Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-16
UNExAMPLEp MENnAcITY.

Inc San FRANCISCO ChFOpscte yesterday
contained the following remarkable edito-
rial:
The characteristic meanness of the Central
Pacific monopoly has received another illustra.
ton in Sacramento. As every one knows, the
use OF the river front and the R-s'reet leyees
was given TO the corporation under an express
agreement that it would keep them in good con-
oltlon- Now the company hiss the cheek to
step Ia and ask that the chain-gaDg, now en-
ployed IN repairing streets, be transferred to the
levees. The object, of course, is 10 save a few
dollars TO the corporation, and the result will
be TO increase the already burdensome taxes of
the people OF Sacramento. There is plenty of
work for the gang on the streets of that city,
and II should be kept at work on them. and the
Central Pacific should be forced to keep up TO
its agreement. A simple refusal on the part of
the citizens TO sccede 10 the cheeky demand
will be sufficient. as self-interest will compel
Che company to look after the levees, injury to
which would result in great traffic losses.
We do not recall an instance of more
unbiushing mendacity than that above
quoted. In the first place, the company is
not under any contract to raise the levees.
The city alone can order levees raised. 1t
does not occupy the whole of the Front
street leyee. The narrowest and longest
stretch of Front-street levee that should
be raised and strengthened is not occupied
by the tracks of the railroad company, and
never has been-;hat is TO say, the section
from f to Y street. Moreover the fact is
that it has kept the space it does occupy
in good repair and never has had any COM
plant to the contrary.
Whenever the city raised a levee grade
the company has always paid the cost of
such grading as affected its tracks and
buildings.
The law upon the subject is to be found
In Chapter - of the Statutes of California
relating to the city of Sacramento. The
Act was approved April IA, 1868. Under
Che head of the duties of the company re-
lating to ievees the law reads:
Section A. The said railroad shall, at all times,
after using the said levee for railroad PURPOSES
as aforesaid, ard while so using the same, keep
in good repair, aud maintain at its present
hight, such portion OF said leyee as may be
used oy SAID company for railroad purposes as
aforesaid; and shall also make and keep in re-
pair NJ necessary crossings over said leyee and
railroad.
The railroad company has always COM
piled with this law, and has gone beyond
it in literally aiding the city in levee con-
struction and defense. 1t will be seen that
the law does not bind the company to
rz:-e Guy ievee Whatever tho. 90, only
be ordered and done by the city.
The company did not make the PROPOSE
ton that a chain-gang should be en-
ployed in working upon the levees, and
knew nothing of it. The idea of utilizing
the laborS of Changing (which, by the
way, never is used to repair streets,
for the best of reasons, the city as
get has no chain gang-that is to say,
any prisoners in the city prison who
remain idle), has long been in contempla-
tion by the City Trustees, and to that end
arrangements have been made, and are
now III process of realization, to employ
prisoners in operating rock crushers to
prepare stone for use wherever wanted.
During the recent season of high water,
the local Superintendent of the railroad
company, Mr.. J. B. Wright, voluntarily
rendered to the Trustees the services of a
force OF men numbering some five hundred
should they be needed, to resist any assault
the waters might make in any quarter.
The company, through the same agency,
proTided several thousand sacks, and dis
tributed them at convenient points for use
under orders of the Trustees, for filling
with earth 1t did more than that. 1t
brought to the city and rendered to the
Trustees more than $50 carloads of broken
granite, to be used as the officials should
order, and it notified the city authorities
that trains without limit were at their
command on a moments notice. The
references in the RECORD UNION and in
other journals of Sacramento concerning
the raising and broadening of the levees, in
repeated articles referred to the whole
levee system of the city needing any re-
pair, and not especially Or alone to those
in part used by the railroad company.
1t IS apparent on its face that the article
of the Chronicle was intended to convey a
false impression, for had that paper desired,
Its own reporters in this city could have
furnished it with the true state of facts,
which the article in question in no re-
spect reflects.
We rather admire a skillful liar for his
art, even while despisiDg the falsehood.
We have only contempt for laundering
and stupid one If the Chronicle has any
doubt concerning the part the railroad
company played during the recent freshet,
which after all did not do ope dollars
worth OF damage in this city, it should
make inquiries of Mayor Gregory and
Trustees Mclaughlin and Wolf, who have
repeatedly and warmly testified to the
promptness and splendid liberality Of the
tenders of assistance the company made in
the recent storm, and which action was but
a parallel TO like action whenever there
has been the slightest occasion to fear the
assaults Of waters, IN all the years past;
and some few years ago the company went
beyond these tenders in time of trial, and
when the city was engaged in raising the
north levees, voluntarily took upon itself
large share OF the work and expense, and
enabled The city to do the raising at
greatly reduced cost by using its cars and
tracks. But it is not necessary to recall
these facts in this city, as every well-in-
formed citizen is fully aware of them. The
only excuse for noticing the Csroniole's
piuful mendacity at all, is to prevent
false impressions being made abroad.
THE dispatches say that England pre-
poses 10 make Portugal smart for the cut
RACES committed under the laiters flag in
Africa against the Mskololo people who
were andef the protectorate, practically, OF