The San Francisco call., 1895-12-01
Huntington Fears National Pollti'
clans Will ForeSee Its
Effects.
sUTRO HAS PRIVATE ADvICES.
The Mayor Will Call a MaSS.Meeting
to Open the Fight Against
the Railroad.

The fight between the Southern Pacific
and the people of the State of California
for and against the passage through Con-
gress of any bill providing for the refund
ing of the railroads debt to the Federal
Government, is about to be reopened. For
weeks the representatives of the giant cor
poration have been working practically
unopposed in the Nations capital and 1t
is well understood fact that G. 7. Hun
tington's recent hurried departure for the
East was caused by the urgent necessity
which existed for his personal supervision
of the railroad forces. Thus far the inter-
ests of the people generally have not been
officially represented at the capital, but
Mayor Sutro is gong to take the matter
I'D. and he intends to awaken some agita-
ton upon the subject.
Within very few days the Mayor says
he will issue proclamation or manifesto
calling for a mass-me eetlng for the ex-
preston of the sentiment of the people in
regard to refunding the debt. The call
may be issued as coming from him as an
individual citizen or in his capacity as
the City's chief executive. AS to that Mr..
Sutro has not yet decided, but he states
positively that the call will be made, in
fact that it would have been issued before
this. except that he desires first to meet
with the leaders of the local press to con-
suit as to the best plan of campaign. Such
meeting it was hoped would be arranged
for to-day, but that proved to be impossi-
BILE. and it will now be held early in the
week.
''If we are to make a winning fight this
year" said the Mayor Yesterday, I'VE
have no time to lose. John Boyd, the
railroads chief manipulation, has been
hard at work in Washington for six weeks
and every incoming Congressman has
been seen and talked to. We have as yet
no one in the field, and it's high time We
were at work.
Another reason for haste lies in the
fact that the railroad people propose to
force the funding bill through at very
early date. This l learn from recent ad-
vices from Washington. You know that
the machinery OF Congress IS very slow in its
operation, generally speaking. The mem
bers usually meet and organize and
perhaps introduce few bills before taking
the two weeks recess for the holidays.
Such thing as passing any measure be-
fore Christmas is unheard OF, yet the rail-
road proposes to force its issue before the
recess, and the advantages to be gained
thereby are for it two-fold. In the first
place an early vote on the question Will
give the railroad clear field, since unless
we move very quickly it will prevent US
from getting a hearing at all. And in the
next place such move would dispose Of
the whole matter before the Presidential
pot begins to boil.
'No one realizes better than Hunting
ton that the question of refunding the
debt involves tremendous political posi-
bilities, and for tnat reason he is anxious
to have it settled before politics are largely
occupying the attention of the Nation. No
one knows better than he that If the Re-
publican, party, great as it is, should do
nate to the men who stole it this enormous
sum of $80,0O0,000 it would be swept off the
face of the earth. Why, the capital Of the
Bank of England is only $40, 900, ,000-and it
is a private corporation, though many
think it state institutlon-and that is the
greatest money power in the world. say
donate because if such power should be
placed at the disposal of the Southern Pa
ci6c 1t would surely get some future Con-
gress to wipe out the debt entirely.
what should be done2 Hold mass
meetings at once and raise fund for de-
Tense; $4,000 or $4,000 will accom- plish
what we want just as well as a million.
have stood all the expenses of the fight for
two years past and have won, but I am a
man of limited means and others must
help this year.
Then select a committee to manage the
campaign and send few good workers to
Washington. Then hold more mass
meetings. Get the people to express their
sentiments in advance and give your men
something to work with. Don't put off
the fight till the matter comes up in Con-
gress for vote"