The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-08-18
SAN FRANCISC0'S ADVANTAGES.
c, P. Huntington Points Them Out
Plainly.
Trade That Has Been Neglected for
Years and Ought To Be
Developed.
The following letter appeared in the
San Francisco Ware recently:

The following letter appeared in the
San Francisco Ware recently:
NEW YORK. July q, 1892.
To The Editor Of the IFdUe-SIR: In the
Wuge OF recent date appears an article
entitled, The Railroad Question" which
l have read with much interest. | wish
all the people of California would read it
carefully, particularly those residing or
doing business in OF near the city of San
! Francisco, as / think it contains many
valuable suggestions with respect to the
| problem Of how to build up and develop
! the trade and commercial importance OF
| your city. 1t is becoming more and more
evident 20 the people OF San Francisco
! themselves that something must be done
in this direction, and that q radical change
| of policy must be made. Nothing can be
gained by tearing down, but everything
by building up. In California it has been
every man for himself" ever since the
the Union has this selfish and unWIse
spirit been more pronounced.
California has many advantages. Her
! geographical position is good, her climate
and soil unsurpassed by any other in the
world. San Francisco is her natural en-
pOrium, her commercial and financial
center Who says that san Francisco
cannot be made one OF the finest cities IN
the world, situated as she is upon one of
the finest haTbors of the world, with her
inVigOrating climate, that Is neither hot
| III summer Eor cold in winter-in fact, a
climate that seems to have been so pre-
pared that man could make his greatest
effort there? How has she improved her
opportunities? On what seas has she
sent her ships out to gather tonnage to
fill her warehouses and bring home crude
material to her mills? For centuries the
Caucasian race has been endeavoring to
reach by the shortest lines the Orient to
gather It's rich commerce. A vast amount
of money has been made and great cities
built out of the profits Of that commerce.
1t was left for San Francisco, at the very
gates of the vast business, to repel it, to
scatter and not to gather 1t. Nes, the
only ships that she has ever chartered
she has never built any-were chartered
because she hoped by SO doing to be able
to tear down one of the greatest industries
that is doing all it can TO build up Cali
fOrnia; an organization that is making no
more money than is necessary to pay its
fixed and current expenses, which must
be done if its property is worked con-
tinuously.
No boy or man ever got a ride by cry
ing whip behind ~ Let each one do
the best he can for himself without doing
harm to others.
| once heard wise man say that the
manufacturer who made the best article
he could for a certain price would, If ne
lived long enough, die rich; whilst the
one who made the poorest article ne could
for certain price would die poor; and |
believe there are few exceptions to the
above rule. If the wealthy mon OF Cali
fornia who manipulate the produce of the
State-vegetable, animal or mineral
would pay the highest price they could,
with safety to themselves, they would be
doing a good thing for California, as such
a course would-at least it should be the
natural reSult-increaSe the product of
the State. There are SO many words that
ought to be said, SO many things that
ought to be done, and must be, before
San Francisco becomes a great city.
She shall have my best wishes and efforts;
but 1 can do little. There is a business
that California can reach-the business of
Eastern Asia. 1t built up great cities
upon the Euphrates and the Tigris and
along the shores of the Mediterranean
when it was done overland, and Sus-
tanned them for many centuries. When
the route Of that business was changed to
line over the seas, as was the case after
Da Cana discovered the route via the
Cape of Good Hope, the same commerce
built up great cities in Western Europe.
The same business is as valuable now as
it was III the centuries that have passed.
and no people were ever better situated
to profit by it than are the people of San
Francisco.
Why do not the men of your city, who
are so well equipped mentally and linan-
cialIy, gather this business and enrich
not only themselves but the city by it's
control? Z. Z. HUNTIN GTON.