The morning call., 1893-08-02
Bright Prospects for the
Valley Railroad.
WHAT STOCKTON WILL DO.
The Citizens Anxious to Escape
From the Grip of the
Monopoly.
special to THE MORNING CALL


scrpti0n blanks. Many times has Stock
ton been victimized by railroads that prom
ised much on paper. but ended in selling
out to the one corporation they boosted to
be able to ccmpete with. Or course the
fact of the Traffic Association being be-
hind this road proved to many that it was
not a catch-penny scheme, but the more
wary. those who had been the hardest bit
ten, wished some further guarantee.
They had heard that in some manner
the very existence OF the new line would
render it necessary that it be competing
one with the Southern Pacific and tLey
wanted to see how this could be arranged.
The CALL satisfied them when 1t pub
lished summary OF the clauses that Will
insure the project being one Of the peo-
pies. Copies Of the newspaper were In
great demand and even gruff j. ID. Peters,
who has deal Of gOod-nature under this
gruffness, gave suUrt OF satisfaction and
exclaimed:
Ugh! I'd like to see how the cut
throats can get finger into that pie!
The term ''cut-lhroats" is an unusually
mild one for Mr.. Peters when he is seeking
through his vocabulary Tor epithets to
apply to the Southern Pacific.
Leading lawyers Of Stockton agree that
the trusteesnip plan will hold. and they
Aud here is an interesting story. one
which shows how much thought and care
was bestowed upon the creation OF this
road in order that 1t might be- a creature Of
the people and for the people.
Attoin ey L0uttlt Is credited with being
one Of the most clever corporation lawyers
in the State. Some ti,Ie ago j. 5. Leeds
came to him and explained how the Traffic
Association wished the San Joaquin Val
ley line guarded. The rest is better told
In Mr.. LOuttirs own words:
IL thought IL an easy matter and at once
drew up an elaborate ms rument. 1t read
smoothly and SEEMED just the thing. But
l asked MIR. Leeds to let it remain with
me for a few days. Then l imagined N.Y.
self as acting on the other side and began
to attack the document l knocked out
the first clause, then the second. and
finally the whole thing tottered aud fell
Then saw the San Joaquin Valley road
under my nose. That would never do.
Little by little l realized that had under
taken the most difficult task of my life;
that owing TO the tangled mass Of railroad
legislation it was problem hard OF Solu-
ton 10 So unravel it that the people might
be protected. The question interested me
more and more; 1t detied me and batf1ed
me, but the more intricate it became the
more attraction it had. thought of 1t
while in the office, while at home, while at
my meals, aud l may almost say that l
discussed it IN my dreams. For lbreo
weeks pundered. then wrote out another
document. When went home that night
l said 10 Mrs. LOuttit, We'll, L have got 1t
settled at last.
''She had become as much Interested as
| in the matter, and congratulated me
heartily. But that n light laid awake, and
toward morning thought had diScov-
cred another flaw. Arising early l went
to the Office, consulted my authorities.
found out that my after.th0ught was
correct, then, returning home, exclaimed:
Wife. it isn't worth the paper it is writ
tel ONT
"We sat down and talked the matter
over. l would have you know, Sir, that
after little she turned 10 ME and said:
why couldn't IL be arranged in such
equity that had no bearing on statutory
law. She had struck the keynOte-l saw
light ahead. at lasl-and that day the
matter was fixed up TO my satisfaction.
This, then is the legal document that
will bind the San Joaquin Valley road to
the people.
president of the California Navigation and
Improvement Company, aud one Of the
oldest wheat-shippers III the State. Talk
ing Southern Pacific 10 him is like waving
a red flag at a bull.
"The leech!" he exclaimed. "But we
will draw the blood away. then it vii! fall
of aud die. Want the new road! Or
course we want It. We will do all We can
for it, and l AIN not s. eaking for myself
alone, but for the company and for the
residents OF the San Joaquin Valley.
Why, sir, the future Of the STATE depends
ON competing lines. We have been crushed
and irampled on-and now am speaking
generaIly-nntil we are tired and ok OI 1t.
ma Gn u
tariff Of rates from his desk; 1.-THE South.
cru Pacific charges 81 80 ton freight
from Nj UdestO TO Stockton, distance OF
tn rty miles. The " alter rate from Tuoi.
umne City t. Stockton. distance OF 100
miles, is 81 10. and % cents Of that is paid
out tor loading anu unloading. whereas
the railroad has no such charges TO meet.
| could tell you Of enough such injustices
IT, fill column after column Of The CALL,
but one will d.. / picked 1t out at rau-
dom. But here, Orr, you tell this corre-
sp0ndent uf the latest rank outrage Of the
Southern Pacific. It's the most inpudrnt
and cool myself"
So saying he walked out under the broil-
ing sun into q emperature vi little over
100 deg. Truly. when Mr.. Peters gets
started on the iDjusticeS Of the great
monopoly the air fairly Szzles.
The gentleman aecosted AS above was
Wluule-6Heu Uu5lu6SS HAN, N. W. UT,
treasurer Of the Buhach Produce aud
Manufacturing Company. MIR. Orr was IA
member OF the State Legislature for three
terms, and was for a l0ug time secretary Ui
he San Joaquin Valley Chamber Of Com
Marce.
ut was certainly all outrageous proceed
ing, the one Mr.. Peters refers to-" sa lie,
'and i. happened In this way. We had a
carload OF fruit 10 ship from Buhach TO
New Orleans. In some manner TWO tons Of
the load became spoiled, and not wishing
to send out the refrigerator car with only
eight tons Of freight IN it decided to buy
two tons at Fresno and make the load
complete. Tie Southern Pacific calmly.
informed me that ii l opened the car at
Fresno to put In more freight we would
have TO pay $40 ton on the whole freight
in addition 10 the rate through to New
Orlt ans. In other words. they would
charge us an enormous local rate from
Buhach 10 Fresno, then through rate on.
| VAS nonpiused at the very idea. The
car had TO be opened at Fresno anyway
and the stock IF ice replenished. and the
fruit could b. put In then.
"'Y0ung man. said to the railroad
agent, this smacks of robbery
at does sr.' he replied In mild voice.
but those are the company's rules aud
l.