The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-03-01
THE RAILROAD AND THE AP-
PREACHING MUNICIPAL ELEC-
TION.


of season that the company he represents
will not use any influence it may possess
in the control of the politics of this State;
nor will it permit any one in its employ
to use the power he may possess over
other employees to coerce their votes.
There is no question whatever as to the
sincerity of these professions. Notwith-
standing this, it is now rumored that GER
tain persons claiming to possess author
ity have issued instructions to various
foremen, and to those having authority
over men, to vote in specified manner at
the coming municipal election. We do
not believe that such orders have been
issued. If they have, we call upon the
foremen to whom they have been issued
to state publicly from whom and through
whom such orders have come. We will
give the utmost publicity to any reliable
and well authenticated statement on the
subject. While we are not III a position to
affirm or deny that orders OF the kind
referred to have been issued, we are in a
position to declare that if such orders
have been issued. they are wholly with
out the authority of the Directors or Presi-
dent of the Southern Pacific Company,
and being without authority, they could
only be issued in the interest of the per-
sons making them.
At no time has the practice of making
letters out of the employment of men to
deprive them of the free exercise of
the elective franchise been justifable.
Whoever, having authority over an
employed man. seeks to rob him
of the exercise OF free con-
science in depositing a free ballot, COM
mits a crime against civil liberty deserv-
ing of the severest Reproduction. Now,
since authoritative declarations have been
put forth by the President of the South
| ern Pacific Company that no man shall
thus be deprived of his liberty of action,
it follows that whoever attempts TO direct
the vote of those under him, or those de-
pendent upon him for employment, per-
petrates fraud presumably in his own
interest, and gives ground for the pre-
sumption that he is obtaining pecumary
reward or expects political advantage or
| personal gain of some kind.
! There shall be no misunderstanding
concerning these matters in the instance
of the approaching election. There is not
| a single actual acting director of the
Southern Pacific Company in California.
Any pretense that any instructions have
emanated from the President of the COM
pany or any director, therefore, will be
an unwarranted pretense and willful
fraud. Nor do we care in whose interest
such frauds are perpetrated. We have no
ment is concerned. Your fierce partisan
| is always self-seeker. 1t is the candidate
! for Office and the spoils of Office who
makes the loudest professions of party
fealty. He loves the party, it's history
and its traditions just about the time he
expects office at its hands, and he does
not love it at any other time or in any
other season. In the government of this
municipality, we are for men and not for
party, and we have plainly indicated our
choice among those before the people for
preferment to municipal office. We will
cheerfully expose any fraud perpetrated
in their interest by pretended direction
from the officers of the Southern Pacific
Company, the same as if such fraud had
been perpetrated for the purpose of de-
feating them. The simple truth in this
matter is that the Southern Pacific Com
pany will not interfere with the selection
of municipal officers for this city, and
therefore whoever does this in its name
will perpetrate fraud to subserve his
own private interests.