The morning call., 1892-11-07

FELTON, and others-with whom the Central
Pacific had an understanding by which they
were parties in interest So 1t was really
an application for all the submerged lands
en- both sides of the bay TO be given TO that
grasping, consclenceless monopoly, the
Central Pacific Railroad Company. The
trick. though, clever. was exposed and de-
feated. The company finally had to be con-
tent with donation Of sixty acres of Mis-
sion Bay by the Legislature.
Previous to this the railroad magnates got
up bogus public meeting in San Francisco
with view TO bring pressure to bear on the
legislators at Sacramento TO grant them 800
acres for terminal purposes on Mission Bay.
COMMITTEE OF ONE HUNDRED.
Organization TO Oppose Railroad Monop-
oily schemes.
1t was while the Goat Island bill was
pending in Congress that the citizens COM
mttee of one hundred was organized In San
Francisco. The object of the committee
was TO oppose the various Central Pacific
monopoly schemes that menaced this city,
The citizens had become thoroughly
alarmed at the Goat Island threat and the
persistent demands for money by these
rapaeious monopolists, and had come to the
conclusion that ii was about time a vigor-
Gus attempt WAS made to escape from their
octopus clutch. Among other means de-
vised for the purpose of bringing them to
their senses. the citizens committee pro-
posed TO aid competing road. the Califor-
MIA Atlantic and Pacific. by subscription
of SIC, loco, 600 to its capital stock. A portion
of The road had already been constructed d
for several miles westerly from 81. Louis,
the Eastern terminus. IL was. in fact. the
company which found and broke ground
for the present AtchisoD, Topeka and
Santa Fe systpm
AT first the members of the committee
were animated by the single purpose
of firm. and at the same time In
telligent. opposition to this suddenly
developed danger from the one rail-
road which sought to control everything.
But it was not long before the fine italian
hand Of Leland Stanford showed itself
in the manipulation of these leading
citizens, and in the changed color OF their
vie VS. on the pressing question of the hour.
Diverse projects were brought forward. and
divisions and dissensions finally paralyZed
the efforts Of the Committee of One Hun
dred. Several members had policies of
their own, which they believed were the
only true ones for the State. and in the end
Stanford Il Co. defeated them all.
The Central Pacific was an accomplished
fact, Of course; then came the Atlantic and
Pacific. which was the only honest scheme
against the Central Pacific.
The Colorado River and others were STAN
lOIU StltutS- Ht1 ali asking
subsidies, and each seeking 10 head the At
laptie and Pacific, which only asked honest
subscriptions to its stock. For the most
part The executive committee, when these
rival schemes were discussed, went off after
all sorts OF lines. as their personal interest
or ignorance OF facts led them, until, borne
down by the conviction that il was an uphill
fight, one of The discouraged members spoke
out in meeting as follows: al believe that
debates have taken place here disgraeeful
to the Committee OF One Hundred. l am
ashamed OF the committee myself. / never
did have much confidence in ii from the
start. yet il worked well al frat. / believe
from the bottom OF my heart that this CON-
mittee has been packed, If ever a body was
packed in this world. have no confidence
in the committee whatever, although there
are a portion of the members who are hon.
est ! do not believe honest men can &c
backward"
Subsequent proceedings were a wrangle.
and the committee itself soon faded out Of
existence, leaving Stanford & Co. as they
wanted. and had worked fora clear field
| and no favor" so far as honest organized
opposition 10 the aggressive designs of the
Central Pacific directors were concerned.
Had San Francisco been faithfully repre-.
| sented on this occasion the whole railroad
| situation would have been changed TO heI
| benefit. The Atchison system would now
| have It's western terminus in this city in.
stead of at Los Angeles. The ten million:
| of stock which the city should have voted
would have been worth fifty millions OF
more.
The altitude of the Central Pacific Rail-
| road people toward the merchants and cit
! izens generally OF San Francisco before anC
| during the episode of the one hundred com
! mttee was that OF positive aud decided hos
| tilty, as IL has been most of the time since
| Governor Stanford then loudly proclaimed
| from the capital: "San francisco is on The
| wrong side of the bay"
Sneers were flung in the face Of this cit
| by one OF the railroad organs, the Sacra
mento Record. This paid tool said: ''Sar
| Francisco is so situated geogra phicaliY I'll at
is very flieult TO approach her by railroad
| from any part OF the State. Her position is
| in fact, almost as disadvaE tage0us as that q
| a commercial city could we'll be. They (lh
| people Of San EranciSco) cast about them Il
increase the difficulties with which natur
! had surrounded them. AS ii was no railroad
could approach them closely; but they sal
| we will make our wharyes r.ch source o
| harvest. We will stand at the Golden CAT
| as the Tobber bar0ns of the middle age
| stood in their castles and towns and exae
| heavy toll from all the merchandise ths
| passes"
Reading this extract, In the light Of subse
| QueDt events concerning California trad
| and commerce. will cause a grim smile {
| curl the lips OF him who peTusPs IL. Car
| have won against chips. The whistle of tn
in the later watches Of the night while i
| Richardson's Bay and the Straits OF CaI
QuIneZ fleets of noble merchantmen lie idl
on the placid bosom Of tne waters. An
when the importer by rail looks at the bill
for freight receivable at the corner OF Fourt
and Townsend streets he will be fain to as
himself. Who are The Tobber barons now
1t may be as well TO add here that the rail
road organ, the Record previously re
ferred to, then occupied the position at Sac
4. n. 10. k.-l
| Union. That once valuable property, tn
Sacramento Union, owned by Messrs. Al
tbOny, Morrell, Gray and LarkiD, was kille
by the railroad many years ago. The pro
priet0rs OF the Union were bold men who ha
the courage of their convictions. They with
stood, for reasons which they believed we
founded. the aggressive policy Of the raj
road magnates every time they demande
a subsidy. and the engine of destrut
ton was set in motion against the ind,
pendent and outspoken paper. BY the al
| of the Sacramento business men, who wei
threatened with the removal of the con
pauy's machne-shops IL they patr0niZe
the Unions advertising columns. thi
paper was squeezed out of existence an
the property Of a few months before Wort
perhaps quarter of a million dollars fe
into the hands OF the railroad directors II
mere song. sung by themselves.
In 1873 Gorham and Higgins quarrels
over the division of spDils from the railroa
and other corporations, and the two bossi
agreed 10 disagree. A split in the par
occurred and the Independents were f0rms
with the avowed principles OF destroyll
the power Of monopolies, etc. The ind
pendents were strong enough TO control Il
election of 1873, 10 secure a majority in Il
Assembly and, with the other branch
the Republican party, the control OF Il
Legislature. In 1875 I. g. Phelps, the
nnminee for Governor, was defeated in
| triangular fight the successful candida
being Irwin Oem ocrat, and the ind