Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-06-05
EVIDENCE OF UyFkIgEEss.

The disposition to be unfair iE one of the
chief elements in the conduct of those jour.
nails whose principal stock in trade consists
in abuse and misrepresentation OF the Cali.
farnia system of railroads. They take
especial credit for their exposes of tout
RACES, and they stickle at no untruth, and
no base device, to visit upon the industry
any possible injury. Mounted upon the
anti.railroad hobby, they ride it with gu
preme contempt for facts. Malice and
hatred are prominent motives for all
their vituperative essays, in (which they
seek to array the people against the trans-
porsstion companies. 1t is not to be ex.
pected of such that they will confess to
any error, or that they will give publicity
to any refutation of charges. A recent in
stance IS in point. a few days ago Mrs.
Highly, of San Diego county, felt called
upon to communicate to the Governor of
tie State complaint against a railroad
corporation, which, upon it's face, was Ger.
taiuly a very pitiiul case; yet so extrsvs.
CANT was the statement Of the wrong COM
mitted, that to the unprejudioed the COM
plant bore the evidences CT its error,
unless, indeed, the reader assumed that
railroad managers are the most stupid of
ssses, and the chief of buDglers in ordi-
nary business transactions. The lady
shipped from Buffalo, New York, load OF
household goods to California, alleging
that she prepaid charges to Los Angelica.
The goods were transported thence to Col.
ton, 10 take the route Of another road to
San Diego. Ga demanding the goods by
letter, she was sold that they could
not be delivered until the freight charges
were paid. Immediately she cent COM
plant to the Governor, in which this
"cutTage wss bitterly commented upon,
and its possible balet1l effact upon immi-
grafton considered. Il having thus become
State matter, the Executive referred the
complaint to the Board OF Railroad Com.
.uiissioners, and it found its way thence
into the public prints. II now turns cut
thAt the company complained OF has besn
guilty Of no wrong whatever. It received
the goods, not billed prepaid, ssd trans
ported them to their destination, and paid
or advanced TO all the Eastern roads the
freigh. chsrges demanded by the bills of
lading. In other words, the goods came
with orders to collect On delivery aad
there was nothing else 10 do. If the lady
prepaid the charges, and her statement no
one questions. she has her claim only
against the agency or rosd to which she
made the payment st the East. Taus
very simple ordinary business transaction
was n,Ag2ifed into another outrage by
a--railrosd company. and made of such III
portance as to engage the attention of the
chief magistrate OF ths Slate and the most
powerful commission known 10 our laws.
Il does not seem to have occurred to the
complainant, nor her friends, nor any one
else, 70 have inquired on what the demand
for frs;ght charges gas based. Szch inquiry i.
would instantly have revealed the faos that
the bills were Eastern bills, and probably (
the result Of seIne clerical blu7dsr at
BuE.lo. Bgs the cppOrtsri ? was tee goad /
. che to ieslsr psejsdiss sgs;nss rsilrosd I
IL CsIifcrais TO b lot.
szd It wss mads taa bess Of Bat