The morning call., 1893-08-17
The Time Oaklanders Are
Allowed Free Rides.
A CLAUSE IN: THE CHARTER.
The Opposition on the Creek Route.
Thrown by Flyer on Sew
-: ~ enth Street.

The railroad people uNeil lonS anu NV
ipgly on this word ''deadhead," and one
might be led to think that Oakland's entire
population: is composed of "deadheads.
or people who ride without pay. Is th'S'
true?, Has not Oakland paid in advance
for all this: riding that her people nave
been INDUCING in?
Itlooks that way. When the railroad
was built the. people; as a corpota'io"'
granted to The company most valuable con-
cessions. rights, privileges. ana oeneH's'
and the consideration, was to:be the Tree
Transportation. of the people, ;o1 OAKLAND
between stations.
In the Statutes of the State0t California,
chapter :DNXXII. is found: a law which
was in. force at The: time the company
which built the Seventh-street road was in
corporated. 1t was passed at the twelfth
session:of the Legislature and was entitled,
'.An act to- provide for the Incorporation
of railroad companies aud the management
of the affairs. thereof and other matter re-.
latingjthereso." :. -,
This act: was. adopted May 90 1861, and
section: u of the law reads% 49, .
Any city or town: in This STATE shall have
: and. hereby are fully empowered, by ana
. through "a twotnfrdS vote. OF Inc supervisors
: the Common Council, or any Others .havl ngiE
supervisors or; other contr9t Of such+ county:
city or town. res peclivelyf 10 give. grant. or
donate To- any railroad company: now organ:
ICED, OTtliat: may 'hereafteT~be Organized upQer
the laws of this State. the; use OF any 81 ne
streets or highways which may. be absolutely,
necessary=in order 10 enable such :cGAlpAnNto
reach an accessible point for a depot in aliySuch
county, city ard county, eify"or IOWA. of.to
pass through the same as o.. direct q, route
as p05sl biz aud ace0mmodaig le e9mmerclai
ana travelling interests. tneresI. 'rQEdeq, now:
ever the i5goY siOps OF his ae .1all not9ppiy
To lnE lgf
after to be CONSTRUCTED In any tie incorp9-
rated cities Of this state; nor 81 III any railroad
company. who may aYall tnEnserGes OF the pro-
visions Of.tbls section, eVer:us their road for.
street railroad purposes 0rt0rf1e purpose OF
carrying passengers Tor 4 consideration, from
one poiht.to another IN the same elly; iLol shall
any city or town donate als~ public square, or
any land ser apart Of public squire fothe use
OF any Que company; and pfq5idedinrther. that
nothing ain this section vo-ttaned: shall. be
deemed 10 apply 10 The rtI Of Sacramento
within the corporate limits ereot- -, {:
On the same day u ibis law was
passed thefe was passed act granting to
certain persons the re 10 build and
maintain a railroad THROUGH certain streets
of Oakland. Tbis line as to run from
near the westerly end II the bridge lead
ing from the. town of Clinton Clinton
stati0n) TO the city of Oakland TO point
on the bay where the shore approached
nearest to Yerba Baepa Goat island, ''or
at such point as 8 RAILROAD may be built
from 10 sach island.
The right was granted to certain" per-
sons. Gibbons. Cole and others, and on
November 90 1861, the City Council passed
an ordinance granting the right of way on
Seventh street to the "San francisco and
Oakland Railroad Company" This fran
chise was granted for fifty years. This
company to whom The franchise was
granted preceded the present ownership.
but Il does not appear IN herecords that
there was any incorporation of the San
Francisco and.Oakland Railroad Company,
which succeeded to ths rights of the ser
tain" persons, Gibbons. Cole and others.
However; an act OF 1858 recog lizes the San
Francisco and Oakland Company and rati-
fies the ordinance granting them the
privileges.
The railroad company now operating on
Seventh street is bound by the franchise
granted 60 the builders of the road, who
built and operated upder the general Law
quoted above. and are Obliged to carry
passengers free between stations within
the corporate limits OF the teRn.
Now. are the people of Oakland dead
heads.' as the railroad company call.
thsm2 Have they not paid. and paid
dearly. for the privilege ofTiding Oh these
trains?
This "deadheadisn' has heen for year.
recognized by the railroad com pany as par
payment which it owes to Oakland for the
privilege The people have given it of run
ming through its principal street, and the
contract has still eighteen years to run.
IF Oaklanders are 'deadbeads' beating
their way through the world on the cars,
why has the railroad company so long sub
nitted TO what Ii terms an Injustice?
The company knows wen enough tina,
.. 1t has been paid for all this riding. and
not only well paid. but paid in advance
1t is an Insult 10 call its citizens dead.
heads" and this is one OF the things tn;
people will not forget.
A welLKnown Oakland business maj
made the above remark IA the presence O
CALL reporter yesterday. He was right
RS the records show.
=. The railroad company and it's menial
have on all occasions spoken of the Oak
land people in terms OF contempt, and i
is not forgotten how sone OF its well-paic
attorneys referred to the people VIII
opened Broadway recently as "a mob" aat
a. 'slawless rabble.9 The long-sufferin,
Oaklanders are beginning 10 awaken q
these things. and the Fourth and TOWNSEND
street nabobs who swing about easily ii
cushioned oTevolving chairs might hea
something Il they would come down
among the people Of Oakland and listen u
the talk on all sides. 1t is not in whisper
the people are speaking, either. Ever,
night since the flyer" began crastin.
through Seventh street sndangering tn,
lives OF men. women sad children. Their,
have been meetings held Ga prominen
street corpers. II they would notice they
wonId see that it is not tha rifffaff ant
rabols that frequent these me etlngs, here
incsndiary language is cheersd to the echo
but staid business men are there, wei
dressed and attentive.
The attendance at the Council meetin.
Monday night might also set these railroad
= naDobs to thinking. Surely this fruit il
ripening and the handwriting on the wal
is SO plain that be who runs may read.
NOTES. a
Another victim yesterday was Alder