The record-union., 1892-07-13
SAN FRANCISCO'S LACK OF EN-
TERPRISE.

During the entire history of the State
Of California the capital generated by the
industrial and commercial forces here
has been reservoired in San Francisco.
That capital has been notoriously unen-
terprising. 1t did not contribute single
dollar to the construction of overland
railroad transportation. 1t allowed that
enterprise to languish. Political conven-
tions, however, passed resolutions in
favor Of building an overland railroad,
but those resolutions never drove one
spike, nor laid one tie. San Francisco
simply profits by the enterprise and
energy of the people of California, and
has never built one single mile of rail
road. 1t owns fewer ships than any city
of its size and wealth in the world. It
pretends to be in favor of the Nicaragua
Canal, and after enthusiastic protesta-
tions of its interest in the canal, it sub
scribed in a hypothetical way $4,000 to-
ward its construction.
Recently its political club, otherwise
known as the San Francisco Traffic AS
sociation, proposed to construct railroad
to Salt Lake. We hailed that undertak-
ing with unfeigned delight When San
Francisco, with the vast wealth and re-
sources at its command, quits grumbling
at the people who have built railroads
and builds railroads for itself, it will ac-
quire an absolute right to manage them
in the interest of San Francisco. 1t is
painfully apparent now that it has
changed its policy; that instead of build
ing railroad, it proposes to go into poll
ties for the purpose of controlling rail-
roads built by other people. 1t hopes
through demagogism to get control of the
regulative force. Since it has never mani
tested any concern as TO the welfare of the
interior. its past history may be accepted
as an indication of what it will do when
San Francisco controls the railway sys-
tenn of the Pacific Coast. This Traffic
Association is simply another form in
which the unenterprising spirit of San
time
We are unequivocally in favor of the
construction of railroads by San Fran
cisco capital, of the establishment of
steamship lines by that same capital, of
the building of ships, of the control of all
commercial forces which San Francisco's
capital may control. We had looked
upon its new determination in the line of
constructing railroads as the dawning of
q new era for the Pacific Coast. We
thought we saw in it the rising of a spirit
which would substitute enterprise for the
old helpless and whining imbecility
which has characterized the conduct of
that city in the past. 1t appears that the
whole matter is to begin and end with
the formation of political party, having
for its object the regulation of freights
and fares, with special reference to the
supremacy of San Francisco as a distrib-
uting center in the commerce of the Pa
cifie Coast. In the very nature of things
this will be failure. No political party
in California can change one lota of the
commercial forces now at work in this
State.
There was rugged manliness in the
proposition to build railroad to Salt
Lake, challenging the admiration of en-
terprising men. There was something of
he bold defiance of the Anglo-Saxon
spirit which has made that the dominant
race of this earth. On the contrary, there
is everything that is small-minded in the
proposition to form wholesale mer-
chants political party. For the bold
conception of great mercantile and COM
mercial enterprise, the lame and impo-
tent conclusion of ward politics is to be
substituted. The experience of one cam
paign will relegate the Traffic Associa-
ton to its true position. 1t was formida-
bic while it entertained practical COM
mercial conceptions. 1t will cease to be
formidable and deserve contempt when