The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-15
RIVER AMP HARBoB CONVENTION

The River and HarbOr Convention meets
IN Sacramento to-day. The United States
Board OF Engineers has recommended the
appropriation of $4,000 for improving the
condition of the Sacramento, Feather and
san joaquin rivers, and the convention will
consider the ways ana means By which Con-
gress may be induced to make the appTOpri-
ti0ns. There are some obstacles ia the way
Of success. II Congress were otherwise
we'll disposed it would hardly commence the
work Of clearing out the beds Of the rivers
while there is a probability that they may
again be filed up by the mining methods
which have placed them in the condition
complained Of. There viii need to be some
thing more than q genera. assurance that
hydraulic miners will take care OF their tail
iBEs before Congress VIII appropriate 500,
CQo, or any other sum, to clear the beds Of
the rivers Of the masses Of gravel that have
been run into them There Is another OBJ
stacle ia the way. Which one of our Con-
gresSmtn viii take charge of the bill?
Which one Of our Congress meu does not
owe his nomination TO the Southern Pacific
Railroad Company? Which one of them is
ready to retire to private life through the
Influence Of that company? Ii there is such
q one let him take charge Of bin appr0pri-
ating S730, 600 to improve the waterways Of
California. member of the convention
which meets at Sacramento to-day says there
are more than 1000 miles OF channels that
might be made nayigable connected with
the bay Of San Francisco. These channels
penetrate into the most fertile districts Of
the State If they were made nayiga-
bic a system of small railroads would
make the producers in all parts Of the State
independent Of the Southern Pacific Com
paDy. Under these conditions We can hardly
expect Senator Stanford to exert what in
huence he possesses to get the appropriation
bill through Congress. Neither can We ex-
pect any one Of the Congressman TO display
an energy that he might believe would be
almost certain to prove fatal to his public
career What then shall be done? Are the
people to remain quiet while the Southern
Pacific continues to make the State tribu-
tary to the interests Of their railroads In
all work Of this nature it is best to begin at
the beginning. If the River and Harbor
/ Convention wants a grant from Congress to
put the rivers into a Eayigable condition
they must first break the influence which is
| opposed to such grant. 1t is of no use 10
send Southern Pacific agents TO Congress
and then ask for appropriations that viii
greatly injure the value Of Southern Pacific
! property. The people can begin this year
! by sending seven men to Congress indie
| pendent of the dctation Of tie Southern
| Pacific Company. They can elect a Legis-
| lature which will retire one of the Southern
! Pacific Senators at the expiration of the
| present Congress and prepare the way for
the retirement of Stanford himself at the
expiration of his present term. The power
lies with the people to do this. 1t is some
times said that the Southern Pacific can OBJ
tain control Of any man the people may
elect to represent their interest This is
perhaps true as politics are now conducted,
and viii remain as true as it is now while
the people allow the Southern Pacific Com
pany to be the dispensers Of political
honors But the moment the discovery is
made that the people have resumed the eX-
ercise of powers which for long time have
been substantially delegated to the South
ern Pacific Company public men will be as
true to the people as they now are to the
Southern Pacific Company.