Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-09-19
EACKCLOTH AND ASHES.

Says an exchange: The merchants and
business men of san Francisco are urging
the Central Pacific to build the California
and Oregon, and also advising the secure
ment of the Oregon branch, towards assist
ing the business prospects Of San Francisco,
now seriously damaged by rivalry of the
Northern Pacific and Oregon branch road
leading down to the California boundary"
in the far-distant and dim recollection of
ti,at remote period, the winter Of 1888 and
the spring of 1854. we recall that these
same merchants and business men of the
selfsame city Of San Francisco rose up in
their pitiful wrath and declared to Congress
that this identical California and Oregon
company must not enjoy the privilege of
securing means, upon the basis of its land
grant, to enable it to complete the road.
These same San Francisco business men
and merchants write themselves down asses
now. or else confess themselves to have
been short-sightcd fools six months ago.
They knew, as all the world knew, why
the road had not been completed; that
until the Oregon road came on down to the
State line and established through connec-
ton there was no need for the California
road that a road ending nowhere is a
most grievous inaicJion, and dead set TO-
ward dead loss.
They knew that to build theroad was the
most costly and difficult engineering feat of
the age; they knew that all the railroad
land in the gram they refused to ask Con-
gress to spare is not worth Il wboop
in hades compared to the lands
of the Sacramento valley. They knew
that scores Of honest men had taken up and
settled on the best bits of land, and i'm
proved them, under the belief that the road
would be constructed on the basis Of its
land graEt They knew that of small pres
ent value as it IS. the land grant is the
basis and security for bonding the road for
the money needed and that money cannot
be borrowed on bare track and roadway.
They knew that every acre granted TO The
railroad doubled the value of every foot Of
private and Government land along the
line, and was q promise for the develop
ment an almost unexplored region, and
hence it would be q wise bit Of business on
Che part Of the Government to give it.
They stood apart and were coldly indif-
feront to the Building of the road, and they
played into the hands of low lot of I'M
considerable political dcmagogues. who
howled their brazen throats hoarse upon
san FranGsco's streets, against that mon
s.er, the railroad company
Why Because, as their commercial
Journals openly declared at the time, and
in so doing confessed themselves cold
blooded and short-sighted dabblers in
economic science, ignorant of the
depths Of commercial waters, to complete
the road would benefit the trade of Sacra-.
mento and all the upper valley; whereas all
the world knows, and has been oft so IL
structed by the san Francisco merchants
and business men, that the true policy of
the metropolis is to keep back, depreciatc
and cripple the interior
In other and less profoundly wise COM
munities weak and silly metropolitans
foolishly foster the rural sections, and seek
to upbu;ld their States, under the sadly
mistaken belief that by so doing they ere
ate markets, enlarge the consuming class,
and thus benefit themselves.
These same merchants and business men
Sns journals of San Francisco, in just so
.iiaay words, declared that so long as San
ksemcisco had water communication with