The Nevada journal., 1852-01-15
Sacramento and San Francisco.


becomes the good people who compose
these two thriving communities, how
ever, to treat each other as honorable
rivals, and each TO act an honorable
part. Much less are they justifiable
in adopting such measures as will ma
terially affect the interests Of those
who are auxiliary to both Of them.
BY an advertisement in the Union
and Alta, we see that an arrangement
has been made by the owners and
agents Of the different steamboats, tra-
ding between San Francisco and Sac>
ramento, the effect Of which is to ma
terially increase the rates Of fair and
freight between these two and inter-
mediate points. A cabin passage
from one of these points to the other
is $40; deck passage So; freight on
goods and merchandise, paying either
by weight or measurement, $40 per
ton without distinction; shippers in
all cases to pay lighterage, and the
custom Of free passage to shippers is
abolished.
If these rates are Is low as the
steamers can afford, allowing them
reasonable profit on their capital and
labor, then, so far Ms they are con
cerned, it is all right. There are but
few persons who wish to see COMPETE
ton carried to such an extreme as to
break down laudable enterprise
But when wa take into consideration
the influences which brought about
this combination, it looks like it was
designed to operate in another quar-
ter. The card referred to says this
arrangement WAS entered into in COM
pliance with petition signed by
the Merchants Of Sacramento. Sup
pose this arrangement were carried to
n still greater extreme, and in all
probability the merchants Of Sacra-
mento would not object to it, and pas
sage and freight should be $50 instead
Of $40, what would be the result !?
The mere item of freight from San
Francisco to Sacramento would add
l l-2 cents per pound to the price of
every thing brought into the mines
flour, meat, machinery, &c. But this
is not all and even as it 10, the heavy
rates Of passage and freight must ma
terially affect the interests of traders
going from the mines to San Francis
co to lay in their stock, if not prove
a complete bar to the small dealers
For, be it remembered that the mer-
chants of Sacramento do not depend
upon these steamboats, for the freight.
ing of their goods, but receive them
from brigs, schooners, barks, &c, di,
rect from the shippers, and on equal
terms with those Of San Francisco -
This. then, must throw the trade oil
the interior almost exclusively into the
hands Of the Sacramentans, giving
them monopoly not in accordance
with our republican, free trade feel
ings. We do not object to the .Sacra-
mentans getting all the trade they can,
provided they do it by fair means II
they can make use of the natural ad
vantages Of commerce, SO as to justify
them in undersclling their friends in
the city below, then we bid them God
speed; or If they will create an in
ducement for those from the country
to stop with them as matter of choice,
they will have done no more than is
their right, and justice will allow and
the world commend. But when envy
induces a community to sggrandize
itself by demolishing or crippling an
other, whereby it will be without op-
position, and left free to impose bur
densome conditions upon her auxilia
ries, she over.reaches herself. This
is evidently an attempt to block up
communication between the mines and
San Francisco. And they who would
nae such meana to force tradsrs =,