The herald., 1895-03-07
THE HEAD OF THE OCTOPUS
JAMES @ CLARKE


That was an interesting letter of Colli
P. Huntington in answer to A. r
Hotchkiss. 1t would appear that the lat
ter sent nothing but "a f'clipping" to Col
lis and that even this was entirely Incl
dental, if not unexpected. OF course, Mr.
Huntington was more interested in state
division and irrigation than in the har
Dor matters Just now. 1t would seem thai
he might have said something concern
ing the repeal of the coyote scalp act be-
fore plunging into the deep sea harbor
Perhaps he thought that his motives
| might be msconstrued into defense oil
the 'anti-scalpers' BILL" 1T1
1t is surprising to find, however, that
Huntington opposed San Pedro as a deer
sea harbor because the place was selected
and originally built up by unnatural
| gravitation.
| gravitation touching the rules of equity
and just dealing that Mr.. Huntington has
managed to scrape together some $40, 000
| 600, while swindling the people and the
nation and becoming dictator of California.
Yet we should not be too severe of Mr..
Huntington. We all admire consistency
and regard it as Jewel" Huntingt ton
has at least been consistent from the first
day that he beheld California.
There is well-vouched for story that
in the days of old, the days of gold, y
he was one of a party of 'spuor but
honest young men who left their Eastern
homes as steerage passengers ON a steamer
bound for the new Ell Dorado.
The whole party contented themselves
on second class table fare until they
sighted the California coast, when they
decided to partake of one tirst-cass dinner
before landing.
One of the most shrewd and thrifty"
of the company treated the purser before
dinner, and after waiting sufficient time
for the drink ~ In lyp affppt nrpcanfpI a xc0
gold piece and demanded dinner ticket.
The purser counted out $3.50 in change
and showed it, with the meal ticket, toward
the young man. he quietly amagamated it
with the original $50 gold coin and swept
the entire pile into his pocket, thus clear
ing Just $3.50 on his original investment
of -four bits.
The young mans name can easily be
surmised, for he has been doing the same
thing ever since, for 10! these many years.
If consistency really is a jewel Hunting
tons ears, nose and fingers and toes
should all be decorated, and the crown
jewels should rest on his head.
| see that Huntington thinks that if he
was young man with a capital of $780,,
600 he might go into the rubber business
and make 81, 900, 600 in ten years. This
yearning Oh his part is due to the Flaw
of natural selection" if not, unnatural
gravitation."
elastic and tenacious kind of rubber, "
and can adapt itself to steal of any sort
from the least to the greatest. He can
steal state and icipalty-Pasa-
dena, for instance--with the same ease
and grace.
because of the extra cost of another state
government. He has SO long worked the
entire state for all the traffic will bear
that he regards all extra expenditures as
just SO much out of his own pocket.
And now he has gobbled Pasadena--or
at least three of its Councilmen-against
the protest of the citizens, when the city
already had three competing roads,
so-called. But the fact is there is no
longer any such thing as real competition
between rival roads. Pooling is now the
order everywhere, and every additional
road means higher rates for freight and
passenger.
This is necessarily so because each
supertuous road is only another organized
public appetite preyng upon the people.
Only four or tive years ago the rates for
tourists were $50 between Pacific Coast
points and the Missouri River. Now,
when the purchasing power OF money is
nearly double what it was then, the same
class of tickets are $52 80 and one COM
pany becomes heroically angry because
certain other companies have secretly re-
duced the fare just $3.50, making the price
$50, and vet we are supposed to have
five competing" CD transcontinental
lines, all playing at the competitive game.
Oh competition, thy name is humbug
And thus the sham fight goes on, dur
ing which the corporations are chuckling
and winking to each other over the blind
ness of the people, who imagine that the
railroads are slaughtering each other,
while they are in reality combining to
fool and plumber the public. 1t is a fact
II IL, I.t.l