The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-17
A NATURAL RESULT.

Two items of news published in yester-
days CALL present, when taken together,
an instructive condition of affairs. The
first is to the effect that Government Rail-
road Director Coombs,' on his return to
Omaha the other day, after an inspection
of the Union Pacific, declared that the ruin
of that road had been produced by the
Southern Pacific. This had been accom-
plished by the diversion of overland traffic
by the latter company to its southern
route, thus depriving the Union Pacific of
its natural business and compelling it to
construct the Oregon Short Line in order
to reach the Pacific. Director Coombs says
that this diversion by the Southern Pacific
was in violation of its contract with the
Government to maintain, in connection
with the Union Pacific, through line for
all overland traffic between the Missouri
River and the Pacific Ocean.
The second item of news is furnished by
Wendell Easton, the well-known real-estate
agent of this City. In an interview he
said: ''On my return from abroad 1 con-
Guided to come through the Northwest
country, by way of st. Paul, Minneapolis,
Seattle and Portland. When l saw the
large amount of freight that was being
handled through Tacoma as a port of
entry, which trade is direct loss to San
Francisco, was impressed with the fact
that the territory left for San Francisco
lies between Siskiyou and Tehachapi and
as far east as the State of Nevada. 1t is a
limited area, and when we consider that
in the cities of this part of the State are
nearly three-fourths of our population, it
causes one to hesitate and think little OF
the condition of affairs that demands 8
solution
Laying aside all considerations affecting
the rights of the Government in the prem
Uses, to what extent has California been
damaged by the Southern Pacific Com
pany's policy of diverting the traffic from
the Central and Union Pacific lines to the
southern route? It is difficult to imagine
that the Southern Pacific, which unde-
niably has pursued this course, adopted it
for the purpose of iniuring the State, as
that would operate against its own inter-
ests. The only apparent solution seems to
lie in the assumption that the longer haul
and consequently greater proportion Of
the charge for overland transportation
which the New Orleans route offered was
the leading inducement; that is, the dol
lar in sight was more considerable mat
ter than the holding of as much traffic in
California as possible. 1t is not comfort
ing to imagine how many millions of dol
lars this policy may have cost the State by
encouraging competition on the north and
leading to the building up of the Puget
Sound country at the expense of San Fran
cisco.
Mr.. Easton has wisely stated the pro-
lem as it exists to-day, for the present and
the future are the matters of vital concern
to US now. 1t is the development of the
region lying between Siskiyou and Te-
hachapi that must now be attended to. In
the building of the San Joaquin Valley
road the beginning of the solution has
been made, and if the people of this Sec
ton of California can realize it's impor-
lance and understand the freedom which
it will assure, they will support it with all
the earnestness and intelligence that are
essential to prosperity.