The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-30
THE TRAFFIC. PLEDGES.

Inc franc ASSOCIATION some tlHe ago
addressed a circular letter to candidates for
the Legislature, inquiring briefly whether
the candidates addressed were in favor OF
making the railroad pay its back taxes, Of
abolishing the present Railroad Commission,
Of providing for reasonable railroad rates
and uniform classification by the Legisla-
ture. and of creating a new commission 10
see that the State railroad law was faith
fully carried out. To that circular the asso-
citation has received los affirmative replies.
Divided according to party, and emitting
Pr0hibitonists ana independents, the
affirmative answers came from thirty-hye
Democrats, seven Republicans and forty
nine \ Partisan or PEOPLES party eandi-
dates-the Non-Partsans in the city being
obviously destined to cooperate in the
Legislature with the members of the Peo-
pies party from the rural districts
The showing is not very gratifying TO Re-
publicans who believe that citizen may be
a Republican without wearing a railroad
collar. But it was foreshadOwed at the
Sacramento convention. hlen who did not
dare to voice the public demand for reason
able transportation rates would hardly be
expected to nominate candidates who were
willing to carry out the wishes of their
constituents on the vital question of pro-
noting traffic. Voters must govern them
selves accordingly. II they elect railroad
tools because the instruments OF the railroad
claim 10 be Republican. they will only have
themselves to blame for what may happen.
FOrty-seven of the answerS-ten from
candidates for the Senate and thirty-seven
| from candidates for the Assembly-were re-
| ceived from San Francisco. OF the answers
! from candidates for the Senate three came
! from Peoples candidates, three from Dem
ocratS, four from Non-PartisanS and none
from Republicans. OF the answers from
candidates for the Assembly eleven were
from Democrats, fourteen from Non-Parti-
sans, eleven from Peoples party candidates.
and two from Republicans. CTimmlns and
Kelly and De Young have evidently trained
their men that hostility to high railroad
states is equivalent to dislOyalty to their
candidates. They must have established an
/ iron discipline. for, after all, it would not
/ have cost much OF a wrench for the cand-
/ dates to say generally that they were in
/ favor Of cheap transportation and against the
venal Railroad Commission; but it seems
/ that De Young and his pals would not even
/ allow them to say as much as that The
creatures who took nominations on the
| Crimmins aud Kelly ticket are not only
/ pledged to send De Young to the Senate. but
! they are denied the Door privilege of saying
! that freighis ought not to be 80 per cent
| higher than they ara in Kansas. and that
| dear transportation stands in the way Of the
| progress Of the city and State. Again. il
will be for the people, aud especially fOI
honest Republicans who have public in
terests at heart. to say whether the city
ought to be represented at Sacramento by
such persons as these. II they cast their
ballots for such representatives they will
only have themselves 10 blame when the
bank cleaTiDgs show a steady decline in the
volume OF business.
In the last two decades the growth of San
| Francisco has been slower relatively than
| that of Chicago, Milwaukee, st. Panl, Min.
neapolis, Kansas City or Denver. a variety
of causes have been assigned for the phe-
nomenon. But when we find. as Nj. Iced:
has shown Us, that the cost Of carrying prod
uce to and from these cities is very much
less, mile for mile. than the cost OF carrying
the same produce to and from San Fran
CISCO we have laid our finger on the cause
which must be at least in part chargeable.
Il is traffic which builds up a city. When
traffic is checked by tariffs which divide its
/ proceeds uneQually between shipper and
| carrier the city cannot 90 ahead. Mr. Hunt
| ington has told us that he and his partners
| have been impoverishing themselves TO de-
yelop the State. The public believe on the
contrary that he and his partners ave been
enriching themselves b. pursuing a short
| sighted policy " hich has crippled the State,
and that the State would have been far more
prosperous and the owners Of the railroad
richer il they had pursued a broader policy
which stimulated production and promoted
traffic.
Where the Crimmins and Kelly party pro
poses to stand in-this controversy the neg
lect of its candidates to answer the Traffic
Association now points cut. There need
be no further explanations made nor ex
cuses offered. Crimmins and Kelly's mer
are for the railroad; their votes Will be cas-
to lndorse the policy by which Mr.. Hunt
ngton and Mr.. Stanford have set back this
State at least ten years; their paper, tht
| Chronicle. is an out and out railroad organ
II on this showing the people Of San Fran
cisco cast their votes for Crimmns anC
Kelly's nominees they will have no business
to complain when the railroad cinches them