Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-10
SAN FRANcIsco's WANING PRBsrI GR

The old Greek adage "who would be
free, himself must strike the blow" is
just as true and possesses as much force
today as when first written. 1t applies
with closer fit and neater tension to
San francisco today than to any other
city west of the Mississippi river. Just
now the once populous and thriving
city by the Golden Gate is the ''sick
man' of American latter-day commerce.
When the state of Oregon was ad-
mitted into the union committee was
appointed to design state seal with an
appropriate legend. That com nittee
adopted Latin sentence, "AHs uolit
propriis," which signifies, "She flies
with her own wings" That motto can
be fttingly applied not only to the
rapidly increasing city of Portland
on the north of San Francisco
but with equal accuracy to our own city
as well as San Diego. In word San
Francisco has stood still while younger
and less fortunately located cities have
moved ahead and grown apace. They
have flown aloft with their own wings
while the great metropolis, that had
forty years start over any other city
vest of the Rocky Mountains, flaps idly
into space for moment and then falls
sluggishly into the mire.
Just now the San Francisco papers are
all clamoring for competing railway,
in order to force the Southern Pacific
company to lower its charges on freight
brought across the continent. How
many of the business men of that city
will do anything to aid such PROPOSE
ton? Contrast that once rich and pow
erful city with the little town OF Eugene,
which lies at the head of the great Will
annette valley, some 1870 miles
south OF Portland. Eugene wanted an
outlet to the coast at Sinslaw, some
rs miles distant. She sent out a party
of citizens to canvass for subscriptions
to the stock of such a road and obtained
over 100000 in eleven days. Eugene is
city of 1000 people. ,.s.4
When the question of competing
road agitated San Francisco in 1890, sub.
scription papers were put out and got
about $lS0,O00, just trif1e more than
Eugene city gave with her little 1000
people. Is it any wonder that Seattle,
Tacoma, Portland, Los Angeles and San
Diego, have grown rapidly while San
Francisco stands still and is about as
much identified with the growth of the
-, 1xlo
San Francisco is able to build COM
peting railroad TO the east, but che need
not 60 to that expense. She has already
one line of propellers making sixty
day trips around the Horn; and there
is no reason why she should not
put on another line of the same
style of vessels-large carriers with eco
nomical engines and low consumption
OF fuel. The Lord helps a great many
people, but has, up to the present date,
manifested decided preference for
helping those who display ability to
help themselves.
The trouble with San Francisco is
that there is no thrift in her middle
classes. They contribute more heavily
to the Louisiana and Mexican lotteries
than all the rest of America put togeth-
er. They are awaiting the discovery of
another Comstock ledge, in the hope
that they may strike another Consoli-
dated Virginia boom. In word, they
are filled only with gambling spirit
that is the curse of any country; and
until that spirit dies out, the city of
San Francisco can never recover her
lost prestige. What San Francisco
needs is total change of her business
methods, and until that change comes
she will suffer and continue to suffer.