The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-29
SIGN THE PLEDGE,

The pledge which the CALL has prepared
to submit to the merchants of San Fran
cisco, to the shippers in the San Joa-
quin and Santa Clara valleys and the cities
bordering the bay of San Francisco. will
give the bone and sinew of these regions
an opportunity to demonstrate a desire for
the welfare of the State. Shipping repre-
sents most of the more valuable forms of
industry, and consequently shippers rep
resent and embody the active forces upon
which the prosperity of the people de-
ponds. 1t is essential, therefore, that they
understand their responsibility and that
they exercise their power with wisdom. 1t
is as easy for them to help the State as to
injure it.
The pledge is simpl Y that they will ship
and travel over the new road if the rates
are as low as those of competing lines
and if the facilities are as good. In
all reasonable expectation the rates will be
much lower than those at present in force,
for the purpose of the road is to reduce rates.
The signing of the pledge will serve two
purposes: First, to show who are the
friends of the new road and who are willing
to do reasonable thing to advance the
prosperity of the State; second, to furnish
statistics which will be of great assistance
to the promoters of the road and thus en-
courage subscriptions to the shares. If
through fear of the Southern Pacific or for
any other cause, shipper may have reason
for not wishing to see himself advertised as
signer of the pledge, he is assured that
the editor of the CALL will obey his wish
and keep the fact secret. The signature is
needed, nevertheless. All who sign and
consent to publication will be placed on
the roll of honor.
The merchants of San Francisco are
heavy shippers and they have a vital in
terest in the success of the new road.
Those among them who do not wish to
antagonize the Southern Pacific and are
fearful that the signing of the pledge
would bring down the wrath of that COM
pany upon them, are assured that they
may sign with perfect security against
publicity, if they request that the fact be
not made known. They might proftably
reflect however, that the time when the
Southern Pacific could iniure merchant
by discriminating against HIM has passed,
and that the people of California are now
running their own business.
An interesting piece of history is apropos.
Some years ago an Eastern railroad COM
pany that wanted to build line to Califor-
mia, sent representative to San Francisco
to investigate the matter of especial con-
tracts which it was believed the Southern
Pacific was making with favored shippers.
The agent discovered that every merchant
who gave up his confidence on pledge of
secrecy, held Especial contract, and that
these contracts were all alike. In other
words, there were no especial contracts"
at all. The merchants were all charged
alike, but each was made to believe that
he was paying lower rates than his neigh
bors. These contracts had been made by
the Southern Pacific for the very purpose
of keeping competing road out of San
Francisco by pledging the merchants to
ship for term of years over the Southern
Pacific in consideration of special private
privileges which were to remain secret.
The present value of this reminiscen ce is
that it may serve as a warning to mer-
chants who may be approached by the
Southern Pacific with tempting offer of
special rates and privileges if they will
sign contract to ship exclusively over it's
line for period of five years, and thus try
to kill the Valley road. 1t is hoped that
no merchant will fall into this trap at the
expense of his neighbors. He may be sure
that he will receive no special benefits
whatever from the Southern Pacific, and
may be sure, further, that a suspicious
community may do a good deal of ponder
ing if it finds him unwilling to pledge him
self to patronize the Valley road.