The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-05-08
TWENTY YEARS Ago.
Echoes From The Historical Committee Of
One Hundred,
When Leading Citizens Undertook to oPp9ss
tbs Central Pacific Monopoly, but euarreled
Among Themselves Instead.


ing commerce of this city and State. and
the newspapers, some OF them, are pointing
opt the causes therefor it will be interest
ing TO look back over 20 years in our local
history. aud from the past get a cue 10 ac-
count for cur situation in the present. The
more independent and intelligent portion
Ct the press insist that our overland rail-
way system, by heavy charges for trans
portati0n and obstructive methods, IS re-
sponsible tor the waning Importance of
San Francisco as a commercial center. In
the main. as is considered by many, the
conclusions of the press in this respect are
correct. At any rate, they are accepted for
The purposes Of this article. It is proposed
to recall the way the railroad people en-
deavored to encroacb, in the incipiency OF
their enterprise. on the domain of this city
aud its water front 1t is found. by turning
back to the files of our local papers,
20 years ago. that the cry. as now, Of Mr..
Stanford and his railway colleagues 10 me
municipality of San Francisco was that OF
the h0Tseleech'S daughter, Give. give
and il must he admitted that although re-
Sistanee to the demands has beer suggested.
ana at one time feebiy made, the career OF
the railroad managers up 10 the present
date proves that this cry has not 0een aIlO-
gether in vain. Resistance became more
now we lie completely passive in the hands
of the transportation people, who are SLOW
" draining our financial llteblo0d, IulllnS
the people into state OF false security All
the while, as tile vampire bat luis lis We
tim till the depletion Of his veins Is COM
pletP. Occasionally there is a protest made,
as we have seen Of late, against what ap-
pears TO be inevitable; but II IS not taken
up outside the columns Of the newspaper
bold and truthful enough to utter the warn
ing. The commercial people and the public
generally ] at the journal on the back for its
courage, and say Go SLOW" but give 1t no
material active assistance against the com
mon foe. The deSpoerS o. the fair inner
iance on this western shore laugh az the
same time in their sleeves at tile utteTanceS
Of the press, and treat them as the TTojans
did the prophetic words Of CasSandra.
TIE COMMITTEE OF ONE HUNDRED.
The point of time of The first and strong
est opposition to the aggTeSSlons OF the
yet young railroad enterprise was IN 1872
two decades ago. Citizens .of San Fran
clsco alarmed at the Goat-I Island threat,
and the demand for land and money by these
chartered treebO0terS, had the business
courage and vigOr to form in that year
sort Of league OF offpnse and defense called
the Committee Of One Hundred, which,
among other means 10 bring MIR. Stanford
and his colleagues to their senses, proposed
10 aid n competing road by subsidy OF
Sl0CC0000 This was the California, At
lanuc and Pacific road Of history A Dor-
ton of the road had already been con-
stTucted for several miles westerly from the
Eastern terminus, ST. Louis.
1t IS needless 10 give the entire list OF
this committee. The names Of. the gentle-
men who composed the standing Sub-c0m-
mittepS, now nearly all passed TT this scene
Of action, will show the representative char
Rcter Of its members:
SUBCOMMITTEE.
r.
n G. hittle, Fred Mason, Alex Well, James
Bows.
On Congressional and State Legislation
James Otis, chairman; LoTing Pickering.
James Bows, II. a. Cobb, John o. Earl.
On Municipal Legislation-Alfred Vince
Ter, chairman; William Sherman, John o.
Merrill. \. G. Kittle, Tyler Curtis.
On Auditing - Alex Well, chairman
Josiah Belden, Lewis Cunningham.
On Miscellaneous MdtteTs-William Sher-
man. chairman; (. f. Northam, John BenS-
ley, Tyler Curtis. Alexander Austin.
On Reports 10 General Committee - The
chairman Of each committee named.
On Preservation Of HarbOr - Richard
Tobin, chairman; Fred MacCrellish, John
o. Merrill, W. w. Montague, John o. Earl.
The principal motive fur the action Of
This committee was the implied menace on
the part Of the railroad company that if the
municipality of San Francisco did not give
them all they wanted, they would lend
their influence to building up Oakland as 4
rival town in commercial importancc-Guat
Island being a pivotal point where the
machine-shOps and general business Of the
company would be centralized. 1t was q
bold bluff, but the only effect it had was to
scare the leading citizens into an organized
resistance with more show than substance.
WHAT THE CENTRAL PACIFIC WANTED.
The overland railroad people were not
much troubled with mOdesty In 1872 nor
are they now disturbed By that negative
virtue. Twenty years ago they wanted the
earth. as the everyday phrase puts it. To
begin with, tue directors applied TO the Leg
isature for all tie submerged lands in the
city and comfy Of San Francisco, amount
ing 10 6000 acres. at a certain price. At the
same time they were negotiating for all the
tide lands in tie bay at Oakland. This sec
ODd attempted grab was introduced in the
Assembly cOntempOraneOuSly with the San
Francisco one, 10 the shape of a new charter
for the city on the eastern shore If the bay.
by which It's water front was extended almost
70 San francisco, running up the bay 10 a
point opposite Hunters, and then following
the ship channel, taking in Goat Island aud
even portion # AlcatraZ. By that bill all
the land was given 10 Mr.. Carpenter and
others who had compromised with Oakland.
and all their contracts were ratified and
confirmed. Tie new Oakland charter bill
passed the Assembly under suspension Of
the rules and came into the Senate, where
the same style Of railroad legislation was
sought 10 be obtained, but at the request Of
a Senator (the late Judge JOHN :. HageT)
action was deferred Hager satup all night
with an engineer, and they found As the re-
sui. Of their mutual laboTs that this new
Oakland proposition would give WharYes,
ship channel and all to private parties
MesSrs. John y. FELTON,, CARPENTER and
Others, with whom the Central Pacific had
an understanding by which they were
parties in interest. So il was really an
for oil ba mi las.d dc
both sides OF the bay to be given to the
Central Pacific Railroad Company. The
trick, though clever, was exposed and de-
feaJed. The company, finally, had TO put
up with a donation Of 90 acres by the
Legislature. Previous to this Alr. Stanford
and his colleagues got up d bogus public
meeting in San Francisco with a view to
bring a pressure on tie sOlOns at SacTa-
mento to grant them 800 acres for terminal
purposes on Mission Bay.
THE COMPANY's ATTITUDE.
The attitude CT the railroad people
toward the merchants and people Of San
Francisco before and during the episode Of
the One Hundred Committee was that of
positive and decided hostility, as il has
been since. They envied their semi
insulated position, which, while easy OF
approach from the sea by cargO-beaTing
ships, was an expensive difficulty to trains
OF cars, and the magBates f the rail sought
IN every possible way TO punish the popula-
tiOn for occupying this natural position.
SneeTs we're flung IN the face OF San Fran
cisco by one OF the railroad organs on ac-
count Of these commercial marine facilities
"San Francisco" said the Sacramento Rec
ord sis so situated geographically that it is
very difficult to approach her by railroad
from any part Of the State Her position
is, in fact, almost as disadvantageOus as
that Of a commercial city could well be.
They Che people Of San Francisco cast
about them to increase the difficulties
with which nature had surrounded
them. AS it was, no railroad could
approach them closely; but they said we
will make our wharyes rich source of