Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-02-02
SEN. STAMFORD INTERVIEWED.

sen. STAMFORD INTERVIEWED
His Remarks Upon the MOrmOns
California and the Mining
Outlook.
CINCINNATI, Feb. IA local paper has
. a long and interesting interview with
Leland Stanford under a Washington
date, in which the facts about the Pacific
Railways and the Pacific slope are dis.
cussed. In answer to the question as to
whether the building of several railroads
to the Pacific Ocean affected the Central
Pacific passenger and general transconti-
mental business, the Governor said
eyes, very much indeed. Business
across the continent does not give us
much concern. The Central Pacific has
become the California railroad in the
main. For some little while we did have
pretty much the whole business across
the country. All was subject, however, to
COMPETITION OF THE STEAMSHIP ROUTE
By Panama. Now there are to the Pa
cific Ocean the Southern Pacific, Atlantic
& Pacific, Northern Pacific and the Cana
dian Pacific. These are at least the four
railroads dividing the business. The At
lantic & Pacific has its agents in San
Francisco soliciting through business on
the same terms with ourselves. You take
the train to or from California and you
will be apt to find good many empty
seats, where some years ago the trains
ran evenly full"
The reporter then asked: stMr. STAN
ford, what is your idea about the Mormon
question ?"
eeThe Mormons have served useful
purpose in this country, and they have
| their virtues. [ had talk with John
Taylor, their President, and some of their
leading men not long ago, and / told them
that they would
HAVE TO GET RID OF PoLYGAMY;
That it was against the prejudices of our
people and their example, and we were
all persuaded that one wife was all that
one man could afford to support, and that
while | sympathize for their frugality and
hardships, they must stop this practice
lest some injury overtake them. The
Edmunds bill bears hard upon the fami-
lies which have existed in the past.
Here is a Mormon with two or three fami-
lies, and he must 60 to jail if he lives in
polygamy, whereas the public opinion of
his own community considers him a cow
ard if he abandons either of his families.
DO not think they are making any more
polygamous marriages out there, and
there should have been consideration
made for old families already established.
But this matter becomes largest at dis
tance. In my opinion polygamy will d lie
out If left to natural caIlsas -
The Governor was asked: els the
destiny of San Francisco and California
as apparent now as it seemed to you
twenty years ago?''
u think it is. San Francisco has about
300,0 900 inhabitants. That is an exceed
lngly large city for the time Americans
have possessedit.
CALIFORNIA HAS A GROWTH THAT IS STEADY
And compared to most other places it is
remarkable. The agriculture of the
country is coming forward and the soil
much surpasses the bestin the old States.
The mining development of the State is
not as sporadic as it was, but it is very
large. The gold yeild aggregates well. 1
nave owned some mines, and in one of |
them we made profit when we got $4 |
OF the metal out of one ton of the quartz. I
Indeed, quartz mining is probably in
better condition in California than it has
been for good while. The great inter-
est OF the new West-excepting Califor-
MIA and Utah-is, first, the mines, next. |
cattle. Now, in California we probably |
lind more than 900 persons engaged
IN agriculture, and that is larger pro-
portion than anywhere west of the Rocky
Mountains, possibly excepting Utah.
Hence
THE MINING INTEREST
LIS important to be supported. That is
why upon the silver question l am for
the continued coinage of silver. There is
no sufficient reason in good morals or
political economy to discontinue at the
expense of the industry engaged in it.
Suppose we had been coming $25, 600, 900
Of silver per annum for years before our
civil war, and it had been disbursed
among our people, do you suppose there
would have been such depreciation of
currency as happened with paper? 1t
might have been disparaged somewhat,
out as larre proportion of the world has
always used it and always will, the de-
probation would have been compar ative-
Y small. In the Pacific States
WE SUSTAINED BOTH GOLD AND SILVER
As our currency during the war, but if we
lad undertaken to demonetize silver at
he expense of gold, public tradition
would have repudiated us. We mann
actured In the rest of the country paper
nd put the Government stamp on it,
nd :! 1t sunk In value until it was not worth
lalf the promise on its face. If silver was 6
epreclated 20 per cent it still should have
much greater buying power than green
acks gave us. Therefore, 1 say that if {
ou com silver and let it remain among
ne people OF your country, as it generally
III you are provided in the time of peace
battle with money that will not depre- s
late beyond certain point" r
Should not there be more grains put tt
our silver coins if they seemed to have n
cen deprecated E
Yes, there ought to be enough more e.
'alns put in to diminish the tendency of
xchanges to make profit by buying sill
3r at one price and putting it on fhe peo-
lie at another
referring to naval matters, Stanford :
Nd: There is a single vessel on the
aclhc ocean, the "Esmeralda," belong
g to Chill, which could stand outside Of
IN francisco and Seal Rock, and g
oRcE THE CITY TO BE SURRENDERED.
seems to me to be most unwise for our
'ople to lay themselves open to such !
ntingencies, when very small amounts {
money would supply us with ships to
otect these large ports The United
ates now furnishes the easiest prize and
'hest ever offered to war in the capture
such cities as New York, New Orleans
ID San Francisco. 1t is most astonish-
that we hesitate on questions of that
nd, while we are supplying multitudes
towns with public buildings which cost