The morning call., 1892-07-19

Waterfront Company.
or uuderet the whole or any part of said
premises without the written consent OF the
party of the first part.
In each case the party of the first part is
the Oakland Water Front Company.
Now, what Is the Oakland Water Front
Company?
The Southern Pacific Company.
Stephen T. Gage. Stanford's right-hand
man, is the president OF the Oakland cor
poratiOn.
He lives in Oakland and belongs to the
railroad.
Cages life just now is not bed Of roses
Huntington does not like his management
Of the water front.
1t is rum0red that Gage will have to go.
What Huntington wants is 8 man who
will fight.
Gage has fought quite hard, but he has
heen extremely unlucky Of late, and Hunt
ington wants TO Try another man.
OF late T. s. Douty, secretary of that
corporation within a corporation, the Paci nc
Improvement Company. has had charge Of
tie railroads interests In the Oakland
water front, and Gage has had 70 submit to
the iDdignity of standing aside for awhile.
Now as for the leases to private indi-
Viduals or corporations.
And to each there are strings, yes,
cables, that will let the lessees go only
little way 10 any direction before they are
hauled up with round turn.
Ii is not possible to break down the rail-
roads wall around Oakland by means Of
leasing property and then subletting II.
4. B. Taylor. VINO stood for the Southern
Pacific Company in the litigation which so
aroused the OaklandeTs, made the state
ment on the stand that bis leased lot at the
Fnf .otp had haAr h. ~,
of much concern by outside parties. He
said he had four propositions for II and
might accept one of them.
One OF these propositions was from a
shipbullding concern, another from COM
psny that wanted the property for public
wharves, another from bituminous rock
Company, and the fourth from an overland
railroad.
This. it was we'll understood, was put
forth TO ease off the pressure against the
Southern Pacific and help win the case
And yet Mr.. Taylor knew all the while,
and Railroad Counselor Chapman knew,
that in Mr.. TaylOr's lease was the provision
that should be sublet the whole or a part OF
the leased property without the written con-
sent of the Southern Pacifc's Oakland
Water Front Company he would run the
risk of forfeIting his lease.
Many offers ale made for Oakland water
front property.
They range from 500 to s25Oa front foot.
But the railroad will not sell.
a sale might break the wall.
Instead OF selling it goes on buying
Recent acquisitions have heightened its
possessions.
The wall is growing longer every month.
1t is also growing higher ana stronger
But il will be battered down.
Oakland must and shall have free water
front
That is the determination of its citizens.
We are going to tear down that wall or
tear up somebody"
That is what they say.
They mean il. too.
The Southern Pacific lays claim TO more
than simply the seven miles of Oakland
water front.
1t claims from West Berkeley nearly to
DUN barton Point
Eleven miles in all.
But If a citizen wants II feet he has got
TO bring an earthquake TO bear to impress
the Oakland officials that somebody be-
sides the Southern Pacific crowd has rights.
HuDtlngton's City Council says the water
front is the railroads.
Huntlngton's Mayor says the same thing
and opckets his little Fee
Huniingt0n's Alameda County officers re-
peat the tale.
Nobody knows how much they pocket.
But that question will come up little
later.
The people are going to see il they can't
prevent that oft-repeated scandal the
naming Oh the city aud lhe county officials
by the railroad in convention.
1t is high time.
Take Tor instance the Assessor.
How important IL is that the railroad
should own him may be judged from the
magnitude OF the interests of the Company
In Alameda County.
In no county IN the State does 1t O wp 30
much properly.
How is 1t assessed?
AT less than One-hundredth part Of it's
valuation.
Take the waterfront property.
1t was assessed in 1891 for SOL, 15O
1t Is valued at Fourth and Townsend
streets at not less than S12,OOO.CO0
That is for the whole IL miles.
The RisdoD Iron Works wanted 1900 feet
OF the water front and offered $500 front
foot for 1t.
That was $4,000
Now here comes the test of Huntinpton's
ownership OF that Assessor.
Total value of II miles of water front
$I01,l50
Total value of 100 feet, or less than one
third of mile, $4,000
Is 1t not simply absurd to let the i'm
proveEents of the railroad 20 under a
valuation of $1,000?
That Is what the Assessor did last year.
he will DO 1t this year, too.
But he may have a successor In Office next
year.
The poor taxpayer who owns little land
is glad 10 get a two-thiTds valuation.
Huntington would frown the Assessor ont
of Office if he did not get one-hundredth
valuation.
lie mo,,ld Saf q man WIN wonfd rive hi ~,