The record-union., 1892-12-17

General n. P. Chapman of Red Bluff
read paper at the last meeting of the
State Board of Trade, in which he re-
peated what has been said in various
ways since the last census was published,
that Southern California has grown more
rapidly than Northern California
The San Francisco Bulletin, which seeks
for texts for railroad denunciation, seizes
upon this, under startling headlines, and
declares that the railroad company is in
terested in the destruction of all pros
perity-with various other clotted nom
sense. 1t thus seeks to make the some
what trite statement that Southern Cali
fornia has outgrown Northern California,
a text tor anti-railroad balderdash.
Both the essay and the BuLJetjn'S ar
ticle declare that the growth of Southern
California has been due to the existence of
competition. Now it is easy of demonstra-
ton that this is simply untrue, and not
only untrue, but consummate nonsense.
Southern California grew and is growing
by reason.of climatic differences, which
actually exist, as a primary cause, and
secondly, because of the difference of the
enterprise of its inhabitants, compared
with those of the northern section.
great impetus was given to the growth
of the southern part of the State by the
expenditure of large sums of money in
advertising. The Atchison. Topeka and
Santa Fe reached Los Angeles by lines of
its own, and demanding place in the
transeontinental pools, which was re-
fused, they proceeded to cut rates. This
was the golden opportunity of the whole
State alike. The rate was exactly the
same to Sacramento, Stockton, San Jose
and San Francisco as to Los Angeles;
therefore the competitive advantage was
shared alike by Northern and Southern
California. The Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe did not offer genuine COMPETE
ton; it tried to compel a division of the
profits arising out of overland traffic, on
the basis of a percentage determined by
itself. In this it failed. 1t offers no COM
The rates are agreed rates. 1t never in
tended to be a competing road. 1t in
tended to share the trade of the coast, and
it has exactly the same motive which ac-
tuates all roads; it intends to get all it can
So, when essayists and journalists de-
clare that the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe is an eleemosynary institution, they
simply expose on the one hand their ig-
norance of the fact, or, on the other, con
temptible mendacity. Let all parties tC
this controversy, or all who will discuss
it, or consider it, or write about it
or speak about it, stand face to face
with this fact: The rate Of transportation
for passengers and freight to Los Angelo,
has Arrays been and is the same as IL,
rate to MarySUilIe, Sacramento, Stockton
and San Jose. Competition has not giveI
southern California a lower rate of trans
portation; so that the difference OF growth
between the two sections of the State il
not referable to competition. If the com
petition exists at all, the northern part o
the State has shared its advantages, 70
the rate has been and is the same.
The reason why Northern California
has not kept pace in its growth witt
Southern California has been exhaust
lively discussed in these columns tim
and time again. When the process o
growth which gave Southern Cali
fornia its population was going on
1t was clearly ascertained that tn
large land-holdings were being broker
up and subdivided into small tracts
ami that large population was bein
settled thereby. Now General Chipmal
resides in the heart of the worst condi
ton of large landholding in the State
and he will only have to look about hir
to ascertain why his part of the State doe
not grow. The data proving the fact
have been given, name by name, acre b
acre, in these columns for the very coun
ties to which he most pointedly refers
Immediately east of the very town i