz, W//fi//l/t« The open-door promises as to Manchuria and Korea are being con- stantly violated, and it is quite likely that Japan would be pleased to distract attention from these topics by appealing to the injured feelings of a few coolies in San Francisco. DISCIPLINE FOR STREET RAILWAY COMPANIES ERSEY CITY, like San Francisco and, indeed, most other growing cities, is troubled with the urban transit problem and by way of solution has passed a “no seat, no fare,” ordinance. As might have been expected, the operation of the new law was at once tied up in the courts, and it will take some time to find out whether the Jersey plan supplies a practicable solution of the difficulty. The congestion of local traffic has become the despair of American cities. The sorrows of Straphanger have become a jest. It is only when he rebels and throws bricks at the car win- dows that we take him seriously and tell him to be good, because it does not help him at all to exploit his angry passions in riotous behavior. At any rate, the rest of the country is quite willing to see Jersey City make the experiment. We are all agreed that the street- car companies require to be disciplined and that left to their own devices they will exact the last possible nickel while supplying the smallest possible modicum of comfort for the passenger. The Jersey City plan is simply an indirect ‘effort to force the transportation companies to provide more cars. If the experiment is successful the example will be followed everywhere. The street- car companies need the whip of punitive legislation. So long as they run loose they do nothing but plead their sufferings from the immemorial car famine that goes on forever, but it will be found that if they think they really want cars the needful will be provided, notwithstanding their useful and time honored famine, which seems to have come down to us as one of the myths of the middle ages. They do not even do us the courtesy of inventing a new excuse. L= - IGigantic Spots Visible to Naked Eye Darken Sun and Interest Science By Rose O’Halloran Though in 1805 a larger portion of the sun's surface was dimmed by spots than during the previous or following year, still increase and decline of spot- tedness are always a gradual stage. ‘When the maximum is past, as at present, and the minimum perhaps four or five years distant, a decrease in size or number, or a decrease in both, is the usual course. Occasionally, however, the growing calmness is dissipated by a solar tempest that darkens the scene even visibly to the naked eye, and evi- dently fails to be governed by the ten- dencies towards decline. On February 5 several groups of moderate size were scattered across the disk, including one not many de- grees inside the east 1imb of the sun. It developed several umbrae and en- larged considerably as it approached toward_the center of the disk, and is now visible without the aid of magni- fying power. In the accompanying illustration it is the foremost of the groups, and is conspicuous chiefly ow- ing to the length of its scarcely con- nected sections which jointly measure about 130,000 miles in length. As shown, thirty-seven umbrae are dis- tributed over the tracts, but with one exception all are of small size. The group toward the west was faintly discernible without magnitying power on the 8th of the month, but has since decreased In extent. Both Broups are south of the solar equator, while the single spot 18 & few degrees north of that line. l Answers to Queries FENCE—@. B, City. If you are not sure as to your “fence line in the back yard” of your property, you would bet- ter employ a surveyor to determine the question. 2 , GOLD COINS—Subscriber, City. The smallest gold coin ever coined by any mint of the United States is the one dollar plece, the coinage of which was discontinued in 1889. 'No 50-cent or 25-cent gold pieces were ever coined. NAVY—Y. Santa Rosa, Cal. A boy at the age of 17 cannot join the United States navy. One who has at- tained the age of 18 may join the navy without consent of parents or guardian. With the “of parents or guar- dian mino: ga\ age of 2 Unitead | ~naval traininz —PORTLAND OREGONIAN. 