The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-08-19
How the Southern Pacific Gets
Its Power.
Manipulation Of All PARTIES Corrupt Nomi.
nations Discrimination in Business.
Bribery and Jobbsry.


unbosomed himself cogently and clearly on
a topic which evidently has stirred him
deeply, and which all good citizens should
likewise ponder.
The first answer to that question Is that
the railroad company is not doing legiti-
mate transportation business. 1t got It's
existence by the generosity of the Govern
ment at Washington, and was helped by
the State and numbers of cities. and to keep
beyond reach Of retrbution for its frauds it
has entered into every field Of politics with
a corrupt purpose. Ii has debauched the
whole State for selfish and INSCRIPTIONS
aims"
Yes, but how is it people allow them
selves thus to be led 10 the slaughter?
Surely everybody knows the company's his
tory
"The company manages to control every
thing by bribery in one form or another
Some business people it singles out as
friends and fayOrs them in business facili-
ties. Whenever there is a man it wants TO
use, That man is given extraordinary adj
yantages IN transportation rates or in some
other accommodating way. Or should the
man the railroad people want 10 Oblige be
an aspirant for political houors they show
their influence IN nominating convention.
and support him on election day. For many
years past the railroad has employed its
parasites TO control conventions. These
agents have been pioneered into the con-
ventlOns very skillfully. TO all appearance
they have seeming pretty fair exterior,
and make great professions of devotion to
the peoples cause, but they are neverthe-
less the tools of the company, and when
they get into conventions they spend money
and drive corrupt bargains 10 suit their
master. They in short secure the nomina-
ton OF such men as the railroad eorrupters
want 20 see in Office.
d Ar .r,,/
For instance in this city of San Fran
cisco there has not been political conven-
ton held by either of the political parties
during at least 10 years, aye 20 years, in
which the company was not represented by
some men who would secure the nOmina-
ton OF nearly every officer wanted in the
railroad interest. From Judges down TO
Supervisors the railroad has exercised con-
troll in its own interest To such pass
have things been brought that people are
discouraged, for they find that when they
get decent ticket 10 all appearance NOM
mated the candidates are pledged IN
advance 10 do what the railroad company
wants done. Yes, and that goes all round
from the highest 10 the very smallest Offices.
MephistOpheles would be ashamed of the
dirty tricks played by the Southern Pacific.
Whenever We have a Governor TO elect
there has been struggle Of this kind,
and all our members of Congress have TO
encounter the same influence and are
manipulated as far as possible by the rail-
road managers. There is the case of Stan
ford himself. He owes his return as Sena-
tor 10 the fact that the railroad nut men in
Office and sent men to the Legislature
simply for the purpose of nominating STAN
ford, and why Stanford wanted 10 90 TO
Congress was 10 influence legislation at
Washington and TO ward off any proposals
that might Eurt the interests Of the South
ern Pacifc-that is TO say, himself aud four
or five colleagues.
AFRAID OF HARRISON.
THE corruption praeticed to keep the
upper hand OF politics is not only nauseous
but infamous, and these men keep at their
dirty work in defiance and contempt of all
protests. We now understand Stanrord's at
titude pretty well and can. of course. see why
the Republican party here did not wish TO
renominate President Harrison. President
Harrison Incurred the enmity of the South
ern Pacific by refusing to appoint certain
men whom they wished TO be made Judges.
Could any policy be more dabolical or
Sontag ana Ruggles and Dalton type Of
men controlling public affairs we could not
be worse of. 1t is disgusting to see one of
these men Of the railroad combination lee
turing the people of this State on want of
THRIFT and enterprise. while another poses
as a Dhlanthropist in founding a univer-
sity and eyades payment of taxes"
Yes, but what are your remedies? You
see people have got used to being trampled
under foot, robbed and laughed at. They
have not even the spirit Of the Israelites in
Egypt; they do not revolt and cut a way
cut OF their difficulties"
Yes, l think there is a remedy In sight.
But } on can see at once that il Is a serious
matter for the people to know what to do
when every convention is packed with
agents of the railroad and the nominations
are all fixed by bargaining and bribing in
advance. Both political parties, through
bosses. are up to the neck in this corrup-
ton. AT present there is a movement to
nominate an independent ticket.
THE INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT.
THAT looks WELL doesn tit, but what is the
fact? That there are some OF the men who
are steering this movement in harmony
with the railroad people, men whom the
railroad can use as well as numbers Of
others, and unless the movement is purged
of these suspicious characters IL is useless
and absurd to expect ticket much better
than those put forward by the Re publicans
and Democrats
What will come out Of this condition Of
affairs it is hard to say, but the evil cannot
continue because no people that are inde-
pendent will allow IL to continue indefi-
ntely. The men the railroad puts into
office are men who will act upon occasions
OF moment as the railroad wishes. But as
they are thus seryie and unprincipled they
are not satisfied with the Doodle and favors
which come TO them TIN ough the railroad.
They look around for more and scheme in
every direction for their own advantage The
Railroad Commissioners are a beautiful
type OF the kind of braZen creatures the
public get TO serve them through the sinister
work of the railroad. Sometimes you hear
critics Of cur debauched politics say that
the blame does not lie upon candidates and
manipulatnrs They say that the honest
masses Of voters should know better
than cast their ballots for candidates who
are corrupt and who will deceive and rob
them the moment they are in office But in
a city and State where all conventions are
unscrupulouSly bought up and tinkered
with what can the wisest and most honest
people do? All judgment is baffied by the
confusion which arises.
USING GOOD MEN.
THE worst Of it is that there Is a class of
men here with seemingly fair records who
are used by the railroads If they were not
used the situation would not he so bad, be-
cause the public would not be mised But
they have the reputation OF being among
our best citizens, and the mischief OF mis-
leading arises from the fact that when they
go into convention they find that they
have some interests connected with the
railroad company one way or another, and
they frequently flop round and take sides
with the railroad company under the i'm
preston that by going hand in hand with
Il they can make great deal more money.
They sacrifice their patriotism to their
greed, and once in the net they remain i'm
meshed. That is the way in which good
men are used.
"A few years ago gentleman who Is
now dead--1 need not meut ton a name that
everybody can guess-had control of the
wheat market. lie bought nearly all of
the whea. of the State and shipped il in a
colossal manner of doing business, Now
the belief was general at the time Of his
death that this man shared In the profits Of
his business with some OF the railroad peo-
pie. There Is nothing Improbable in this
In small towns wherever there is anything
to be made the railroad has its hand In it.
and shares in the profit of selling land.
1.-The railroad has great power as COM
mon carrier, and grossly abuses its priyi-