USA > California > San Diego County > San Diego > City of San Diego and San Diego County : the birthplace of California, Volume I > Part 29
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The Fortieth Division, in accordance with the precautions ob- served to prevent train-wrecking or other such violence on the part of misguided and treacherous foes of the Allies, moved out of camp for France with no public notice, the newspapers, as was the case nearly everywhere, refraining from mention of troop movements. Indeed for some time after the last of the units had departed, the San Diego newspapers tried to maintain a harmless deception upon their readers by referring to those units as apparently being still at Kearny. Just what good that accomplished it is hard now to see, as many knew about the division's departure before it was completed, and a spy with small intelligence could have learned all about it with the greatest of ease. It is a source of gratification, however, that the San Diego newspapers, in this as in many other ways, always showed a spirit of fine loyalty to the Government.
The Fortieth Division had not been away from Camp Kearny very long before another division began its organization there. This was the 16th Regular Army Division under Maj .- Gen. Joseph E. Kuhn.
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Its work of training was not far advanced, however, before the news of the Allies' victory came over the cable and wire to San Diego, resulting in a tumultuous celebration which will go down into local history as the happiest in which those living here in 1918 ever had part. The guns on the western front in France had hardly been silenced by the order resulting from the armistice negotiations before whistle, horn, bell, human throats and other noise making de- vices and agencies began a bedlam of joy in San Diego.
The war actually over, the 16th Division was soon demobilized and Camp Kearny before many months was a mere shadow of its former importance. Perhaps the best training ground in the country, largely, of course, by reason of its climatic advantages, it was not retained as a permanent camp. Sharp reduction in the size of the United States Army was the controlling reason for this. But when the fighting forces at last moved out, and most of the scores of buildings were torn down-many to furnish lumber for San Diego dwellings-part of the camp was taken over by the United States Public Health Service in the work assigned to it of caring for dis- abled veterans of the war, men whose lungs had been injured in the service. And now, in 1921, a considerable number of those men are being cared for there in an effort to nurse all back to health.
The camp site was obtained for the Government as a result of patriotic effort and accomplishment on the part of loyal San Diego people who joined to make the necessary proffer to the Government and submitted it with success, largely due to the work at Washington of Congressman William Kettner.
Part of the land formerly used for training men of the American army at Camp Kearny is to be used, oddly enough-if present plans are carried out-for the men of the American navy. The Navy De- partment in 1921 practically completed its plans to erect there a huge hangar, in which to house one of the dirigibles made for this country as a result of the war. Congress, however, decided in June of that year to postpone action on the appropriation of money for the pur- chase of this land.
When the nation went into the war it found at North Island one of the best equipped flying academies in the world-an army school and a school for the navy's fliers. The army had established its school there in 1913, following the successful experiments car- ried on by Glen Curtiss. Starting with only five airplanes, the school slowly increased its equipment, then largely of the experimental type and soon made ridiculously obsolete by the advances of aviation as a result of the war. When the outbreak of the struggle came for America, the military airmen had only twenty-two machines avail- able for flight instruction. How fast that number was increased under the pressure of war exigencies may be measured by the fact that, following the armistice in November, 1918, the army airmen took aloft at one time more than 200 machines, giving San Diego such an exhibition as never was seen elsewhere. This notable exhibi- tion was on November 27. For several hours the airplanes soared through the air in different formation, the powerful motors roaring. the aviators-some back from the fighting fronts to help perfect the training of their comrades-indulging in many spectacular tricks or
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"stunts," as the saying of the day had it. Much credit for this wonderful exhibition, which was only a visible indication of the in- tensive training done at North Island to win the war through the air, is due to Lieut .- Col. Harvey B. S. Burwell, the commander of this school.
Accounts of this flight and photographic reproductions of parts of it-the air seemingly filled with whirring airplanes-were printed throughout the United States.