3 - Gossip of the Doings | of Railroad Men Carleton C. Crane of the New York Central lines was soliciting subscrip- tions yesterday from the many friends of Abner Mann of the Southern Pa- cific passenger department tq present him with an electric piano for his new office in the Flood building. “You see, it is this way,” explained Crane, “Mann was down in the ferry building for nearly a year and his desk was near a public electric piano, which every hour of the day ground out ‘Under the Old Apple Tree,’ ‘Waltz Me Around, Willle, and ‘Waiting at the Church.’ Now Mann misses these dear, familiar airs. He seems kind of lost without them. I think that he can worry along without the electric weigh- ing machine, which was by his off ear, but the piano he must have, and as Fee won't supply him with one, we'd better chip in and get him one, else he will be holding it against us when it comes to routing a passenger.” . . . L. F. Stanton of the Chicago, Mil- waukee and St. Paul is bewaillng the loss of a large and a phenomenally handsome dress suit case. This case was left by him on the local from Sacramento and he is extremely desir- ous of finding the man who took it. He has offered a large reward for its return and is considering the advis- ability of raising the amount. Stan- ton promises on his part never to divulge the name of the thief. He has one clew. The man who took his grip must be at least 6 feet 6 inches in height, weigh about 220 pounds, have small hands and small feet. Otherwise the contents of the case could be of no value to the thief. Stanton is not the only railroad man who has complained of the depredations of sneak thieve: on the trains. Overcoats and grips dis- appear from almost beneath the eyes of thelr possessors. . R. A. Martin, one of the oldest em- ployes of the Southern Pacific and now agent at Redding, was in the city yes- terday. . Colonel Sanborn of the Burlington has decided to abandon Oakland and cast his fortunes and those of the line that he represents as general agent in this city. The colonel will locate in the new building on the south side of Mar- ket street, near Fourth. 4 — + The Insid | Discusses remarkable career of Josiah Flynt, | the student and writer of the tramp problem, whodied of pneumonia in Chicago last week OSIAH FLYNT, the “hobo” authority Lived With Tramps J who died of pneumonia in Chicago last to Study Problem week, having contracted the disease while working up a series of articles on poolrooms for an Eastern magazine, was not an entire stranger to us. He had tramped in California and rewarded San Francisco with the designation of “a good tramp town.” Though he ; was only 37 years old Flynt had done a lot of traveling in this country and Europe investigating social and economic conditions in the guise of a tramp. He knew the haunts of Weary Waggles from top to bottom, and was there- fore able to write of his subjects from the viewpoint of the insider. His real name was Josiah Flynt Willard, and he was a nephew of Frances Willard, the temperance advocate, but as a tramp he was known as “Cigarette.” When he periodically disappeared from trampdom, returning later with hands bleached and hair trimmed, the genuine hoboes used to take it for granted that he had been “doing time.” He knew all about “gay ‘ cats,” and I recommend the perusal of his “Tramping With Tramps” to my editorial brother of this page who recently inquired about this breed of canine. Hoboes, by the way, do not read current literature, nor do the New | York police, it appears, for after Flynt's exposure of police methods in some | articles one of the big men of the metropolis—I think it was Inspector Byrnes —made a little investigation. Finding his man registered at a hotel as J. F. Willard, he denounced him as a fraud and a fake who must be “no good™ or he would not be traveling under an alias. Flynt knew all about jails and penitentiaries and had no patience with philanthropic soft soap. He thought that jail ought to be made so uncom- fortable that tramps would not regard it as a winter shelter. He had noaith in prison statistics, but said that prisoners lied; for example, about their illiteracy. Some, who could read as well as the iailer; and had as much re- ligious training, would stick their tongues in their cheeks and profess to have been neglected waifs; then they would learn when in. the prison schools. It was the same with trades, he said. The prisoners would pretend that they never had a chance before and in that way would receive special privileges and praise for their diligence by the preachers and those who were credulous to accept their word at its face value. If the railroads