The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-07
VIsALIA's PROPOSITION.

The offer which Visalia has prepared for
submission to the directors of the San
Joaquin Valley Railroad is original,
straightforward and instructive, and should
serve as model for all the other county
seats that desire the road to traverse their
counties. 1t is this: "She will give right
of way entirely through Tulare County
and through Visalia, with sufficient depot
grounds in the city, and will subscribe
$25, 900 for shares in the road" The offer of
the right of way is certainly very gener-
Gus, for the county is large. Whether, in
view of certain considerations which we
shall herein present, the subscription of
$25, 900 will serve as sufficient inducement,
is question of great Importance. The
offer, however, evidently lacks one vital
feature-it does not include pledge on
the part of the merchants, farmers and
other shippers to give their freight and
passenger business to the peoples road, on
the terms proposed in the CALLS pledge,
and we earnestly urge that the offer be
amended in that regard.
In view of Visalia's position with refer
ence to the Southern Pacific lines, such a
pledge is clearly vital element of her
proposition. The city lies half way be-
tween the main line of the Southern Pacific
and its subsidiary line on the eastern side
of the valley. This line leaves the main
line at Fresno, swings round by way of
Porterville, and re-enters the main line at
Bakersfield. The shippers on the Porter
vile branch thus have all the advantages
which main line offers and can load cars
for through transportation either north or
south.
Visalia lies in the center of the long strip
of fertile country included between the
main line and this branch, and is only
about eight miles distant from either at
the nearest point. In order to reach Visalia
the peoples road must cross the tracks of
the Southern Pacific twice. If it should do
this and run down the inclosed strip of
something like eighty miles in length, SO as
to touch Visalia, and should keep as near
to the center of the strip as possible, the
greatest distance between it and either of
the two lines of the Southern Pacific would
be only about eight miles, and this would
gradually dwindle to nothing at either end.
Assuming that the new road would be in
open competition with the Southern Paci-
fic. the strip from which it could expect
traffic would be very narrow. A pledge to
give the business to the new road
appears, therefore, to be a neces-
sary part of Visalia's offer; and
as it could hardly be expected that shippers
would cross the tracks of the Southern
Pacific for any great distance in order to
get within the strip traversed by the peo-
pies road, it would seem that in addition
to the pledge the subscriptions to shares
ought to be on generous scale.
There are special reasons why Visalia
should be one of the most important cities
in California, but it is evident that a main
line railroad is requisite. The climate is
excellent, the vast forest Of oaks stretch
ing for miles all about is one of the noblest
in the country, the fertile soil responds
generously to cultivation, the fruits of the
region are superb and the early fruits pro-
duce fine revenue, the great orange belt
of the Sierra foothills is near at hand,
and the city is the gateway to the
most wonderful scenery on the continent.
The aggregation of natural marvels includes
the Kings River Canyon, which John
Muir has pronounced "a greater than
Yosemite" and the great forests of big
trees, which have been included by the
Federal Government in the Sequoia Ma
tional Park. Besides this the mountains
and foothills abound in an unlimited supply
of water, which has been already partly
utilized for irrigation, and besides all these
is the rich silver deposit in the Mineral
King district. 1t would be difficult to find
elsewhere so long and valuable list of
reasons why Visalia should have main
line road, and it is clear that she should
strain her resources to the furthest limit
in order to secure one.