The herald., 1894-08-23
INJUSTICE TO PUBLIC SPIRITED MAN

lines and are moro deceptive than out
rageous untruths.
The San Francisco Examiner just now
is engaged in reproducing certain letters
OF Mr.. @. P. Huntington, which were
originally published in the suit brought
by Mrs. Cotton against the railway COM
pany many years ago. These epistles
were written in the railway magnate' g
best style. Tney ultimately ranged
themselves in the category embraced in
the scriptural exclamation, "Oh that
mine enemy would write a book" The
Examiner, realizing that the people OF
San Francisco will never build a rail-
way 20 miles long. to say nothing OF q
transcontinental railway. is busily en-
gagged trying to get the United States to
buy the Central Pacific and present it
to the "Toll-tsker by the Sea-" In car
rying out this plan, our vivacious con-
temporary cares precious little what
false impressions may be created by a
garbled correspondence.
In recent issue of that journal we
noticed letter from @. P. Huntington
to General Cotton in which, to one not
converssnt with the circumstances, the
Nevada senator would appear in
highly absurd and invidious light-one
entirely foreign to his character.
In 1875 Senator John P. Jones, who
had become enormously enriched by the
discovery OF the Grown Point bonanza
on the Comstock lode, purchased q
three.quarters interest in the Santa
Monica y San Vicente rsnchos. With
his characteristic energy and liberality
he interested himself in exploiting the
mining regions about Panamint and
other portions OF Inyo county, and to
more fully carry out his plans he start
ed out to build the Los Angeles and In
dependence railway. As originally pro-
jscted this road was to run from Santa
Monica to Independence, the seat of the
remarkable treasure deposits which the
Messrs. Belshsw and Beaudry had
worked with exceptional profits for
many years, with branch to Panamint,
and an ultimate extension Of the road
to Salt Lake City. thus eventually re-
sulting in another transcontinental road
for Los Angeles.
Senator Jones spent enormous Gums
Of money in Los Angeles county, at the
Cajon pass, in San Bsrnsrdno county,
and in Pansmint. in iurthersnce OF this
grand scheme. Amongst other things
he built fine wharf at Santa Monica,
which was afterwards partially demol-
ished by the Southern Pacific railway,
and he built the railway which is now
known as the Santa Monica branch o.
the Southern Pacific.
1t was while Senator Jones was en-.
gagged in this and other gigantic works
that the failure OF the Bank of California
occurred--an event that ocoasioned an
unexsmpled local panic in this state
This untoward event resulted ia an ex-
ceptional tightness of money in Cslifor.
mia. It Of course affected John P. Jones,
as it did every other man in the state
who possessed large interests. 1t ar
rested the progress OF great work Of
development that had received its sole
support from his individual resources
and made the hope of any monsyed CO.
operation from the people of Los Ange'
les or anywhere else exceedingly prob
lematical.
1t was under these circumstances tha,
Senator Jones caused an intimation tc
be conveyed to the people Of Los An
geles that his pecuniary convenience
necessitated his sale OF the road, anc
that he would give our people the ad-
vantage of the first bid. He expressed
the opinion that the road was needed to
the full development of Los Angeles
giving US as it did competition by ses
as against the Southern Pacific railway
and he offered to sell it to the people o
this city at an exceedingly moderate
price.
1. is curious circumstance that at nj
stage Of this splendid plan OF develop
ment inaugurated by John P. Jones die
the people OF Los Angeles put up cent
In that respect they resemblsd the
people OF San Frnacisco, now and at al
times. They were quite willing to have
Senator Jones spend his millions fol
their benefit, but they did not offer aid
of any kind.
Under such circumstances Mr.. Jone!
sold his Los Angeles and Independence
railway to the only person or corpora
ton that was willing to buy it, viz, tc
the Southern Pacific Railway company.
But he did not do this until he hac
given the people OF this city an ample
opportunity to acquire it on equally ad
yantageous terms.
The incident, as we have truthfully
related it, shows how unfair is the light
in which a eingularly unselfsh publ,
man may be held in the insane desir,
to score point against the railway
psople. Any one who should read The
extracts published in the Examiner
would at once jump to the conclusion
that John P. Jones wss vulgar, jobbine
and intriguing senator. instead of a mar
who has probably spent more money on
disinterested public projects, and in
helping his friends, than any man who
has ever lived in the United States.
The HERALD repeats, what it ha.
often had occasion to say before, that
the snti-railway rabies may be run to