The morning call., 1892-08-27
sv SAN FRANCISCO HAS BEEN
KEPT BACK

of The newsI apers Of San Francisco
50 published an estimate of what the
latiOn of the city would become At
t'i lime q considerable degree Of hope was
pls I'd on the advantages.to be derived from
? tha completion of the Central Pacific Rail-
rCsd which was then an undertaking just
ectnnenced. The prospects of the whole
= ate were at that time roseate. The proba-
aiiltles were that we should have large in
iease of population, vast extension of
ont commerce, marked development Of
0u~ mineral resources, an enormous agri-
f7 raj Industry Of varied character.
to the adaDtability of climate and
every kind OF produce, besides good
rtunities to build up manufactures.
Ia likelihood. was that population would
-cfaase much more rapidly in the ensuing
5Neht ty years than u had i tne past. Ac-
- i3g e laagSIey's estimate in his direc-
ss5s.1 ne population OF San Francisco was
2.5OO in 1864. Assuming that 10 per cent
was the ma ural increase, the estimates for
series OF years were thus given: January
/, 1865, 117,000; January l, 1870, 168, 408;
Ja8uary !, 1875, 300, 100; January l, 1880
ss8 72j; January /. 1885, 787, OBS; January
J. 1888, 1.047. .621.
Now this was the estimate of prudent
man. and there was nothing unreasonable
or unreal in the calculation, as matters then
stood. We know how very different the
Qualities are. San Francisco has only
.apulation of 100000 The census in 1890
made the population Dos, ,997 and in 1880 it
was 233, $50. Ins tead of having a million Of
population we have barely a third of it.
The citizens ought to consider carefully
what is the cause Of the dragging down
which has KEEP. San Francisco back, seeing
that the city possesses such advantages for
development. and has a State with un-
EiYa.ed resources behind it, producing
commodities which are in demand all over
rs country. We may form some notion of
the causes by glancing al what other cities
havs done.
Take Chicago for instance. Chicago only
Le-ame a municipality in 1887, the first
Mayor being elected in that year. The
population was then 4170. Ia 1880 it was
2o. 965; 1860, 109. go; 1866, 17S 492; 1870
306,Go5; $780, 491,516; 1890, l,098, ,576; and
the estimated population in 1891 was
100000 which is actually more than the
census gave the whole of California in 1890,
the return being 1,20S,13O. Yet in 1860 no
one had the remotest idea that the prospects
Of Chicago were In any degree better than
those of San Francisco.
Again. take ST. Boais as an example of
progress. In 1880 ST. Louis had popuia-
ton Of 1862. Itwas believed to be the most
advantageous city in situation in the whole
Mississippi Valley or west of the Atlantic.
The population of ST. Louis in 1880 was
35051S. and in 1890 it was 45I.77O The
present population is believed to be half a
million.
Here are three cities that afford materisls
FOR a contrast Two of them have kent ad-
Eancing, while San Francisco has not made
half the progress it should have done,
Eaily in its history st. Louis had a number
OF very enterprising men interested in its
development They worked out the rail-
road problem so as to give the city accom-
notation Tor trade in every direction. and
never has there been much misuse of the
loads entering ST. Louis. Chicago has had
similar good fortune; it is, in fact. magnffi-
cehtiy ~S~Siemodated with railroads, every
pfllcipai system IN the country having ia
cilltles tnere. The roads have ali pros
pefed' and the city has been made wealthy
70 corresponding extent, and is certain 10
continue to advance in opulence and the
volume Of its trade.
San francisco faneied it had upriyaled
prospects, but what have they come to?
mas the State itself advanced as 1t should
nave done? 1t assuredly has not. Instead
OF having many railroads it may almost be
ee said there is only one. which Is under
the grasping control of men who were un
grudgingly and generously aided by Con-
gress and the State. From the inception OF
their undertaking there has been nothing
but an exhibition Of greed and selfshness
on the part of these men. It Is this policy
which has kept San Francisco and the State
back. What might this city not have been
10 population and trade but for these men
managing the whole railroad facilities of
the State so that they crush and repress
enterprise rather than encourage 1t? They
could have managed their roads so as TO
make themselves very wealthy legitimateIy.
but IL Is a question whether they could
have made as much as they possess If they
had not acted dishonesty. The whole his
tory of their enterprise shows unscru-
puioHsneSs to an incredible extent. Having
kept San Francisco back so long, they pow
boldly announce policy OF keeping 1t In
check perpetually. One consolation may be
aTawn from the situation--it cannot last
A way out of our troubles will be found.
There are already signs of the improve
snent that is coming in our affairs.