The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-06-28

A newspaper contemporary asks. at the
head Of an editorial article, What Is
Man ?" In California he is q strange
mixture Of impulse and patience. At one
peTiOI in the history Of tile State We have
seen m act upon impulse to such an ex-
tent that lie would hang a man for stealing
q few head Of horses or cattle. or for put
ting bis hands upon a little gold dust which
did rot belong to him. Then, upon another
occasion. we have seen him as the embodi-
ment Of patience Itself. lie would per-
nit q set Of miscreants 10 piuHdeT him with
immunity. A class If men ike Buckley
would iasten their clutches upon the differ
eDt Offices in the city. taking tribute from
various officials. Money would be carried
cff-,hat vrung from an oYertaxcd people
by Millions and yet not a groan would es-
cape from patient CalifOTnisns. In San
Francisco we have been almost skinned
alive By our bosses and railroad
managers, but tbe people were pa
tient-m6st patient Criminals would &c
through the farce Of trial. but il they had
money The chances we're as 10 to l that,
between juTy-bribeTs and something else,
tie culprits would escape, even when con-
Tossing 10 the commission Of crime. Are we
not patient people? We have now reached
a period If development when patience
shows itself perhaps more Enthusiastically
than ever before, for We permit ourselves
to he pundeTed by a foreign corporation:
Dy "a corporation CygauiZed in another State
pUTr oseiy to escape taxation and TO plumber
us. lie corporation does, however. con-
tTiye 10 dictate who shall be our United
States Senator's our members Of Congress,
cur Judges, members Of the Legislature,
Supervisors. etc. Tie corporation says who
shall fiji the position Of Railroad Commits
si0ReTs and eQUaliZeTs Of taxes. In truth,
cur railroad eOmpany-f0r that is the cor
pCTatiOn to which reference is made-runs
everything liz accordance with laws, al
though some Of those laws may be made at
It's dictation. We have not exactly become
TecOuCiled 10 have cur pockets picked out
right, but We consent 10 have 4 set Of mis-
CTeGnts in Office take money by hundreds Of
thousands which does nOI belong 10 them,
yet We do not move even = I'm
ger in opposition thereto. And the
men who take our substance, for
all We can see to the contrary are even
more popular than they would be if they
permitted Us TO elect honest officials and en-
JOY cur own earnings. Again, the man.
ayers Of this precious foreign railroad
company claim the right TO charge our
people what they please when we send
freight or take passage over the road which
the money Of the people has built. They
also claim the right TO charge one town one
price per mile for freight taken over the
road while they charge a much less price for
another town. They also single out men.
To one they give reasonable freight rates
but from another they exact such rates as to
almost ruin business. Patient, are we not?
So patient are we in fact that we doubt
whether IT is just 70 enact laws which will
give al towns and al citizens equal rights
upon TIE company for freight OF passage.
California and Califonians have reputa-
ton for liberaIity. They have also the
reputation for being impulsiYe. but when
persons abroad see Us submit to be ruled by
four or FIVE individuals in the form of
foreign corporation, turning over to them
the election Of nearly all our officials. and
giving up 10 them our wealth BY millions Of
dollars annually. we End they do not know
what 20 make Of California