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CA - San Francisco,1851 - Gold Rush Contract - San Francsico Commission of the Funded Debt Document

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:375.00 USD Estimated At:750.00 - 1,500.00 USD
CA - San Francisco,1851 - Gold Rush Contract - San Francsico Commission of the Funded Debt Document
Session D is a Mail-Bid Only Auction. Absentee bids will be accepted only. No live bidding will be allowed. All winners will be contacted after the auction. BIDDING ENDS MONDAY JUNE 27 AT 5PM PACIFIC TIME!!!
Document, hand-written, with "Copy" found in the upper left corner, produced by the "Office of the Commissioners of the Funded debt of the city of San Francisco." The letter deals with "The Committee appointed to inquire into the right of the Market and California Street wharf company to subject the owners of property fronting on these respective streets, to the payment of toll for the enjoyment of the right of way over said wharves have had the subject under consideration and submit the following report. So far as the question under consideration, the company can impose wharfage only by virtue of the power derived from the above quoted clause of their charter from the city. These powers aught not to be enlarged by implication but should receive a liberal contraction in favor of the public." The signatures of two Committee members are present, P.A. Morse and D.J. Tallant. The document concludes with the opinion and signature of Jms King of William, who opines that "I cordially agree with the other Members of the Committee in the above Report and in addition would add in reference to the last paragraph that the company cannot be surprised at the above conclusion as they were fairly warned that such was the intention of the contract. This warning was repeated several times before signing the contract…" In response to the rush of expenditures creating debt beginning in 1850, "which was rapidly growing under a heavy interest of thrity-six per cent..., a number of conscientious men bestirred themselves to obtain, not alone the new charter of April 1851, which should restrain such extravagance, but an act to fund the debt on the reasonable basis of ten per cent interest, redeemable from a preferred fund within twenty years. Under act of May 1, 1851, accordingly a commission was appointed, embracing P.A. Morse, D.J. Tallant, W. Hooper, J.W. Geary, and J. King of Wm, to issue stock and manage the interest and the sinking fund formed by a preferred treasury assignment of $50,000" [Ref: Bancroft, Vol. VI pp. 772-773].