made travel impossible so that criminals would have to take to their legs they would not wander far, and if they were confined ta approximately a small territory the faces of vagrants would soon become too familiar to impose on the charitable. ERE SR b e DO S S T USSR B Given Week's “Kip” One of Flynt's stories illustrated what a ¥ tramp would do to escape work. There was in Smallpox Scar€ ., cutbreak of smallpox at the time when | Flynt and his college friend, Ryborg, were tramping in Great Britain. Want- |ing to go to Scotland, they asked information af one of the fraternity of “the best gag for raising money just then.” “Well,” was the answer, “I think gettin’ vaccinated’s about the best thing | goin’ except bankin’.” “What's that?” asked Flynt. “Well, you see, smallpox is on the boards; the people are scared; bums are likeliest to get the sickness, so it's been arranged that any man who will get himself vaccinated can have a week’s kip (keeping) free. Some blokes 've been jagged two or three times.” Flynt told of how in a “casual ward” in London a sort of night lodging for homeless wanderers, he had a corncob pipe taken from him, the attend- ants always taking up all the property of an inmate. While working out his keep, next day, the attendant asked some questions concerning the novelty. “Doesn’t Mark Twain always smoke one of them kind of pipes?” he asked. “Blessed if T know,” replied the American, “but I can well think it.” “Im a great friend of Mark Twain, and I'm a-thinkin’ o’ gettin’ one o those pipes, jest out ¢’ respect for him.” The hint was too broad to be disregarded, and the attendant got the pipe. B Anent Flynt's idea that no one shall help Woulda't Order tramps or beggars Philip Morse wrote some Flynt From Door verses that no one appreciated more than the tramp-philosopher himself: THE TRAMP. 1 dare not with denial cold Bid him begone, but watch each mood, As by the kitchen fire he sits And calmly eats his food. ’ Methinks that in his jaded eye A softer light beams now and then; - He can’t be altogether bad, ‘ This outcast among men. At all events T am resolved His evening meal T will not stint. For there’s a possibility He MIGHT be Mr. Flynt. e e e e e e o — The Smart Set SRS . e Mardi Gras was fittingly celebrated by the members of the Burlingame Club last night with a delightful bal masque at their attractive clubhouse in the exclusive suburb. There were quite a few people from the ci but the guest list was confined principally to the dwellers in that vicinity. The handsome rooms were gayly decorated for the occasion, most of the arrange- ments having been planned by Mr. and Mrs. Walter Martin. Guests were bid- Edward Chambers, assistant frei‘m}v traffic manager of the Santa Fe, is ex-| pected in the city today. Personal Mention B. M. Crossley of Los Angeles is at the Majestic. Charles E. Child of Chicago is at the Majestic Annex. R. B. Palmer of Seattle is registered at the Jefferson. R. A. Cleveland of St. Paul is regis- tered at the Palace. Ira Bronson, an attorney of Seattle, is at the St. Francis. John A. Campbell and C. H. Farrell of Seattle are at the Palace. Boyd L. Wilson of Goldfleld, Nev., is registered at the Majestic. P. Clark, a mining operator of Spo- kane, is at the St. Francis. W. H. Moore and Mrs. Moore are at the Jefferson from Portland. W. M. Moxey and Mrs. Moxey of Memphis are at the Jefferson. F. H. Aruns and Mrs. Aruns of Lex- ington, Ky., are at the Palace. C. F. Husted and Mrs. Husted of Peoria, Ill., are at the Majestic. den to come either in domino or fancy dress and there was a merry jumble of clowns, Pierrots, “red devils,” as well | as some beautiful and distinctive cos- | tumes. | A number of dinners were given be- fore the event and several house par- ties #vere entertained. Among_those present were: Mr. and Mrs. Walter Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Henry T. Scott, Mr. and Mrs, Willlam H. Crocker, Mr. and Mrs. Francis Carolan, Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Beylard, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Hobart, Mr. and Mrs. Mountford Wil- son, Mr. and Mrs. George Lent, Mr. and Mrs. J. Downey Harvey, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Eastland, Mrs. Eleanor Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Sharon, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Oxnard, Mr. and Mrs. George Pope, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Me- Near, Mr. and Mrs. Gus Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. 