The morning call., 1894-10-07
An Island City in the Bay.

From the Evening Bulletin.J
In the closing hours Of the last session
of the Legislature very remarkable joint
resolution was proposed. In the confu-
sion nobody seemed to know exactly what
became of 1t; but it turns up as large as
life in the statutes duly authenticated.
This joint resolution calls upon our Sena-
tors and Representatives in Congress to
work earnestly" for cession of Goat or
Yerba Buena Island to the State. No
doubt is left as TO the OBJECT sought to be
accom- plished. In a left-handed sort of
way. after the railroad manner. it is slung
in that the island is to be used by the
grantees of the State for general railroad
terminal purposes" Nobody by this time
need be told what all this means. The
title to the island being once in the State
the railroad will Immediately wrest it from
its feeble grasp.
The provision that it is to be used for
general railroad terminal purposes is in
tended to mislead, as usual. 1t might be
supposed to mean that the island is to be
free for terminal purposes for all railroa ads
But in the very nature of the case such
could not be the fact. The island has to
be lsyeled of to be of any use for railroad
purposes. There is only one railroad to
do the work-that is the Southern Pacific
Vi AOutuCASs IL Is uUt at d1 likely ludb IL
Will engage In expensive grading for the
benefit of rival roads. The meaning of the
whole business is a revival of the Goat
Island grab, which has always been a
favorite scheme with C. p. Huntington.
To get true view of it the surrounding
facts have TO be closely considered.
Goat Island contains $40 acres or there
abouts. A mud fiat of considerable extent
lies northeast of 1t. There are several
hundred acres of it. This fiat was granted
by the State to what was known at the
time as the Flint Terminal Railroad. The
present railroad company early in Its career
acquired the property in question. By
spreading Goat Island over the fat an
area of about 100 acres can be secured,
together with water front several miles
all around. 1t has long been the dream of
Mr.. huntington to create here an island
city, at which all the commerce of Cali
fornia might be conferred. This island
would be entered on the northeast by his
railroad. His ships from the Orient and
elsewhere would discharge at its wharves.
There would be room enough in this
island city to store ali the goods that the
State may want. There would be room
enough TO transact all the wholesale bust
ness of California. In this island city Mr..
Huntington would be supreme. He would
be his own Board of Harbor Commission
ers. The tolls imposed would all 60 ipto
his pocket. Oakland on one side and Sa q
Francisco on the other would be left out in
the cold. They would have to go to the
island city TO purchase what they want.
1t is a tale of the contemplated destruction
OF the commerce of two cities that we have
here to consider. The proposition of Mr.
Huntington is to do himself all of the
wholesale trade OF the two commuuitie 8
He can only succeed by stealing our rep
resentatlves. The question is, Can he
do it?
This is no laughing matter. 1t is the
most serious raid upon the cities of the
bay the railroad monopoly has yet planned.
1t leaves them nothing but the retail trade
until some scheme can be Matched to wrest
that from them also. Before we 90 any
further we must know how our candIdat
for Congress stand. There is no lima fol
fooling. Ii they do not promptly d. clare
that they are opposed in every form to thi
revived Goat Island grab, nothing can pre-
vent the people from slaughtering them a.
the polls, no matter to what party they
belong. The Republican candidates ha(
better speak out at once on this subject
Seats in Congress will surely depend or
the answers made