In 1915, the flight records disclose, student aviators from the army school covered more than 200,000 miles in the air, with only one fatal accident. That record was increased in 1916 to 465,000 miles, with no student being killed. In 1917, with the United States being in the war, the army school at North Island was filled with daring young men from all over the country, selected as the result of the most rigid and searching tests for suitable physical and mental equipment.
When the war plans of the United States were well advanced, North Island, which the army aviators had held to themselves for nearly five years, was divided between the army and navy aviators, the army taking the west half and the navy the east. Hangars and barracks and officers' quarters whose cost soon ran into the millions of dollars were constructed there not only in permanent but very attractive manner. The army also established two fields for special practice near Imperial Beach, or South San Diego. These were Ream and East fields.
The Naval Flying Corps started a school at North Island in the spring of 1912, but in a few months took its men away to Pensacola, abandoning the plan for training here. When the war loomed, how- ever, the navy quickly returned to San Diego, installing a plant which grew in importance with almost marvelous rapidity, and in 1921, was much more extensively used than the army's school.
The establishment of a real fleet in the Pacific in recent years was one reason for the continued importance of the navy's aircraft base at San Diego. Among the recent important achievements of the navy fliers stationed here was their highly successful trip from San Diego to the Panama Canal, ending in January, 1921. Daily flights of high-powered seaplanes between San Diego and San Pedro are now a common occurrence.
When the Government, in its plan to wage war with the Allies successfully and as quickly as possible, sought sites at which young men might be trained. for the navy, San Diego was fortunate enough to be able to offer a place ready for use. This was available at the Exposition grounds in Balboa Park. In the negotiations, soon suc- cessfully completed, Congressman William Kettner was active and successful again. The Navy Department was glad to accept San Diego's offer, and within an almost incredibly short time had con- verted to its use enough Exposition buildings to form a fine school ashore, where students of naval warfare could learn at least the rudi- ments of what was expected of them when afloat.
The buildings which had been occupied by the Canadian exhibit and the varied industries were converted into barracks, hammocks being slung so that the young sailors could sleep in regulation sea-
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going style. For an administration building the officers selected that which had housed the exhibits of Southern California in the days of peace. A ground school for naval air service, with instruction in the building and use of the powerful motors and handling of the dirigibles, was established in another building. The Cristobal Cafe, scene of many a merry exposition dinner and dance, was converted, almost in a day, into a well-equipped kitchen, or galley, in which were cooked thousands of meals, distributed to the budding sailors and eaten by them, day after day, in the open air, kept warm by sunshine such as few places other than San Diego can boast.
Many men trained at the San Diego naval training station were sent direct to the Atlantic coast for further training and actual service.
At the naval training station, as at other schools maintained here for the success of America and her Allies in the war, much attention was paid to athletic sports, and the various teams representing the navy acquitted themselves with a marked degree of credit.
Other wartime training was carried on at Fort Rosecrans and at the marine barracks, which had been established in Balboa Park, some distance south of the organ pavilion. That at the fort, of course, was essentially in heavy artillery work, and in this many young San Diegans took active part, later going to France to take active and valued part in the great conflict of the Allies against Germany. Also, there was maintained at Imperial Beach a cavalry camp, known as Camp Hearn, which is still kept there, largely as a border guard.
One of the military organizations which San Diegans will remem- ber with pleasure for many years is the 21st Infantry, which, for several years before the war, was stationed at Balboa Park. For many months the regiment was in command of Col. J. P. O'Neil and under him became known as "San Diego's Own." Before that the organization had been regarded as a favorite of President Mckinley, and a bugler attached to the regiment while it was here was selected to blow "taps" at the funeral of the martyr President. When Colonel O'Neil, always popular in San Diego, was made a brigadier-general after the United States entered the great war, Col. Willis Uline became commander of the regiment.
