The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-01
AN INGENIOUS PLAN.

According 10 luC lCRO1b 4IO1i l>dhCl o
field, published in yesterdays CALL, the
Southern Pacific Company is employing an
exceedingly ingenious plan for checking
the desire of the farmers thereabout to
pledge their freight to the San Joaquin
Valley road. 1t is this: The Southern
Pacific claims that its grant entities it to a
right-of-way of one hundred feet on each
side of its track. 1t fenced and used only
fifty feet on each side, and the remainder
has been occupied by the contiguous farm
ers for many years. Their occupation and
use of this strip have never been questioned,
and the county authorities have established
roads over it without opposition.
The Southern Pacific, according to the
report, has recently announced to the
farmers its intention to move its fences
back so as to include the whole width
which it claims, but as an alternative pro-
poses that if the farmers will sign con-
tract to ship all their produce over its line
they may have the strip at a nominal
rental.
The validity of the Southern Pacific
Company's claim to this strip will be in
quired into in good season. Assuming for
the present that the grant does call for a
strip two hundred feet wide, and tempo
rarily waving such legal considerations as
are involved in undisturbed adverse posses
sion for number of years-waiving every
thing except the bold assumption that the
company can take possession of this land
let us consider the position of the farmer to
whom this threat has been made. Itwould
be idle to blame the Southern Pacific for
trying by all means in its power to hold
the traffic of the San Joaquin Valley, but it
is very encouraging to observe that it
regards the peoples road as formidable
prospective rival; and as it is fully aware
of the bitter animosity which the people in
Tulare and Kern counties cherish toward
it, it naturally assumes that the peoples
road will receive the generous support and
sympathy of the people.
This alone ought to be a sufficient indi-
cation to the farmers who have been
threatened that their support of the peo-
pies road would be a serious matter for
the Southern Pacific, and that whatever
they do in aid of the Southern Pacific will
be an injury to the peoples road. 1t is not
difficult to imagine that we shall hear of
many other plans of the Southern Pacific
for hindering the prosperity of the rival
line. One of the plainest things in the
world is that the benefits which the new
road will bring to the people will at first be
at the expense of the Southern Pacific,
and it is more than likely that the in
creased prosperity and settlement of the
San Joaquin Valley that will in time result
from the building OF the new line will be
- 70 ha poOifio
But the interests of the Southern Pacific,
or the fact that it will be either injured or
benefited. has no place in the discussion.
The simple problem with the farmer, if he
is inclined to take a strictly selfish view of
the situation, is whether it is more to his
interest to accept the proposition of the
Southern Pacific than to decline it. In de-
clining it he has all the chances of benefit
from the uncertainties involved in the legal
phases of his occupancy, but he has some
thing far better and more tangible. 1t is
that the peoples road is to be built for the
main purpose of reducing charges for
transportation. OF course the Southern
Pacific may shrewdly offer to make con-
tract binding itself to meet any cut in rates
that the opposition line may make. In
this way it would be holding it's traffic and
the farmer would be paying no more than
the rival line would charge. But it is not
likely that the Southern Pacific would
make any such written contract, and. if it
should, it would probably be worthless and
easily evaded. AS for verbal promises, it
would be foolish to pay any attention to
them.
That the farmers thus threatened would
be doing better for themselves directly by
to accept the Southern Pacific
Company's offer, and that they would re-
ceive an additional benefit indirectly from
the greater prosperity and denser settle
ment of the community, no rational per-
son would think of denying. The question
beyond this, which affects mans indi-
vidual pride and his regard for the welfare
of his neighbors and the progress of his
State, need not be discussed. The CALL as
yet is unwilling to believe that any con-
number of these threatened farm
ers will be found lacking when their man
hood and patriotism are called upon.