The record-union., 1895-04-25

competing railroad through the San Joa-
quin Valley. and the full measure of this,
| even including some shares subscribed
by the Examiner itself, is s., 800.
In view of these facts, what remains of
the assertion that the people of the San
Joaquin Valley were oppressed by the
railroads; that they were being robbed
daily; that they were stretching forth
their hands in mute appeal for delivery? d?
@The San Joaquin Valley embraces
about 100000 acres of the most fertile
land in the world, and land, too, lying
under climatic conditions admitting of
the broadest limitations in the way of
objects of cultivation. 1t is capable of
sustaining population of ten millions of
people, under fully developed and in
tensified agriculture. The counties COM
prising the San Joaquin Valley, by the
census of 1890, including San Joaquin
County, contained population of IS, ,588;
so that the present population may be set
down at something over 100000 people.
Practically the entire area of ten million
acres of the San Joaquin Valley is in
private ownership, and yet the PROPOSE
ton to construct a competing road
through this valley receives the uncondi-
tional encouragement of 81, 800 in the way
of subscriptions to the capital stock.
Either the people of the San Joaquin
Valley do not believe that competing
road will possess any value, or they de-
sired to rebuke the Examiner for it's at
tempt to degrade a broad commercial
enterprise to the level of a newspaper
coupon undertaking. We are disposed to
adopt the former hypothesis. 1t was per-
haps not clearly perceived by the people
of the San Joaquin Valley that the EG-
dnli1eT special train was belittling the
enterprise; that it was discrediting it in
the eyes of business men; that it was in
cooperating into the prospectus of finan-
cial undertaking all the diminutive asso-
citation of ministerial donation party;
and the finest satire upon the undertake
ing was perpetrated by the boy who
offered at a public meeting two rabbits
which had been killed as an aid to the
construction of the line. 1t was well the
Examiner should publish this incident as
an evidence OF the enthusiasm which its
expedition has inspired. But it is al
most inconceivable that it should have
been oblivious to the character il was at
taching to the enterprise by this broad
confession that as a commercial under
taking, it was wholly without merit.
What the Examiner has established by
its expedition through the San Joaquin
Valley is that in the financial and indus
trial economy of that region of the State,
the San Joaquin Valley Railroad is not
demanded; the necessity for its construc-
ton is not felt; and that as a commercial
undertaking it is repudiated by the pres
ent inhabitants of the territory it was
supposed to emancipate from railroad
oppression. Every enterprise involving
Investment of the hardly acquired earn
ings of mon presents features inducing
some investment which may be called
its prospectus. In any truthful pros
pectus of the San Joaquin Valley project,
it must be admitted that persistent, o.
teEtatious and even sensational canvass
of the entire valley resulted in receiving
the unconditional welcome Of s., 800.