The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-12
PACIFIC NAIL OPERATIONS.
sEkKTNo TO OBrfTN SUBSIDY nv VERY
QUESTIONABLE METHODS.
Mi-v~ presentare the Business and the Tntes-
tpcas of Other 1tue--ssn Frnnciscos Conn
nercc Estimated ~ . on, OOO, 900 % Year

ttcas or Other Itue--ssn F-anci.co's Conn
neree Estimated 81, 900, 900. 900 Year.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. T. II IL understood
here that the Pacific Mail Steamship Company
| has high hopes OF the renewal Of its subsidy OF
| $500 900 per annum for monthly mail service
To China. The company already has its agents
at Wash ington. and among them Ia Capt. Wad-
dell OF Shenandoah fame who lost the City Of
San Francisco near Acapulco last spring. Capt.
Waddell il expected to gain over Southern sup
port in the Senate and House OF H. prcsentatvcs
by virtue Of his influenced s n prominent officer
of the ex-Confederate navy. Mr. Clyde the
President OF the company, has issued several
pamphlets sitting forth divers reasons why
Congress should listen to the appeal OF the
com any. These brochures are distributed
literally. and I have before me n copy entitled
The National Advantages Of Government Aid
to American Commerce. which deserves some
notice from the public press | dare not tres
pass upon the columns OF THR Sun 10 the ex-
tent that will be- needed TO do Justice to Mr.
Clyde's catalogue OF reasons why Congress
should cndow his steamship company with
f5OO,oW per annum % the money belonging TO
the taxpayers Of the country. and shall there
fore limit my observations totwo or three points
which are more glHrngly. though not more
nagranuy false than his general line Of argu-
ment.
The pamphlet opens with a reference TO the
favorable report OF the Postal Committee OF the
Senate Mt the Inst session OF Congress. Acting
upon that report the Senate tackled an amend
ment TO the general Postal Appropriation bin
giving the Pacific Mail SJOO.UOO Tor the current
year. Fortunately Tor the public interests the
Hons" refused To- concur. and the money WIS
saved. We are next treated To n very rxtrrorii-
nary cir, ular, issued at Washington In Frbru-
ary last, anu now endorsed by Mr. Clyde in
ult'Nr Mtrti~i In OrfFr iN bring before
beers ut Congress. briefly and clearly. reasons
for supporting the recommendation " the Son.
nte Committee. the agent of the Pacific Mail
Company lssntd "a circular. which X here re-
produced The preamble Of the circular tells
us this:
The COMMITTEE the s.nate ~ Post on'oc. and Poe,
hais hs,. .ccoumcrded thu appropriation ct ssnuo
lhe tinted STATE mail- IA, Pacinc ocean ami tie toll
iewinr r,,'cns Tor granting such an appropriation are
The circular il signed. W. T. Tislcl. General
Agent Pacific Mail Steamship Company. and Il
d"nt OF the company. who, of cour-' becomes
r"s ponsihle for the honesty and truth(u,ncss Of
H. statements. Section asserts:
TeeIe TgSs sg'Tss ss'"e.p '9 he, Scen
H. '"cnn the -reat NJ &c nations aud country
sud the iuturc Of which requires some boldn,.- to
. Alr'ady ,he volume Of hi. imam, s.nmerce san
Franz $50 'ionc reach, nai value ct siruornrn yer
al IRA Trade s VIC '''''' ""' ''''' carry Two minus ."
The authors Of the foregoing paragraph can
npl u HflluNN'u 10 llfau Ignorance. lu'y are
W. hl.nhr,'ts ol n grow si.hn snip company
" hose traffic centres nj san Franci-ro. and thoy
.ppoared befor" Congress To press the claim ot
their company to nm appropriation 81 $500 pun
per annum from the public treasury vet they
dared u Impose gross eXaggcrailon upon
tnngr - when thry were bound IN honor to
STATE nothing hut truth.
Trc total value OF AL exports exclusive ~
treasured from San Francisco 10 all foreign
ink tho issue oi this Peter Funk circular.
and the heaviest wear on record. WIS t2s 7S6 Os6.
NJ n .r..t,t
C,pc Horn IN sain vessels.
The value 4 the exports to China. Japan.
