The herald., 1894-09-23
.ESTEE SHY ABOUT THE CANAL,
Judge Blades Gives Some Val
liable Facts.
The Nicaragua Canal More ImpOr.
tant Than Railways.
A Prominent Republican Gives Voice
to Some Themes of Inter
est to All Cali
f0rnians.

Republican as I am, and desireus
that the Republican party should put
its best foot foremost in its nominations,
l was curious to see and hear what sort
of candidate we had for governor. and
so went to hear Mr.. Eetee speak at
Pomona the other night. AS deem it
probable that he will be elected,
hoped we would not get man as the
executive hesd of the state who, in an
emergency, if caught away from the
capital. would subject the people of the
state to the humiliation Of apologizing
to law.brsaksrs for mildly suggesting
that they had better behave themselves,
and who would rather use the pedal ex-
tremities with which nature had equip
ped him. than meekly solicit those who
might bs totally blocking the COM
mercs and travel of the state in q vain
effort to redress the grievances of other
people more than 1000 miles away, for
permission to return to his official resi-.
dence.
My excellent friend McComas, whom
like Notwithstanding he has forssken
his old love and is now fooling away his
ammunition shooting at the moon (will
my friend indulge this flight of fancy, in
which there is no motivs?) had said to
me that Mr.. Estee is strong and able
man, and after looking into his rugged
face and hearing him talk, I said to my
self, my wayward brother had not rated
him too high. He is strong aud able
man-agree with him or not as you may.
In one particular, however, | was dis
appointed in his speech. He didn't have
a word to say about the most important
matter that has ever been presented to
the people of California since the time
when Broderick vas slaughtered because
he waa opposed to make this slave
state. / refer to the Nicaragua canal.
have no idea that Mr.. Estee avoided it.
and that he would have strongly favored
| it had it occurred to him to speak upon
| IL. The discouraging thing is that he
did not seem to regard it as of sufficiently
urgent importance to refer to it at all.
He opposed the extension of the indebt-
edneas OF the Union and Central Pacific
roads for 30 years at per cent interest
per annum, as.propoeed at Washington.
He favored govern ment ownership OF
these roads, and this proposition seems
to captivate the popular Imagination.
But can that help us? How can it? 1t
cannot relieve Southern California, at
any rate.
The Western terminus OF that line is
San Francisco bay, the eastern terminus
this state woilu Still be at the mercy. or
rather want OF mercy, of the Southern
Pacific, which has its feeders and tenta-
cles straddled out all over the state. to
The exclusion OF every road except the
Santa Fe. which has but limited access
to the interior.
And If we could obtain access to this
proposed government line without hav-
ing the blood sucked out OF us before We
could get TO it, how could it help US, az
compared with the canal?
The volume of tetatistics Of the in
terstate commerce for the year ending
June ~, 1892 not long since published,
shows that the actual coet for that year
to the main line OF the Union Pacific for
carrying one ton Of freight one mile was
.532 OF cent or 5. So centa per mile for a
carload OF 10.5 tons. The actual cost to
that part of the Southern Pacific consti.
tutinx the Central Pacific, is not given
in separate figures, but it is probable
that 1t is the most expensive part of the
Southern Pacific system to operate, and
the cost to the Southern Pacific system
to carry one ton of freight one mile, ia
given at fraction over 1.29 cents or
IL. .54 cents per mile per carload of 1916
tons. This cost includes not only oper-
atinG expenses but also the proportion
of fixed charges and incidental expenses.
The length OF the Central Pacific ia
1345, 80 miles and Of the Union Pacific
ll52 miles. 80 you see that in any
po,sible event the rate must be high.
We can never get cheap rates across
the continent until We level or tunnel
the mountains and irrigate 1900 miles
or more OF arid plains GO that they NAV
become as prosperous as that teeminv
land which lies between Chicago and
New York-and not then-the distance
ia too great.
To pay off the liens and floating debts
OF those two subsidized roads would cost
good deal more than to construct the
canal, and whom we got the canal we
should have instantaneous relief from
Puget Sound to San Diego.
Water rates are never more than 20 to
80 per cent Of the rates by rail. Spreck-
les once had contract for carrying
crude sugar around the Horn-15 $3.50 |
mlss-for $2.75 per ton, but that was
exceptional. The last statistical report |
OF the interstate commerce commission
RiVed buo hVorhgo IT6lHHt rate OF all the |
railroads In the United States at nearly
e mills per ton per mile.
The report on internal commerce of
the United States of the bureau of sta
tistics OF the treasury department for
the year 1891 gives the cost of water
transportation on the great lakes ut LIS
mills per ton per mile nearly six times
less than the average cost by rail. For
the year 1891 the average ratio per bushel
$50 pounds) OF wheat for the entire die
tsnce between Chicago and New York
by water was trfls over cents, includ-
ing Buffalo charges and tolls. BY all
rail 1t WAS Is csnts. These figures rep
the charges, not the cost, TO the
carrier.
Tho distance between San Francisco
and New York by way OF the line of the
canal is 1907 miles, and a single great
8 Gamer sailing with the speed of a
freight train could easy enough carry
the freight of 25 to 80 trains of cars ON
the Pacific roads.
Isn't it door policy. therefore, to insist
upon government ownership OF line
acrose the continent? And would not
it be oowing many other whirlwinds to
expend 500, 900 600 or more on such a
line when s75.000,000 or $4,000, 900
would give US the canal, and q route
which could never be monopolized and
"a fovavar opap n oil nunara of ,b;r.