Composed largely of men serving their second enlistment, and many of whom saw service in the Philippines and Hawaii, the 21st was regarded as one of the best units of the regular army. With the formation of the new army officers and men of the regiment were heavily drawn on to supply trained material for some of the new regiments in process of formation. Practically every commissioned officer of the 21st received promotion and many of them were trans- ferred to responsible posts in other units.
More than fifty of the non-commissioned officers of the 21st were sent to the first training camp for officers and practically all of the number "made good" and were selected to wear the shoulder straps of commissioned officers.
General O'Neil's career has been an interesting one. He grad- uated from the military academy at West Point February 4, 1884, being appointed a second lieutenant in the 14th Infantry. He was appointed a captain September 16, 1898, a major January 31, 1907, and a lieutenant-colonel May 30, 1912. General O'Neil is a graduate
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of the Army War College, class of 1915, a graduate of the Infantry and Cavalry School, class of 1887, and also a graduate of the Uni- versity of Notre Dame. With the reorganization of the army for the war, he was selected to command a division.
Part of the war time work of San Diego was devoted to the building of ships, not from wood or from steel as are constructed most of those which are sent to sea, but "stone ships," built of con- crete, reinforced with steel. As it happened, the building of ships at San Diego did not do much to help the nation in the war, for the great conflict was terminated too soon for that; but the building of the yard and its approaches did accomplish a great deal of lasting good.
The work was done by the Pacific Marine and Construction Com- pany, organized by the Scofield Engineering Company of Philadelphia. The yards were built at the foot of Thirty-second Street and made an elaborate establishment in which hundreds of workers were em- ployed for many months. Two ways were built on the land, leased free by the city to the Government. Approximately half a million yards of material were dredged out to build the plant and approach.
Two ships were built there and launched sidewise in 1920, with fitting ceremony. They were named the Cuyamaca and San Pasqual, thus putting on the ocean two distinctive names from San Diego County. Each of the ships was 420 feet long, with 54-foot beam, 27 feet draft, 75,000 tons of dead weight. The capacity of each is 58,000 barrels of oil-that being the commodity assigned for them to carry. The announced cost of each of these great tankers was about $1,650,000. The two ships were fitted with triple expansion engines of 2,800 horsepower. The yard started out with a contract to build eight of the ships, but the early end of the war put a stop to construction work at the plant.
After the war, the city offered the site to the Government for a naval repair yard, the offer was accepted, and some preliminary work was done to prepare the place for the purpose thus designated.
CHAPTER XVIII
POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE CITY
The political history of San Diego-that is, the history of its political struggles, campaigns and elections-has not been without ex- citement and, on some occasions, what might be termed bitterness. But the bitterness has never been of such a quality that its influence was felt for any considerable length of time, and whatever partisan oppositions have grown up have always been quickly and happily for- gotten or submerged whenever occasion arose for concerted action for the good of the city. Of the last fifteen years of the city's po- litical life the writer is able to speak with some authority, based on fairly close personal observation and the fact that at various times in the course of his newspaper work he has received the confidence of men who were active politically ; and covering a long period before that time he has the testimony of many men still more or less active in San Diego's politics.
There is another pleasing vista of the politics of San Diego. At no time in recent years at least has there been any nasty political scandal of any real consequence; at no time has there been any evi- dence of dirty political corruption or graft, such as has soiled the name of many an American city at one period or another. And in some of the recent years San Diego has had a "boss." He is Charles S. Hardy, who for many years has been at the head of the city's principal meat distributing business. Yet Hardy, who for a time held in his hands a real political power and to whom many went for advice and support before they decided to enter the political arena, was a "good boss," one who was in the "game" for the mere fun of the thing rather than for sordid gain and who seems at all time to have tried honestly to use his influence and marked ability for the good of the community. Hardy, too, is a man of no small ability, as those who have been acquainted to any considerable extent with his business methods will testify, and even at this day, when his political influence has waned, his opinion is often sought on matters of importance to the city's welfare and is highly valued. Charles S. Hardy was at the height of his power about fifteen years ago. The step which San Diego took soon after to wipe out the ward repre- sentation in city government and to inaugurate the non-partisan sys- tem of city elections shattered, almost overnight, possibilities of exten- sive "boss" rule in the city.
