Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-07
A INDUSTRIOUS ASSAULT.

A dispatch from San Francisco gives
currency to the story that a combination
of San Francisco merchants have APP
pealed TO the Southern Pacific Company
to destroy the competitive or terminal fa-
cilities of the interior cities, by which they
are now enabled to receive through freights
from the East by rail at-not a less-but
an equal rate of charge with San Fran
cisco. The railroad company will GER
tainly never consent to the reduction of
interior cities to the plane of crossroads
settlements. Indeed the whole interior
would suffer by such action, for it is equally
with us interested in maintaining the
competitive relation of Sacramento and
her sister inland cities. Their independ-
ence destroyed, as San Francisco desires,
and industry outside of San Francisco
would be at the mercy of that city. 1t
would affect the interest Of every consumer
who is now being benefited by Sacra-
mento's terminal facilities. Some years
ago San Francisco merchants made lust
such another appeal. They met then, as
they assuredly will now, with a proper re-
buff. They will certainly be rebuked again
by the railroad company, which has stead
lastly stood the friend of the interior
cities. That the San Francisco Board of
Trade, Chamber of Commerce and Manu-
facturers' Association should now, as re-
ported, renew it, is unthinkable. But, as
suming it to be true, what does it near?
Simply this, that San Francisco merchants
propose to force interior cities to maintain
them, whether they will or not that San
Francisco merchants propose to break down
the business of interior merchants and
make San Francisco still more an absorbent
of State vitality than it now is. The prop
osition is that our people shall be forced to
ignore river navigation, and pay to San
Francisco tribute, equal on all its
Eastern imports to the cost of trans
portation from that city to the
interior, in addition to the cost of carriage
from the East. In other words, hat Sac
ramento, though on a %navigable river
touching tide water, shall not receive
goods from abroad, except she pays a
higher rate than San Francisco, measured
by the addition of the local rate from San
Francisco. OF course, such a determine
ton IN the part of the railroad company,
would mean the utter ruin of the business
houses Of the interior competitive points,
the consequent decadence of the cities, the
rapid decline of values, and the absolute
punishment Of every taxpayerin the State,
while it would go far to permanently
check and put back interior development
1t is said that the enemies Of
the city are energetically laboring tc
accomplish their ends, and while VIC
have no fear that they will do so, still Sac.
rlmento owes it to the railroad company and
TO itself to show concern about this matter
by entering anew our emphatic protest
against this i%nsolent demand of San Fran
cisco. OF course the rank injustice Of ask
ing that the trade of the interior cities
shall be handicapped in the interest of a
coast city, is apparent TO every intelli-
gence. However viewed, it appears as a
monstrous proposition. After all these
years, it is simply astounding that the
scheme should be preached again
that would injure tins city in
order that a few San Francisco
merchants may thrive. If they only knew
their own interest they would find it in
fostering interior trade, industry and de-
veicpment, and not in seeking the destruc-
ton of the business of other cities of Cali
fornia.