The morning call., 1892-08-29
ONLY HERsELF 40 ELAINE.

In reply to an article in THE CALL stating
that San Francisco objects TO being the tail
end Of a tEanscontinental railroad the
Record Union says:
There is nothing. be It noted, 10 prevent her
becoming the head end II she wishes. But how
many railroads has San Francisco built? To
what railway enterprise has she established the
rgsJ TO headship? What railroad promotion
has her merchant class encouraged? Il she Is a
tail-ender- which is not true, however San
Francisco has only herself to blame. She suffers
nothing not due TO Ter own laehes and wau; Of
foresight. She is subject to no Ill by reason Of
commercial competition that is not the result
of natural laws. That she has not applied rem.
edies is due 10 her failure to understand such
laws. or, understanding Them, refusal TO conform
10 them.
To become the head of railroad, that is,
TO distribute merchandise along a railroad
route, city must have as cheap transporta-
tion from as to. The complaint of San
Francisco now is that the high freight rates
from the city to the interior opens territory
. which naturally belongs to San Francisco
TO Eastern cities. So long as it costs San
Francisco shipper as much 10 send the prod
ucts of San Francisco factory 300 miles as
it costs an Eastern shipper to send from
twice 10 three times that distance San Fran
cisco cannot hope TO be the head OF the road.
It's true san Francisco has not built any
. RAILROADS. 1t helped the Central Pacific
Company to build It's road in the expecta-
flo d that itawould receive fair treatment at
. the hands Of its managers. The discovery
that it was not receiving fair treatment has
come perhaps somewhat slowly. The city
ought to have made 1t years ago. But the
factthat she did not is hardly a reason why
q. railroad organ should reproach ber for
making itnow. Perhaps in this respect
the city has only itself to blame. 1t should
have taken measures 10 free itself from the
control Of the Southern Pacific years ago,
Q but it did not But the present indications
are that 1t will 90 thoroughly tie work il
put off too long. We are now told In de-
rislon that the city suffers nothing not due
20 her own want Of foresight. 1t may be
urged, however, as an excuse for want OF
foresight that the city was reluctant TO be-
leye that the managers OF the road she had
helped to build would turn against her.
Treachery is the last crime which a loyal
soul guards against Our contemporary
continues: "She is subject to no i'll by rea-
son of commercial competition that is not
the result Of natural laws" The time for
making this assertion was i'll chosen. News
was then on the way announcing that the
Tran soon tinentsl Association had decided
10 withdraw the subsidy to the Pacific
Mail, which had been given in the interest
mainly of the Southern Pacific Company.
The object and effect OF that subsidy was to
take from San Francisco means of COM
petition which was hers by right OF natural
laws. Nature made the water route, and the
Southern Paeiic'for time closed it against
u. The city is now reproached because she
has not applied remedies. The reproach is
entirely just. 1t might have come with bet
ter grace from other quarters. but it will
not prove less effective because 1t comes
from source that pTofted by the cty's
supineness. For 20 years San Francisco has
been the victim Of perversion of natural
laws. BY one means and another she has
been induced to forego The use of the sea to
supply herself with merchandise She has
paid from $40 to $50 freight per ton on nom
pershab,e goods that might as well nave