The record-union., 1894-07-27
CALIFORNIA; PROBLEMS.
What a Leading New York Paper
Predicts.
Prosperity Does Not Come to People
Who Ignore Law and
Order.
[New York Evening Post.l ]

New York Evening Postl
The popular animosity to the railroads
and the sympathy with the strikers that
are manifested by almost all classes in
California, as shown by the press dis
patches, are perplexing to Eastern read
ers. There does not seem to be voice
raised there in favor of order and civil
government, and the inconvenience and
losses to which the public are subjected
seem to be accepted willingly, so long as
the railroads suffer quite as much or
more. There are several causes for this.
To begin with, California transporta-
ton is practically monopolized by one
company, the Southern Pacific. This
road controlsthe entrance to San Fran
cisco northward from Los Angeles; 1t
leases the Central Pacific. and so controls
the direct traffic East as far as Ogden, and
it controls the line running north to
Oregon. Besides this, it controls the feS-
ries across San Francisco Bay, most of
the California local lines of railroad and
most of the San Francisco street-car
lines. Every complaint. therefore, that
is made against railroad there-quality
OF service, rates of fare and freight
charges-falls on this company. There is
no chance to compare it with the service
and charges of other companies in the
same territory, and it centers In itself all
the popular animosity to "mOnopolies. !"
This animosity is especially strong in
California, because the profits OF land
products depend there almost entirely on
freight rates. Grain is shipped by water,
but the fruit industry, on which the ma
jority of California ranchers depend for a
living, is success or a failure in accord
ance with the growers ability TO get his
fruit quickly tC an Eastern market at
rates that will leave him profit. The
universal complaint there is that the
Southern Pacific Company adjusts its
freight charges so that the profits of fruit
raising go largely into its treasury. On
the other hand, it is pointed out that the
distance of California from profitable
market must always be an obstacle to its
success as a fruit-growing State, in view
of the competition of Florida and coun-
tries reached by water; that fruit-growing
there has been Overdone, as grape raising
undoubtedly has been fine vineyards
have been dug up in recent years as
wholly unprotitable), and that a railroad
able freight than it does for carrying
freight that can take its chances on the
line and requires no attention.
California suffers from another mo
nopoly" that has great deal to do with
the formation of public opinion; THAT is,
a lop-sided press. 1t is no exaggeration
to say that there is scarcely a newspaper
in the State that discusses public affairs
with any degree of independence. Jour-
nalism there means trucking to party,
and to the mob element. 1t was SO when
Chinese rights were concerned; 1t was so
when the CoXey movement was under
way, and it is SO now when the mob is
paralyZing the business of the State.
During the anti Chinese excitement edi-
tors whose papers were loudest in advo-
eating the expulsion Of the Chinese were
ready TO admit privately the falsity of
their position. But the public were on
the other side, and fear of loss of circu-
lation or of advertising patronage dictated
their course. Any visitor to California
will hear intelligent Californians lament
the weakness of the local press.
California, too, is politician ridden.
practical politics" controls its affairs at
great cost to the people. There is Doodle
in every public enterprise. Some of the
persons appointed TO assist in getting up
the California exhibit at Chicago resigned
because, even in such matter, the bosses
insisted that they should have a share,
and it is said that some of the county ex-
hibits in the San Francisco exhibition
cost thousands of dollars more than they
uCOuSU " Oli tulS dCCOuHt. hS d IeSull
the State Legislature is corrupt. 1t is
openly charged with being out of real
sympathy with the farmers. A railroad
magnate, Stanford, had a life hold on the
United States Senatorship. A quiet
movement is in progress all over the
State to place the State affairs III different
hands.
Such is the situation there as it stands
to-day. Separated by a vast distance
from the Eastern States, and by a terri
tory, too, that is for a great width not
adapted to thick settlement, California
has problems of its own to solve. Its
State pride is intense, and, because of it's
seclusion and the vast area, county
rivalry takes the place of State rivalry in
the East. Its mines have become second
ary in importance to its ranches, and in
regard to these there are trying problems
to be solved. It's capacity of production
is undisputed. 1T is now trying to find
out what it can produce at a profit. 1t
may be the wine producing country OF
the future. Its olives may supply the
markets of the world. Its dried and
canned fruits may be the source of per-
manent prosperity TO its fruit-growers.
But its population will have to learn the old
lesson that no prosperity comes to peo-
pie who ignore law and order, and that
economic wrongs are not righted at the
hands of mobs, whether those mobs di-
rect their energies against deienseless
foreigners or temporarily defenseless
corporations.
PROSPERITY IN CALIFORNIA.