The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-20
A NOBLE SPEECH.
What Our Senior Senator Might Have
Said on River improvements.
The oHly Way to Check Monopoly Is to I'M.
prove Caliornia's Streams the
Peoples Highways.

ASHINGTON, MdlCu Is W nat nOulO
have caused the sensation of the session. had
it been delivered before the Senate today
by the senior Senator from California, was
the following speech:
Mr. President: There is pending before
Congress the most important legislation in
reference to the State which l have the
hunOr TO represent which has been brought
before this body since the admission of that
State into the Union | refer, sir, to the
. matter OF improving her nayigable rivers.
Few If anY, members OF either branch OF
Congress are aware Of the magnitude and
Importance of these rivers; and in order to
freely lay before you in unm akablc terms
their extent ] Will compare them with those
with which you are familiar.
The Sacramento Is the counterpart Of 8
river rising in the Empire State. flowing
through the fertile valleys Of the Keystone
State, through Maryland, and half through
Virginia INFO Chesapeake Bay. 100 miles
south OF this fair capital.
The san joaquin is the analogue OF
river rising in tie mountains OF South Caro-
lima and flowing into the Chesapeake at the
same point
What, Senators, would you deem an
adequate sum Tor the Improvement OF such
rivers as these? What would you insist
upon rs reasonable sum were every rail-
road in The stretch Of country l have given
you in the hands Of a single corporation
whose policy was to charge all the traffic
would bear, corporation organized under
the laws of Kentucky and leasing all the
important railroads in the State.
The San Joaquin River IN its present
condition does not afford the opportunity
for cheap transportation that il would were
proper attention given 10 its needs ana
reasonable sums IF money expended in the
rectlhcatiOn of its channel. Steamboat
companies who are obliged to drag boats
and barges over sandOaTS By means of
steam capStans, whose barges are al any
time liable TO be damaged by overhanging
trees or Sunkcn SlagS, are obliged 10 take
these risks into consideration in making up
their freight charges. a judiciouS system
of Improvement of the inland waters
of California would do more to keep
the cost OF Transporting its products
70 market at lower rates than all the Inter-
state Railroad commissions and intleAib.e
tariffs for the regulation Of charges by
transportation companies. Tie favored
location of most OF our agricultural and
timber lands renders eXt0TtiOnate rates i'm
possible If the navigable waters Of the
State are cared for as their Importance
warrants. If these water facilities did not
exist the railroads would indeed have
perfect monopoly of the carrying trade, for
it is a wellestabished fact that railroads
are only controlled in their principle of
charging ali the traffic viii bear by COM
peting water facilities. In order to give
you, geDtem en-, some idea of the effect OF
GtDptANigu With idttIbh1 GtMDdUlCS D1
carriers by water | viii state, as an in
stance, that grain from Portland Oregon.
gets TO San Francisco cheaper by from p to
80 cents Der ton than from San Jose, and
that grain from port like Santa Barbara
Is as cheaply transported to San Francisco
as from 4 ameda County, in which county
more money has Teen expended by the
Government than III all the rest Of the
State thrice over.
Right here you will pardon a depression
ID order that may fully acquaint you with
the gross and terrible Injustice done the
State by thus ceutering the funds of the
Government on this county. This vast APP
Precipitation has been spen. in furthering the
Interests of the Southern Pacific Company
and not In improving the natural highways
OF the state; IN other words in the prOduc-
5Eon OF an artificial hdTbOT and apprOa Ii
thereto, all OF which belongs to the Southern
Pacific Company OF Kentucky or their CO.
partner in efrontery, the Pacific Improve
nient Company, or some other disguise OF
this hyd a-headed monopoly. Sensation
1t Il also significant fact that the freight
rate between stockton and San Francisco by
rail Is very nearly three times the same rate
by Wafer.
Ii this advantage, enioFed by the people
OF Stockton and oil e. points on the lower
>aE Joaquin River, were shared by those
who reside IN the other counties which make
up the great SaE Joaquin valley, the net an
uual saving 10 transportation rates would
be more than sufficient 10 defray all ex-
Denses incidental to the making of navi-
gable stream from one end Of the valley TO
the other.
You may ask, If these benefits are so ap-
parent, why do not the people of the inter-
ested counties do this work? The question
is natural. and l have anticipated it, and
am fully prepared to ans er it. The people
are too impoverished by high rates 10 bear
this burden.
Let me Illustrate by Fresno County alone.
Tie assessable property in this county
amounts 10 $4,000, coo, and at 21s per cent
upon this IS the tax to which these people
are put to pay the freight upon their
products.
Notbing but the enormous natural fer
tiliiy Of the State would enable it to bear
such terrible burdens. While these desery-
ing and energetic citizens are straining every
nerve and taxing their every resource to de-
velop that fair valley, this foreign lessee Of
their railroads takes every dime between
The cost Of production and the value in the
market. 1t Is an open secret that the agents
OF THIS railroad monopoly are Instructed to
give no taIf rates until they telegraph 10
the head Office, which Office first ascertains
ne price OF the article 10 tie market and
the cost OF production, and makes the diff
ference the rate. This has given rise to the
maxim, charge all the traffic viii bear"
Applause
From Fresno to Stockton the charge upon
ton Of iron Of any character is $40, while
that same iron is brought from New York
Tor IS 80 per ton. or 1860 miles for 81 90
less than Tor trans DortatiOn through three
counties. In consideration of this iInpor-
taDt problem, it has been the policy OF Cali
Iornla to wait for the National Government
70 appropriate such money as was deemed
necessary Tor the improvement Of her nay-
gable streams, but forty years constant
Iegging at the doors of the national treas
ury have brought TO the people the mig
gardly sum of $4,000. less money than
could have been and should have been
prohtably ex pended during each year of the
last decade.
The present condition Of the rivers OF
California is crying evil that demands
your immediate attention, aud let it be as
sared that millions of money are expended
on less de CRYING rivers than those under
consideration, and many Of them frozen up
oDe-quarter OF the year, while the California
rivers are open every day the year round.
now, MT. President, | am aware that vast
pressure can lie brought to bear upon both
Houses OF Congress to defeat this measure,
and L give notice that l shall from time TO
time, as this measure comes up, speak in It's
favor. Ii this honorable body desires to pro-
mote the true interests of the country let
them shake Of the shackles which now biud
them and instead OF delivering over the peo-
pie tied hand and foot to these transporta-
ton harpies, let US foster the water routes,
the peoples free highways, as we have
"a tile past this pampered railroad monopoly
tremendous applause.
IouF Nashingt0n correspondent must
nave gotten mixed In this matter. The
speech printed above sounds as though it
might have been made by a real Senator
from California instead of bv one from the
Southern Pacific of Kentucky-Fn CAII