Hardy, for many years one of the city's most prominent business men, came to San Diego the first time in 1881 from Contra Costa County, where he was born. For a time he worked in the butcher shop of the Allison Brothers, but in 1882 opened a small shop of his own in National City. In 1883 he returned to Contra Costa County
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to enter the meat business with his father at Antioch, but two years later returned to San Diego, opening a small meat shop at Fifth and Broadway, calling it the Bay City Market, a name which he has re- tained to this day. In 1886 he removed his meat business to Fifth and G streets, where his headquarters has been ever since. In 1887 he started a slaughter house at Old Town, that being the beginning of his present large establishment at that point. In 1900 Hardy took over the Cudahy Packing Company's accounts in San Diego. In the last few years he has established several branch meat markets and is one of the largest employers of labor in the city. His marked success in business has been due to a remarkably keen ability and a no less remarkable degree of business system. These qualities have always commanded the respect even of his political opponents.
The influence of women in political life has been felt in San Diego, it may be said, in about the same degree as it has been exerted in various other cities of California, one of the first states to extend the franchise to women. In recent years it has been a very usual occurrence for committees or delegations of women, often representing large organizations, to appear before the city's lawmakers and make themselves heard.
The voters of San Diego have favored women on several occa- sions for members of the city board of education, two of them-Mrs. Warren M. Crouse and Mrs. Stephen Connell-now being on that board. The first woman elected to public office in San Diego was Mrs. Cora G. Carleton, who became a member of the board in 1915. No women so far have been elected to the city council, although sev- eral have been candidates for places on that body. In the county government for the last three years one woman has held important office. In 1918, following the death of her husband, Supervisor Harry P. Greene, Mrs. Mildred L. Greene, his widow, was appointed to fill out his term, and at the next election she was returned to the place- ample evidence, it may be said, that the voters of the district which she has represented have been well satisfied with her work.
The city of San Diego has been operated under several charters, and the most recent of these have undergone extensive changes. The original charter under American Government was abolished in 1852, and for a time the city's affairs were conducted by a board of three trustees, whose numbers were increased in 1872, under a new county government act, to five. They were D. W. Briant, Jose G. Estudillo, W. J. McCormick, John M. Boyd and E. G. Haight. A new city charter was put into effect in 1876, but the provision for the number of trustees remained the same. This charter remained in effect until April, 1886, when San Diego was made a city of the sixth class. In 1887 it ranked in the fourth class, and in the following year, while the boom excitement was at its height, fifteen freeholders were se- lected to frame a new charter. Most of them were men whose names have become well known in San Diego, so the list is given herewith :
W. A. Begole D. Cave H. T. Christian N. H. Conklin George M. Dannals
George B. Hensley G. W. Jorres
M. A. Luce
E. W. Morse
Philip Morse
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C. M. Fenn Douglass Gunn
Edwin Parker R. M. Powers
Charles Hubbell
These freeholders drew up a charter which gave to San Diego its first mayor since 1852, the president of the board of trustees having held that courtesy title during all the intervening years, and also provided for a rather clumsy legislative body, the common council, consisting of a board of delegates, two selected from each ward and a board of aldermen who were elected at large. Various other city officers were provided for in this charter, the list including a city attorney, city auditor and assessor, treasurer and tax collector, city clerk, city engineer and various superintendents. Various boards, sev- eral of which are retained in the present form of city government, were also provided for in this charter. It went into effect in May, 1889, and underwent no radical change until 1906, when the unwieldy legislative body of six aldermen and eighteen delegates was replaced with a council of nine members, one from each of the city's nine wards At this time, the forces of reform were strong in California, their battle cry under Hiram Johnson, later Governor and still later United States Senator, being for the downfall of the old Southern Pacific regime; and the new city charter felt the effect of this polit- ical movement. Into it went provisions for the initiative, referendum and recall, terms of which the average voter had little knowledge at the time but which of course, have become well known in the last few years.
