The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-11

tanccs." for it has within It's corporate lin
its seemingly. half the rolling hills and
daies of Solano County.
In 1858 the Fourth Constitutional State
Assembly met in Benicia. In 1854 the first
tiuilding built expressly for a Capitol was
used by the Fifth State Assem- bly,. This
quaint old building, which General J. T..
HOughUon built still remains standing IN
the heart o. Benicia and i useful for city
offices. The CALLS correspondent asked
an old resident OF Benicia why Sacramento
Won the prize from them.
They came down from that region with
dust enough to buy it, and Benicia's
hopes tloated away in the boats that carried
the adjourned Assemblymen un the river
TO Sacramento" was the terse reply.
Dust IS synonymous with ''boodle." So
the sons are 10 worse than the fathers.
The first Protestant college in the State
was founded at Benicia. The building
still remains. Many cultured women all
over the United States remember with
gratitude Miss Atkinson, the gifted
teacher, who came to Benicia in 1854, and
with twelve girls started the school which
became the nucleus of the Mills Seminary,
she having retired in favor Of the Mills in
1866. Miss Atkinson became the wife of
Judge John Lynch, and spent many happy
useful years in the town of her adoption.
When she was laid away in the little
cemetery on the hill, a monument was
erected to her memory by former pupils
and friends. Judge Lynch, who is the
father of J. c. Lynch, speaker of the
present Assembly, is still in the active
of ie : II
most interesting and highly respected men
TO be met with in Benicia to-day
zone of the best Government reserva-
tions in the United States is here On this
mile square owned by Uncle Sam there is
a barracks and the only arsenal Oh the
Pacific Coast. II is the intention of the
United States Government to locate a gun
plant on this coast. The Benicia reserva-
ton has been reported on favorably by the
committee sent out by the Secretary of
War for the purpose of selecting the best
site. Benicia is anxiously waiting for
Congress to make an appropriation for
this gun-plant, which will bring hundreds
OF skilled laborers to the town and put
thousands OF dollars in circulation each
month. Indirectly the entire State would
receive an impetus and reap harvest if
this Government works should be con-
structed at Benicia. Why not make
united effort for a gun-plant on the pro-
tected land-locked arsenal grounds at Be-
nicia?
Benicia is a manufacturing town. The
Baker e. Hamilton Agricultural Works,
the largest in the State, are located here.
They manufacture all kinds of farming
implements, also spring wagons, carts and
buggies. When running full force they
employ from ninty-five to 100 men, but
with freight rates against them and the
general financial depression everywhere,
Hamilton & Baker consider themselves
fortunate to be working sixty-fve men
One does not fully realize what harm rail-
rad monopoly does, not only to Califor-
MIA, but many other States, until we know
of manufacturers suchas Baker & Hamilton,
bringing coke and pigiron from England by
way OF Cape Horn, because they cannot
buy IN the East, pay freight rates and
compete with Eastern manufacturers.
Everywhere the people are saying
"Speed the day when the San Joaquin
Valley road is completed TO Bakersfield -
The distance between Bakersfield and Mo-
jave, the terminus of the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe, all think will then
be a matter of little moment and Cali
fornia will have competing road to the
East.
On March T. B. Montgomery, who has
been for quite long period manager of
the Benicia Agricultural Works, retired
from the firm for the purpose of engaging in
manufacturing enterprise. William A.
Cowley of San Francisco succeeds Mr..
Montgomery in the management for Baker
8; Hamilton.
Three large tanneries make of Benicia
the leading ather-manufacturing town
not only in the State but the entire Pacific