The morning call., 1892-02-29
.aonTEgJs q. E,I-I.E.oA.D.. 1870.

A.c5r.r.Gcter t0at0at eIpQraTy says that
uoI III BIZ sd ti.atiS. Nned:.0 outside: IF San
Franc Iso6 can ossibly, be. acomuetIng road
lin Tie. 5-sefUI Seusesof the term" Admitting
.t5js-sta.eTe 10. be. literally rue, we may
ask IS Lat EtCUEd is 1befe for.-fhe supposI-
t..u ttat.a railroad OWned@iR San Francisco
vii: BE .c5Tpeting roadinthe useful sense
If The. term Are tie buIueTs and owners
OF Z Ire SGu,leIn Pacilc system tEe only. Ilen
lntLe 81 te=Hhg Woullli ge.tO make few
udf.piS cub OF tie IUulic2 IL there in fact
any ground for Tie sssumI tDn that If a
san ! .aIcIse0C nP5ny Cfcapitalists should
~ lCl-G. SCI CId .lIansCOnt Mental read they
Wcu,dUOt combine with Tie. san Francisco
MEN WHO already have Il load 10 make as
:IUeh-mCney, as possible Cnt. Of their invest
IHeut. y lie lnGuCement to 3: new company
t95COnbiIe would be almost irresistible
lie old company would be able to rush
coMf eittienyery lively. and might in the
eIG o. l.ethenew cCmpaTyis road an uB-
. IrC1tsb.e Investment When the Central
a.. Company finished its Toadits largest profit
lay in policylhat would build up the
cCU1. tIy. Ihe-UNneTs We're California men
and lad otter interest on the Coast than
tier 5Cad. II was clearly for their interest
t0esiallsh fares and freight rates at the
lCWestJ CiIt that would yield a reasonable
licfrr -IER VAS in fact their interest to do
precisely what lie writer whom we have
Quoted assumes that competing manage
"U.ept VI Cu.d do. But tie Southern Pacific
uaIagen!flt as carried away with the
, idea lfat j could do as itsDleased. Instead
+oiaimIQG to avoid friction with the public
il pUtltSelfin.a position town when friction
caWe. Out OF this policy came the necessity
Of that political manipulation which has
made Tor. the company more enemies than
lis high rates of fares and freights The
control q political conventions, legislatures,
c5nIts aid tile State delegation in Congress
:hss rroduced the conviction that the South
ern Pgcifcjs public enemy. Il is argued.
and Withreas6D, that if its purposes were
Just it:Would be willing to take the chances
with, et6er people in courts and legislative
bodies. "a new company coming into the
fed would not have The chances the old
@comnany had to form liberal policy. II
ceuld not compete with the Southern Pa
cifc without provoking. the Southern Pacific
10 compete witllit. The end would be COM
b.1Gton or consolidation. with the people
out Iut he cold. The competition that can
: beInade effective against the Southern Pa
cilic= IS by water routes, with the aid Of a
system Of railroads designed to reach the
several centers OF population in the State.
An enterprise Of this nature can be kept
subordinate 10 the commercial interests Of
tic State and city The comparatively
4sufall capital involved would not tempt the
Investors to sacrifice their interests as mer-
chants and shippers to their interests as
railfoad owners. Being largely customers
of tEeir own roads and possessed, az the
Traffic Association is. with the power to
route freight, they could establish and
maintain fair freight rates between points
that were reached by the other company.
Relief for San Francisco is possible in this
way and possibly in some other way, but
: ID our opinion mere competing transconti-
mental railroad would fail to accomplish the
pun ose contemplated for causes similar to
those which lea the Southern Pacific astray.