Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-02-02
SEN. STANFORD INTERVIEWED.
His Remarks Upon the mormons,
California and the Mining
Outlook.

CINCINNATI, Feb. la local paper has
n long and interesting interview with
Leland Stanford under q Washington
date, in which the facts about the Pacific
Railways and the Pacific slope are dis
cussed. In answer to the question as to |
the building of several railroads
to the Pacific Ocean affected the Central |
Pacific passenger and general transconti- |
mental business, the Governor said |
ayes, 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 a good many empty
seats, where some years ago the trains
ran evenly full.".
The reporter then asked. "Mr. STAN
ford, what is your idea about the Mormon
question:"
"The Morlnons 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 1 told them
that they would
HAVE TO GET RID OF PoLYGAAtY;
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 Mormon with two or three fami-
lies, and he must go to jail if he lives in
polygamy, whereas the public opinion Of
his own community considers him cow
ard ii he abandons either of his families.
1 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 causes.'
The Governor was asked: "Is the
destiny Of San Francisco and California
as apparent now as it seemed to you
twenty years ago?"
81 think it is. San Francisco has about
100000 inhabitants. That is an exceed
ingly 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 best in 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 we'll. L
have 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.
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
find more than 1885, 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
Is important to be supported. That is
why upon the silver question | am for
the continued coinage Of silver. There is
no sufficient reason in good morals OF
political economy to discontinue at the
expense OF the industry engaged in it
Suppose we had been coming $25 900 ,O0C
of silver per annum for years before oul
civil war, and it had been disburset
among our people, do you suppose there
would have been such a depreciation o
currency as happened with paper? II
might have been disparaged somewhat
but as larre proportion OF the world ha,
always used it and always will, the de
probation would have been compar ative
ly small. In the Pacific States
WE SUSTAINED BOTH GOLD AND SILVER
As our currency during the war, but if We
had undertaken to demonetize silver al
the expense OF gold, public tradition
would have repudiated us. We manu-
factured in the rest of the country paper
and put the Government stamp on it
and II sunk in value until ii was not worth
hall the promise on its face. III silver was
deprecated 20 per cent it still should have
a much greater buying power than green
backs gave us. Therefore, say that i
you coin silver and let it remain among
the people OF your country, as it generally
will you are provided in the time OF peace
or battle with money that will not depre
ciate beyond a certain point
"Should not there be more grains pu
in our silver coins il they seemed to have
been depreciated?" ?"
Yes, there ought to be enough more
grains put in to diminish the tendency o
Exchanges to make profit by buying sill
yer at one price and putting il on fhe peo
pie at another "o,.o5 .t.-G.i
Referring to naval matters, Stanford
said; "Therc is single vessel on tn,
Pacific ocean, the "Esmeralda," belong.
ing TO Chill, which could stand outside OF
San Francisco and Seal Rock, and
FORCE THE CITY TO DE SURRENDERED.
1t seems to me to be most unwise for oul
people to lay themselves open to such
contingencies, when very small amounts
OF money would supply us with ships t,
protect these large ports. The Unite,
q States now furnishes the easiest prize an,
richest ever offered to war in the captur,
OF such cities rs New York, New Orlean
and San Francisco. 1t is most astonish
ing that we hesitate on questions of tina
kind, while We are supplying multitude
OF towns with public buildings which eos