In the days following 1889, until the present city charter was arranged for, elections were largely on the lines of the national polit- ical parties. San Diego, which in the early days, had been Democratic, a fact easily traceable to the settlement here of many men from the South, had been changed gradually to a Republican stronghold, such as it is regarded today.
At the election of April, 1889, however, the Democrats had no ticket, the race being between two Republicans, John R. Berry and Douglass Gunn, both prominent in San Diego's newspaper history. Gunn was the victor by about 400 votes.
Two years later the Democrats put up-those were the old days of party conventions-J. W. Hughes : the Republican candidate was Capt. Mathew Sherman. The latter was elected by a few votes.
In the campaign of 1893 there arose on the horizon the blazing political star of William H. Carlson, familiarly and with no little affection known as "Billy," who had been in San Diego only a short time, but who made as spectacular a fight for office as he waged in newspaper advertising for the cause of real estate sales, in which he was active for some time. Adolph G. Gassen, who became an exten- sive owner of San Diego property, was the Republican nominee, and A. E. Cochran, the Democratic. The People's party put up John Kastle and Capt. Edward Friend, a newspaper man, of whom more will be said later, joined with Carlson as independent candidates. It was a nice little five-cornered race, with lots of excitement, and amusement, to which Carlson and Friend contributed the most. Carlson made many election promises and saw many voters, and he won. What is more, he was re-elected in 1895. Captain Friend ran last, with ninety-
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eight votes recorded in his favor, making him, to use in a kindly way a rather brutal phrase of those political days, the first "joke candidate" of San Diego. There have been others since. The remarkable fact about Captain Friend's candidacy was that nearly 1,100 signatures were placed by kindly disposed voters on his nomination petition. From the 1,100, after the election, he subtracted ninety-eight, and wrote a book which he named "One Thousand Liars." He used fictitious names, masquerading himself as "Capt. James Edward Bings," but everyone in San Diego knew what he meant and greatly enjoyed his literary accomplishment. In fact, the book probably made him more famous than he would have become if he had attained the mayor's chair.
In 1895 Carlson, again running as an independent, won over three candidates. One of them was W. A. Sloane, an attorney who later was the leader of Hiram Johnson's forces in San Diego County and who still later became a Superior judge in the county, only to leave that place for a high place on the state bench. He was the Republican nominee. The Democrats nominated Charles S. Hamilton, and Daniel Stone was put up by the people's party. It was a hot battle, and a surprisingly large vote was cast.
After completing his second term Carlson lapsed into comparative obscurity so far as politics is concerned. He ran again for mayor, but was defeated and he soon moved to Los Angeles, where for some time he conducted a real estate business on a large scale.
In 1897 D. C. Reed, one of San Diego's best known real estate operators and most loyal advocates, for a long time senior member of the firm of Reed and Fleet, was elected mayor on the Republican ticket. C. F. Holland, Democrat, was his chief opponent. The water development of San Diego County had got into politics at the time and figured largely in the contest. There were six candidates in all.
In the 1899 campaign Edward M. Capps, who was city engineer, came into prominence. He was and is a Democrat, but that fact was of less influence in the result than his known antagonism to some of the construction work which had been done on the Southern Cali- fornia Mountain Water System, which under a different name had been started by E. S. Babcock with Morena Dam as its principal storage reservoir and which after being acquired and held and ex- tended under the ownership of the Spreckels interests, was later taken over by the city. The Southern California Mountain Water Com- pany was being fought by the Flume Company, the first to develop for San Diego consumption a considerable water supply. D. C. Reed opposed Capps. The latter was elected by a small margin.
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