The record-union., 1892-03-07

doing so employed an army OF men.
Then he scattered his finished product
amongst the people who needed it, and in
| that distribution the railroads carried
thousands of tons into the great valley of
the Mississippi at rates that were satisiac-
tory to this business man, who had the
genius and the energy TO gather abroad
and manufacture at home. Would that
California had a few more such men.
If she had, more mon would go to
the mountains to mine gold, more to the
woods to make money ont OF the products
of the forest, more to the farms to plant
and SOW, then to care for the growth OF
their planting and mt the harvest time
gather their crops. Others would gather
the crude material outside of the State,
bring it home and manufacture ii, thus
benefiting the thousands who in its mani
ufacture are to use your lumber and your
metal and live upon your crops. Let the
outside public know what splendid farms
you have, convenient TO schools and
churches and obtainable at reasonable
rates; show them by your works that
California has places for plenty Of good
worimen, skilled and unskilled. Show
them, in short, how much you can give
them for their money, instead of doing as
has been done in the past, viz, seeing
how much could be made out of them and
how little it could be got for.
"It is often said that the builders Of The
California railroads hare nude ldIge
amounts ofmoaey by teii operations. Is
that so ?''
1t is not The roads that my associates
and myself have builded in California
have cost less than roads Of the same
character in other parts of the United
States built under similar circumstances.
They have cost all their mortgage bonds
and considerable percentage on their
stock. Our investments have been en-
tirely in the shares, on none of which
have any dividends been paid, as / re-
member, except in the case ofthe Central
Pacific.
Those who have built the roads in Cali
fornia have no doubt made mistakes.
Who has not that has made anything?
But in their mistakes the builders have
lost and not the public for what read has
ever been built in California that the pub
lie was not benefited by its building?
The writer of this has spent more money
in building railroads in your State than
he ever made in California, and used his
credit and that OF his associates often up
to very near the danger line. 1 will adj
nit that it was for the profit and the pride
of the building; but | speak truly when
/ say that the greatest pleasure that we
received from the work was the conscious
ness that it would build up the country
and benefit the people living along the
! lines over which the roads were CON
structed. We tried hard and long to get
Goat Island, to be used as the western
terminus of all roads coming from the
north and the east of San Francisco. but
it was fought by the people Of San Fran
| cisco as though it was wanted for the use
Of some public enemy to destroy their
fair city. 1t was prophSied then-and the
| prophecy has come true that its non-use
| for railroad purposes would cost the city
| of San Francisco and California Il tax
upon a large part of its commerce. besides
much Inconvenience in doing the bust
| ness upon the Straits of Carquinez over
| what it would to have it done ut the great
! commercial center of the State.
| What the Southern Pacific Company
wants to do, and whit its interest lies in
/ doing. is those things that Will be most
conducive to the best interests of the
! State. the people of San Francisco aud
| the other portions Of the Stale Will give
the company their moral support and
| gather the commerce of the islands OF the
! Pacific and Eastern Asia into San Fran
cisco, and there convert the raw mater q.
! into sach forms as are best suited 10 mans
use, the Southern Pacific will help to
distribute it over its vrious lines at rates
ut which they viii not complain But
| the best possible thing cannot he done for
the people ON account of the interstate
Commerce law. fit were not for that
law we could and would transport large
amounts of California products into the
Mississippi Valley. The best and cheap
est fibers can be concentrated ut AMI man
uIacturcd in San Francisco better and
cheaper than in any other city of our
country.
The Southern Pacific Company is max
ing many Improvements on the line OF
its road between San Francisco and New
| Orleans, which is the best and most eco
| nomical line over which to move freight
between these two points; thence (from
New Orleans) along the coast line of the
North Atlantic. Ii the people of Califor-
MIA would organize for the work and
raise and prepare i'll the best possible
| manner all that could be raised in Cali
fcrnia, it could be sold in Western Eu-
rope at rates that would be satisfactory TO
both producer and consumer If there
were sample rooms in the principal cities
where the goods could be exhibited the
Southern Pacific Company would put on
| a line of large ships to run between New
Orleans and Europe, so that the cost and
time of transportation would be at the
very minimum. There would be 10
| drayage or lighterage in the transfer be-
tween the railroad and the ship
have always had an affection for Cali
fornla. it was the scene of the hardest
yet most satisfactory struggles of my life.
L have known its history famiiiarly, have
watched its growth and the increase of its
importance as commercial center from
its earliest days; have predicted great
things of its future and believe they are
TO come to pass. There is plenty of busi-
ness genius and sagacity, plenty of
energy and determination in the material
at hand. Ali that seems to me to be
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