The morning call., 1893-05-28

decade. beginning with the completion In May, |
1869, of The Central Pacific Railroad across the |
continent were marked by more stirring and |
impoTtant events, tn deal With which III a |
journalistic way rsq qulred strong heart and |
clear head in The editorial sancium of lead |
ing journal like THE CALL. mention, In |
brief. Of these ev MS, and the manner IN which
they were trea ed Will show that Mr.. Picker
inc possess both the required qualities in an
emin enI degree, and that they enabled him 10
carry Toe paper through more than one severe
ordeal
In 1872 contest commenced In San Fran
cisco relative 10 raili Dads, which In The end
caused much strife and intense bitterness OF
feeling. Eng overnor Leland Stanford presi-
dent OF III Cent? al Pacific Railroad Company. in
his efforts 10 obtain legislation favorable TO his
TRANSFORMATION interests. remarked Incidentally
While before a committee of the Legislature.
That San Francisco was on the wrong size of
the bay." This put the residents and real
estate owners Of the Bay City on the qui vive
as 10 The rail- Dad mems intentions. especially
as to their designs on Goat ISland-a sort
OF insular bette nor 10 San Francisco
about The year above mentioned The city
papers. especially THE CALL, were full OF it.
1he whole situation l. very clearly and COM
pacily stated in Eitttelfs history of san Fran.
cisco. TIE Supervisors having refused TO give
a subsidy Tor a bridge at Rayenswood, the
Central Pacific Railroad Company urged its APP
plicatiOn previously made to Congress for per-
mission 10 occupy Goat Island. Little
attention had been given to making
terminus al the island but In 1872
the opinion prevailed that The establishment of
the terminal business there, with bridge 10 the
Oakland shore and numerous warehouses and
wharves on the island. would result in serious
II not immense, damage 10 San Francisco. THE
CALL held very strongly TO Ibis view OF the
case; in fact, the scheme was generally de-
nounced by the press and at public meetings
The committee OF one hundred citizens was or
gan Zed 10 take measures for protecting the
public interests believed 10 be endangered by
the railroad company.
Goat Island had been reserved by the Gov
erhment OF the United States for military pur-
. poses and the Federal army engineers in re.
spouse 10 an inquiry whether there was any OBJ
iecton TO the occupation of the island as a rail-
road terminus. replied that such occupation
would seriously diminish the military value OF
the position. which might become very I'M
portant if some hostile vessel should succeed
in passing tile Golden Gate. The coast survey
engineers, when requested 10 give their opinion,
said that any brldgt or solid caus way from
tile Oakland shore TO Goat Island would check
the 0ri ents along the eastern shore of the bay,
cause the deposition of large amount of sand
and mud diminish the tidal area, reduce the
amount OF tile tidewater flowing out OF the
Golden Gate with the ebb. thus injuring the
value of The harbOr. 1t was for these reasons
that THE CALL and lis colleagues opposed aud
defeated the railroad company'S designs in this
respect.
journalism in San Francisco from 1870 TO
1877 was demoraized 10 very greaT extent
by individuals who had private speculations TO
advance. in the first place the owners of the
Central Pacific Railroad Company, which had
become rich and powerful. were desirOus of
obtaining further subsidies from San Francisco.
This move was earnestly opposed by THE
CALL, and for this reason a controversy COM
menced. which ultimately became exceedingly
violent and acrimonious.
A few persons operating" In mining stocks
also paid large sums to purchasabe newspa-
perS TO color the reports coming from the mines
with view 10 influencing he market. They
gave in addition blocks of mining stock for the
same purpose. 1t was well understood that in
the proposed Spring Valley deal the assistance
OF venal press was oplained by The eXpendi-
ture of money. Several of the papers thus sub
sidiz-d could not have been published without
such questionable assistance. A condition OF
things existed in this city which, sin fact had
no parallel in the United States If In the world
THE CALL stood IN The way of all these of
colured projects, and it was sought to mete out
10 II the fate OF the Sacramento Union, which
was destroyed by the Central Pacific Railroad
Company for opposing its lust of power
and spirit of monopoly. Altogether The
railroad and several other private specuatOrs
spent SIX or eight hundred Thousand dollars in
their eudeavors to break down THE CALL, and
In This attempted dcmoli>hng process they
we're assisted by most of the other CITY papers.
Those were the times to try what honest jour
nallsis were made OF.
Notwithstanding these assaults by moneyed
power, aided by purehasable pens. no damage
ensued 10 he Journal attacked. THE CALL in
creased constantly IN strength. Probably there
lad never been such powerful combination 10
break down a newspaper, but In ihe end The
assaants gave up the strug gle, convinced that
The object sought could mol be ACCOMPLISHED.
During the eighties THE CALL devoted itself
10 dealing with matters material TO the
interests of the people. All questions re-
la;Ing to municipal affairs were clearly and i'm
partially discussed in its columns, and the pa
per was made more than usually Interesting in
all It's departments. Novel features were in
troduced. and lines of information heretofore
unconsidered were opened TO he public.
Let our readers now turn, for recent ex-
ample of The CALLS good and irenehant work
In the Interest of the public, to the Traffic
Association movement, which this paper, by
steadfast opposition 10 the exactions of the
Stanford and Huntington railroad system and
also its accessory, b fore and after the fact,
the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, has
really f0stered into existence. To It's efforts
are due The clippers ship line around Cape Horn
and The coast steamship line by way of
Panama, which has compelled Ihe Pacific
Mail TO reduce its freight TO such rdculously
low rates that the obj CT is very plain
The Pacific Mail intends to do up the Traffic
Association, if possible. by sharp competitions
and to take couple OF sieis backward tor tile
sake of making one forward. II our merchants