America, New Zealand. sandwich Islands. and
ltr IN COLUMBIA did not reach TOOOop". aud
tries into San Francisco in 1876. were t37.-
~ ds oo From tne .9gnlries named aboy-.
pan amt s4.l79.477 from China. lhreo- fourths
Of which went east overland and would have
been imported into New York instead Of San
Francisco hut Tor the facilities offered 10y the
overland railroads. Total of imports aud tx
ports. $50 w",lro. instead nj sluupn 900. ~ M
fur4unflon ~ Congress" OF those .,Ni,.if-
! and Of t.o imports about g. 200 900. they ui-o
! fHrred - $50 ii3 tr,H-ur. t. { nina. making, a
~ Naln" II slf.5ooouo, Instead of sGG.6OO.OOJ.
| The se''oni section ~ the CIRCULAR says.
tain ts how important. hut r,,n'n4y colossal c.ti.
.oa''' ar, iol- 40 mar ~'dr.otei rnsrs,. ,s ri
| dc. liz onl, An,ei.can Il. amship hne
There We have I'ain. square avermcnt that
tht Bfitlsh subsidized steamship lines Hr, doing
al ihht Wrll-,iirvt-i ry IAN 10 t. drive the
| fartic NAL lin" from the Pacific OCEAN. and
! grasp and retain the commerce" amounting 10
! flWWh,OOu per annum. which the Paciht Mail
steamships pour into Snu Franz is'O. The
statement = either true or false. II true II can
H. readily substaniiAtcd. Hs British sul- died
stHamshi y lines are not - numerous that they
cannot be ident He'd. II false. what shall be the
| public Ncrll t upon ia" m'u who placed the
stet"lnrnt t"irr" Congress 10 influence votes 10
M tri- -.
| "" steamship company 10 sustain It against
the rivalry of Brit sh steam lines sut-id7nd
stat"inen, Wa used tas the circular tolls MS and
AZ apT.urs by the quoted remarks 81 the Chair
man II u" = nate Cummltteel successfully ON
ne senate COMMITTEE. aud occurred the favor
able action Of the Senate. II II IL wholly false
having no basis Whatever of truth. II there ara
no suus idiDd Hr ti-!l - am I'm On tho North
Pacific, between Panama AMI san Fran CISCO or
on other routes covered by the Pacific Mail
Company IN that ocean. wherein DOES this da-
Iib"Titc attempt To- deceive Congress los false
representations and falls" appeals a. the pat
possession OF lnrge sums OF public money. DIFF
Fer from III" TRANSACTIONS Of a swindl.r who Ut
icfs Forged letters ~ credit to otIain possession
claim ''' "'"'''
1t : to hc hoped. Tor their own crcdit ara the
credit 4 the connirv. that the Pacific Mai ofri-
cl1is VIII De- Aulr 10 make good ihtir nsrr rtinns
when The question of the bona ildos Of their cir
culrr comes t. hc investigated hy Congress IS
II Will be- invest ignt"d, measures leading to thai
result beng already IN progress. VA the mean
Time tho writer challenges the President II the
ln"ul' Mail Company 10 nam" one Nrtiah
Steamship lino. subsidized or unSub-idiE.-d
Mniyh - running IA "ipo sitign 10 the lauhc
Mail on any OF It's routes On the Pacific Ocoan
There rs no British line across the Pacins
Tier Is no British limo on the west coast of
Central America. MuSico. or the United States
Ihcrc Is no British line betwr-n Sun Francisco
and the British possess ions In the Pacifc ocean
There is not "A single BRUSH m-rchant steamer
let alone two sulsldlzrd lnoel in the Paciilc
ocean except the i've steamships that are un-
der American control namely. the Australia
ahd L'.landia, that form part OF the Pacific
Mnil Inc 10 Australia, and nro controlled by
the Pacific Mail Company. managed by it,
agents and hy its Hngs The other three
steamers are the Oceanic. llelgic. and Gaelic
which ARE under charter T. VI ssrs. stanford 4
Co., owners and managers oi the Central Pa
CHE Rallrond. Thry are in close connection
with the Pacific Mail Company. use its wharf
and Offices. and form with it, vessels srmi-
monthly line 10 jar nnunI China. These sleam-
ers cnme Oul here under American control. they
hay" remained under American control aud
when the Central Pacific people are done with
them they viii return la England. While they
continue under charter To the e. ntrd Pacific
they ARE for all practical purposes nm American
line, and 80 lar ~ the trade between San frnn-
cisco ami JHpnn ana emma Is r"nc"rned they
are doing 40 niu' 4. to develop !t-Iut to grasp
aud reinin II -" ~ the Pacific Mai steamers nrp