The morning call., 1893-01-02


| next opportunity.
And right here am willing to record my
| self as declaring that IL IL be true that we
| cannot regulate these corporations by means
| OF commission, there is but one way 10
| deal with them. and that is, we must run
| railroads ourselves. / do not mean that we
| shall confscate property II we cannot settle
the matter through present channels pnt
We must provide for transportation which
| will not absorb the profits OF agriculture
and the results of the efforts OF toll.
| The foregoing views are entertained by
many able and homes. people, and II was
wrong at Fresno in acting upon this theory
my conduct is not proof or even evidence
| that am under railroad control. The ar
| rument itself is enough to show good faith
| irrespective of my record on the question,
| 10 which | beg leave to refer. do not
| think it likely that any one will charge that
| the large number of respectable delegates
who voted in that convention with me were
/ subservient 10 the railroad. Ii may be said
| that their Judgment was wrong. and that
was in error; but / am now discussing this
matter from the standpoint OF good faith.
There are, however, other reasons which
| ought 10 be conclusive of my standing in
! this matter.
have been pretty consistent worker on
| the Democratic side OF the railroad question
ever since / cast my first Presidential vote
! for Mr.. Tilden in 1876. In 1882 ! placed
! Governor Sioneman In nomination al the
San Jose convention. He at that time was
/ a Railroad Commissioner. He had been
faithful to his trust. but had been thwarted
| in his efforts by his colleagues. In nomi-
mating him | referred to hima THE minor
! ity of the Railroad Commission" and he was
| chosen upon that Issue distlnctlvely, and
| throughout that campaign j made fight
! upon that basis. In 1884 was chairman OF The
well-known Stockton convention, and ap-
| pointed the committee on resolutions OF
| that body, and they reported. and there
| was adopted, the most positive party decla-
ration upon the railroad issue that was ever
| promulgated in California. In 1856 | was
chairman of the convention before which
| MIR. Bartlett was nominated for Governor
| There was quite a contest as to my chair
manship, and in my address TO the conVen-
| ton (Which can be found published in the
! Examiner of that date | referred to and
| criticized the action OF the Republican
| party in electing Mr.. Stanford to the Sem
| ate, and thus bowling down to the railroad
| corporation. And in my addresses made
! while ! was then canvassing the State /
went over the same ground.
In 1883 l travelled through California
| once more for the Democratic candidate
| for President and took the same position
| with relation to railroad matters. In 1890
| made a decided onslaught upon the railroad
| and attacked its agents for their purchase OF
| senatorship. No public speaker was as
emphatic and outspoken upon this subject
as l was In fact, my position upon rail-
road matters was such that some of the
very Democrats who are now opposing me,
! alleging that / am not sufficiently anti-raiI-
road, advised me to modify my remarks,
but, as l was saying nothing that was not
| true, declined to do so.
When / was member OF the Legislature
my course on this subject was clearly con-
sistent. In the year 1889, when the Ju-
| dietary Committee of the Senate was con-
| sideTing the bin introduced by Senator
! LaDgfOTd. being Senate bill No. 1l9, pro-
viding for the re-asSeSsment Of railroads,
/ several Of the members of the committee,
| being anxious to procure an efhcaclOus
| measure Of that kind, prepared substitute
| containing the essential features OF the
! original bill. but designed 10 answer some
/ technical objection affecting It's validity.
! The matter came before the judiciary Com
mittee, and was there the subject OF animated
! discussion. and any one of the members ofthe
/ committee who were present VIII remember
| that was not only outspoken but decidedly
| aggressive in the position which l there
took. When the matter came to vote
| three members of the committee were ab-
sent. and of the eight present four voted in
! favor Of the substitute and four against It.
| Those voting in favor were Messrs. Can't
netti, Heacock, MCGOWAN and myself, and
the bill was reported in that condition. For
| reasons which II is unnecessary here TO dis
| cuss we were unable to procure its passage.
/
fer can be found on page 4S1 of the journal
| of the Senate Of the twenty-eighth session,
and the substitute which We proposed and
against which the railroad people were then
eontending is on file In Sacramento.
am therefore justified in saying thar my
| position upon these subjects is absolutely
| consistent and entirely in one direction.
! Moreover the Fresno platform contains
! unmistakable declarations upon this topic,
which | not oulv Endorsed but which
assisted in preparing. We resolved tnat
| the Democratic party OF the State OF Cali
| foTnia resents the interference In the politics
! Of this State of the Southern Pacific Com
panv OF Kentucky; that We denounce the
/ system of boss politics, largely created and
fos'ered by that corporation, which has
| corrupted public men and public life. and
| under which few but these who find favor
in the eyes Of the corporation and
| stand ready to do its bidding have held
/ Office" We also denounced the inactlon
of the Board OF Railroad Commissioners
| of this State. and the majority Of the COM
mitlee Endorsed the efforts of the Traffic
! Association to compel The Commissioners
TO do their duty. This | wished to enlarge
| by earnest sympathy with and cOmmenda-
/ ton of all efforts TO compel the Railroad
| Commission to perform its constitutional
| duty by reducing railroad fares and
| freights In other words, | Joined with
| the rest of the committee in all that part OF
| the Fresno platform which denounced the
railroad company and demanded reduc-
! ton of fares and freights. And IL | mis-
take not ! personally prepared that part OF
| the platform which criticiZes the Interior
! Department for its neglect to open forfeited
| public lands for settlement; and the pro-
vision with reference to trusts and corpora
lions was written By me-
What could more positively settle my DO
sition upon railroad matters than the ex-
| piicit declaration made IN the Fresno plat
| form, which | helped 10 frame, viz:
! Resolved that we are unalterablY ep-
| posed to any extension of time for fifty
| years or for any other time for the payment
| of the indie otedness Of the Pacific railroads
to the General Government"
Ii l am a railroad man why did I indorse
the resolution and why do indorse it now?
| Ii is evident that | WAS not afraid TO eX-
press my opin IONS at Fresno, fer / did file
minority reports.
| wish to add here that in 1883 l was
chairman of the committee on resolutions Of
the State convention which convened at
| Los Angeles, and among other resolutions
! reported by that committee was the follow
ing:
I'VE commend the action Of our Demo-
! cratic State officials in pressing the CalifOr-
MIA tax cases toward ultimate decision ana
! hope that this important Issue will not be
! permitted to rest without final adjudication
upon lis merits. We once more condemn
the action Of those railroad corporations
| which have persistently refused 10 pay
| their lawful portion OF the public revenue.
This failure to resi- ond to just demand.
has seriously contracted the public school
fund and must render our educational sys-
TEN less effective until collection is enforced
or the honest taxpayer is compelled to con-
tribute beyond his prOportiohate share.
! The Republican party, ever lnSlDcere In It's
| professions, has finally dsavowed all inten-
tion to resist the demands of It's corporate
masters. 1t fears to stgmatize their en-
croachnents or TO question their miscon-
! duct but On the contrary. as the action Of
| its late State convention demonstrates,
| yields ready compliance to their dieIatien.
This plank / COMPOSED.
You will remember that / was chat
leDged by the Republican State Commit
tee to debate the tariff with Mr..
Estee, and there was good deal Of
L n