Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-01-23
A Business View Of II.

A great deal has been said lately on
the subject of steamers running be-
tween this city and San Francisco,
and there is some dissatisfaction in
certain quarters because GooDALL,
NELSON & PERKINS decline to land all
Of their steamers at Santa Monica.
The Committee sent to San francisco
to discuss the matter with the Steam
ship Company report that GooDALL,
NELSON & PERffNs gave as a reason
for declining to land at Santa Monica
that the Railroad Company opposed
their doing so and would, in case all
the steamers did land there, with
hold from them all the freight they
could control. This announcement
has drawn from the Express of
this city a moan of virtuous indigna-
tion that reminds one very much of a
spasm of that pure souled individual,
Mr.. CHADBAND. 1t berates STANFORD
& Co. soundly as commercial BLUE
Boards, who will surely kill every
trade and business in Southern Cali
fornia unless the people rise in their
might and defend the invaded right.
There is good deal of wind in the
sanctimonious howling of our vlrtu-
GUS cotemporary. We should like to
see three or four, lines of steamers ply.
ing on our coast, and We can readily
understand how beneficial it would
be to Los Angeles if steamer of each
line landed each day at Santa Monica
and San Pedro. But let us look at
this matter in business light with q
full recognition of the indisputable
fact that men operate railroads and
steamer lines, not so much to make
others rich as to get rich themselves
The case in question involves three
separate and distinct interests-that of
the Southern Pacific Railroad Com pa
ny, the Steamship Company. and the
Santa Monica party. Each is working
for its own interests, and those in
terests conflict in this way: The
Southern Pacific is benefited by
having freight and passengers take
and leave ship at San Pedro; the Santa
Monica party desire it all transferred
to their wharf and road. The steam
ship company have a good business
and do not wish it spoiled by an oppo-
sition line. 1t is a business conclusion
to assume that each will do all in its
power to advance its own interests. If
the steamship company accedes to the
demands of the Santa Monica party it
will provoke an opposition line of
boats from the railroad company, and
if it does not accede to that demand
we are assured Senator JONES will put
on an opposition line. These are the
two fires between which the steam
ship company is placed Now let us
look at the probabilities, always re-
membering that each corporation will
be actuated by motives of self-interest
only. If the present line of steamers
touch at Santa Monica against the
wishes Of the railroad company it has
the steamers on hand and may in
twenty-four hours start line of boats
that will run to San Pedro only. This
will injure both GooDALL, NELSON &
PERKINS and Santa Monica, and even
tually force the now existing line OF
steamers off the route. To fill their
place the Santa Monica party will be
compelled to establish a line which
will only land at Santa Monica. This
will injure the Southern Pacific rail-
road company, and that corporation
will check and finally checkmate
Santa Monica ty reducing the rates so
low that neither freight nor passen-
gers will go or come by way of either
San Pedro or Santa Monica. This is
the common sense view of the progress
and result of this three-handed game.
Does any one suppose it will be played?
We don't. The parties are too we'll
informed to play a game at which all
must lose and none can win. This
city would make a temporary win
ming, but in the end she, too, would
lose, because when all parties were ex-
hausted one would capture the others
aud a monopoly would follow. There
is no gushing disinterestedness in
cluded in this estimate, because that
sort of thing only comes to the surface