The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-06-22
AND THIS IN 1892"

The following extract is copied from The
CALL news columns Of Tuesday;
Wagons TO hold 10 tons Of freight and trail
wagons 10 hold from Eve 10 six tons each are
being built IN Stockton 10 run IN opposition TO
the Southern Pacific freight trains.
a company has been organized TO run these
wagons. A low rate Of freight will be charged,
and il Is believed that a good business viii be
done.
Tie route to be operated IS between Stockton
and Fresno.
If anything ever happened 10 this State 10
thoroughly emphasize TIE extent Of Southern
Pacific monopoly It is The organization Of this
company.
We Ublsh the above in our editorial
columns in order that the public abroad
may realize what abuses We are enduring
in California at the present time. The in
iQuitous system which has been practiced
by cur railroad managers has not been IN
dersto0d even by those persons who have
assumed to be well posted 10 such matters,
although they know that great State and
& generous people were being ruled by a
class OF miscTeants TO their great injury.
Under the administration Of Mr.. Stanford
money was freely expended upon a class Of
men termed bosses, who were willing to do
almost anything demanded by our railroad
authorities, even TO the nomination Of Rail-
read Commissioners, members Of the Legis-
lature, judges, Supervisors, etc, and the
nomination Of candidates was almost
equivalent to an election, for the policy
CT using bosses was extended alike to both
political parties. 1t was bad enough
10 have the railroad company use the
political machinery Of the State 10 advance
lis own interests, but il was found that the
officials who were elected through the in
suUmeEtality Of bosses did not stop at be-
tTaying the public for tie benefit Of the
railroad company, but they betrayed the
public for their own benefit The entire
political machinery OF the State was stepped
in corruption. When Mr.. Huntington an
nounced that the railroad company would
retire from politics we hoped that this
would prove to be the case, but The promise
it seems was too good to be realized. PO-
litical corruption went on and a United
States Senator was elected. There was in
fact no cessation of Outrages at Sacramento.
The railroad company was not out Of poll
tics. Ii was in politics to make money, and
coyetousness had seized the four OF I'VE mill
iOnaTe owners to such an extent that they
believed they could do almost anything with
US that they pleased. Were they not JUS
tilted in 50 believing? For had they not ac-
cumulated money beyond al precedent, and
had We not quietly consented to what they
were doing? Had We not been plunjeTed
year after year without scarcely murmur?
The whole State has been made poor, its
whole business has been paralyzed; we
have permitted four or FIVE men to say who
should I'll our offices. 1t has employed as
its political agents men who it has been be-
lieved, would not scruple at stuffing ballot
boxes. Through this ordeal California has
lived, hut she has not prospered greatly. II
is true We have remaining ox-teams, as they
have at Stockton and Fresno, and we may
use these as We did forty years ago, but if
we WISH to avail ourselves Of railroad facil-
tiles we must pay any rates demanded by
four or five persons. For the public TO make
an effort to prevent these four or five men
from taxing US as they please by going into
politics we know viii De termed outrageous.
1t will be said probably that CalifOrnians
are too impulsiYe and unreasonable in try
ing 10 take away the rights of the Ken
lucky corporation 10 make money rapidly.
We know THE CALL is in danger Of being
charged with agTarianism in suggesting
that fTeights and fares should be fixed by
law instead Of leaving it to our present
rulers.