Weekly Trinity journal., 1872-09-28
COGHLAN AT VALLEJO.

Congress from this District, gave him a
grand reception at Vallejo, on Wednes-
day evening, September 18th. Mr.. Cogh-
Ian was enthusiastically received and
made lengthy speech which was reported
in full in the Vallejo Chronicle and copied
in the Sacramento Record. We regret
that our limited space will not allow US
to give his remarks entire to our readers,
/ but we give extracts below which will be
found interesting to the voters of this
District. Referring to the Goat Island
bill Mr.. Coghlan said {:
That bill was not land grant in any
sense whatever. Had it passed the SEN
ate and been signed by the President, ev-
cry foot Of Goat Island would still have
remained the property of the United
/ States. The bill simply provided that
! for the accommodation of the producers
of the State, portion of the island might
be leased for railroad purposes. This
was to enable the carload of wheat or
wool or other produce to be run alongside
Of the ship which is to carry it to the
markets Of the world, without unnecessary
handling and rehandling. And it was
for no one road. All might use it.
/ In regard to the course he had pursued
in Congress, Mr.. Coghlan certainly proves
himself true to his pledges in the follow
ing remarks:
I pledged myself in the canvass that
preceded my election to oppose all grants
of land to railroads. This was no idle
demagogism to strike upon the prcjudices
Of the people. 1t was the result of calm
delberation upon the great national ques-
ton of the disposal Of our immense public
domain. As thought then | think to-
day. now renew the pledge, and point
ing to my record with pride, | assert that
no man can truthfully say that | have,
in the letter or in the spirit, violated the
pledge then given you. [App!ause.l
Yet calumny being the chief, and |
may say, only weapon Of the opposition
in this canvass, | am neither surprised or
daunted to find that, as the representative
of the Republican party in this District,
| too must bear my share of this Greeley
cratic style of argument. | am charged
with being in favor of railroad subsidies.
| That an obscure Democratic scribblcr
might recklessly or ignOrantly make such
a charge, or that paper which half re-
veals and half conceals its compact with
the Democracy by pretending to be for
Grant, now that Grant is virtually elected
should willtuly tell this fulsehood among
others in the interest of its allies, is not
surprising, but that political convention
which ought to be intelligent and honora-
BILE, should in their published resolutions
their platform-state what ns represent
atives of once great party they should
/ l,o -1fon onp1arb ipt,,rt,,nl ,,tIlin
ters to know to be false, is perfectly won
derful. And yet | find that the Conven-
tion that nominated my opponent, after
doing me the honor to copy nearly ver-
batim my proposed constitutional amend
ment forever prohibiting the selling or
granting Of any public lands to other than
actual settlers, which all men at all con-
versant with public affairs know | have
been zealously pressing before Congress
for nearly year, they repay me for hav-
ing furnished them their platform by say
ing that they particularly condemn the
action of our present Congressman who
voted for donations of public lands to al
ready subsidized, over-grown and dam
gerous corporations" etc. If this false
charge was made with knowledge OF its
falsity, it is unworthy the representatives
of any party. If it was made through
ignorance, the tinge Of shame that must
mantle the check of every honest Demo
crat to see an opponent thus basely SLAM
dered by the mouth pieces of his party
should teach us all to be careful to whom
we commit the utterances of our organ
ization. They cannot be so senseless aS
to mean that the Goat Island bill was q
"donation of public lands" to railroads
Putting aside the fact that the bill is more
I,..t - = Il
interest Of the railroad company, because
that company gets as much pay for taking
his produce to its present terminus as il
could if it carried it alongside the ship al
deep water; the bill is in no sense dona.
ton. If fpassed it simply leases to the
company for full value the use of one.
half OF the island. 1t donates nothing
Neither does it ''sell public lands" in any
sense in which subsidists use the term
No settler is deprived Of homestead
because no man can settle on the island
The Government reserved it for military
purposes and 1t is not open to settlement
| cannot account tor the assertion made
in that convention. | simply say it is
false in letter and spirit. | opposed t,
the best Of my ability every proposed
grant OF lands to railroads that came be-
fore Congress during the session, Zap
plauseland every one was beaten.
The entire delegation from this State
has worked as no other delegation ever
did for the interests of this State. | have
worked for Vallejo just the best | could
and am proud to say there is to be q
tirst-classs navy yard here. ! have sue
ceeded, with the assistance of the other
representatives in securing an especia
appropriation of $4,000 for building dry
docks and repairs, besides our share o
the general appropriation for carrying on
the navy yards of the United States
This is about five times as much as any
other yard has received. Vallejo beina
the largest town in my district l. felt /
special local pride in seeing its interest.
advanced in every conceivable way. Thi:
is but an opening wedge for building 4
system OF dry docks which will cost five
millions of dollars, which will be paid tC
you, workingmen of Vallejo, and through
you TO be distributed through this town
Benicia has received nearly fifty thousand
dollars to be expended in this county
Our delegation has secured appropriation
} for light houses along the coast and large
appropriations for public buildings II
San Francisco, and for surveying anC
building a breakwater along the coast o.
the upper counties of this State, and il
, fact California has received appropria
tions amounting to ten times as much a.
, any other State in the Union.
This has been secured by having
} united delegation in sympathy with tht
Administration.
also did all l could to prevent tn,
importation of Chinese coolies.
My bill to prohibit contracts for Chi
nese labor is probably familiar to most o
you. | will say that after months of ar
gument and explanation on my part be
fore the House Committee on education
and labor, am promised that the bill
shall be reported at the first of the mex