1. Laurance Scott, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Driscoll, Mr. and Mrs. C. Fred Kohl, Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph Spreckels, Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Mur- phy, Miss Anita Harvey, Miss Mary Keeney, Miss Helene Irwin, Miss Jennie Crocker, Miss Virginia Jolliffe, Miss Maizie Langhorne, Miss Frances How- ard, Miss Emily Carolan, Miss Gene- vieve Harvey, Miss Katrina Page- Brown, Miss Lydia sfopkins, Stuart Lowery, Richard Tobin, Edward Tobin, Gerald Rathbone, George Cadwalader, ‘Wilberforce Willlams, Wharton Thurs- ton, Thornwell Mullally, Harry Secott, ‘W. W. Burnett and Mrs. Burnett are at the St. Francis from Palo Alto. Oscar Cooper and Stetson. . . . One of the events of the week will James Gibson and Mrs. Gibson of|be the first meeting of the San Mateo Kirkland, Ill, are at the Jefferson. J. H. Bloedel and Mrs. Bloedel are at | formed and the Palate from Bellingham, Wash. . Senator W. C. Patterson of Los An- geles is registered at the St. Francis. M. M. Johnson and Mrs..Johnson are|as many of the best skaters of this _ Skating Club, which has been Jhich embraces in its membership fim of the people of both San Mateo and Burlingame. -There are to be eight meetings of the club and these promise to be of especial Interest, Just registered at the Dorchester from Salt| vicinity hail from Burilngame and San Lake. Mateo. There will be several house W. W. Emery and Mrs. Emery of|Parties of guests from San Franecisco Winlock, Wash., are at the Majestic Annex. ©O. C. Hollister, Mrs. Hollister and Miss Florence Hollister of Portland are at the St. Francis. : _William H. Barker, Mrs. Barker and and San Rafael as well. ‘With a skating club here on Monday evening, in San Rafael on Wednesday evening and in San Mateo on Thursday evening it would seem that the soclety enthusiasts are well sapplied with op- portunities for their absorbing diver- 16 may Jol: :‘th(:w Barker of Vancouver, B. C., are|sion. The San Mateo Club was organ- 1zed under the direction of Mrs. Ru- dolph Spreckels, Mrs. Walter 8. Hobart, Mrs. Eugene Murphy, Mrs. I. Laurance Scott, Mrs. Thomas Driscoll, Mme. la Comtesse de Tristan and Mrs. C. Fred Kohl F Oy A pretty wedding was that of Miss Alice Dunn and Richard Fosdick, which was celebrated on Monday even« ing at the home of the bride’s parents. ‘The house was most artistically deco- rated with pussy willows, ferns and ©old rose ribbons. The ceremony, which took place at $:30 o'clock, was per- formed by Rev. Father Ramm of St Mary's Cathedral. The bride had as her maid of honor her sister, Miss Katherine Dunn, and the six brides- maids were: Miss Agnes Dunn, Miss Maude Stone, Miss Jean Oliver, Miss Sadie McGrath, Miss Cornelia Loring and Miss Penelope Murphy. Little Miss Gertrude McGrath was the ring-bearer and Ray W. Simonds was the man. Only the relatives and a few intimate friends w present, but a reception followed from 9 to 11 o'clock, at which about fifty guests wers present. Mr. and Mrs. Fosdick, both of whom are very popular here, will make their home in Berkeley, where they ha just purchased a handsome residence. . . - Mrs. A. S. Lilley and small son are spending a few weeks at Miramir, Santa Barbara, for the benefit of Mrs. Lilley’s health. She has not been very well for some time past. To the de- light of her friends she is improving and will return to her home in San Rafael In about a week. . . . Miss Helene Irwin and Miss Maisie Langhgrne went down to Burlingame yesterday for the Mardl Gras dance and were the guests of Mrs. Mount- ford Wilson, who has recently returned from a brief visit to New York. e H. A. Tilghman, who has recently ar- rived from abroad, left early last week for Tonopah, where he has mining in- terests and where he will probably spend several months. Mrs. Tilghman, who was formerly Miss Alice Merry of this city, is expected to arrive shortly from Vevay, Switzerland, where she and her little son have spent the winter. 3 Mr. and Mrs. James Carolan and m Emily Carolan, who have spent of the winter in San Rafael, will 80 down to Santa Barbara seoon to re. main until late in the spring. T iR ) Mrs. Robert J. Woods will shortly to Monterey for a fortnight's stay. T e Miss Genevieve Harvey of Galt is spending several days in towa as the guest of friends.