The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-28
SAN J0SE'S PROPOSITION.


tives of San Jose in favor of route for the
San Joaquin Valley Railroad through
Santa Clara County will be hint to
| Stockton that a very able and enterprising
competitor is in the field, armed with
arguments that must serve to put Stockton
on its mettle. These arguments were re-
ported in the CALL of yesterday. In brief
they were that $14S,o00 has been already
| subscribed. and that $500, 600 could be as
sured; that Santa Clara County alone can
| furnish produce to load a daily train of
| twenty-five cars without including in
| coming freight and the local shipments
from outside towns; that at least rs per
cent of the right of way will be donated (;
that although the county has been devel-
| oped to a remarkable degree, its industries
are as yet only in their infancy and that
within three to five years, judging future
development by the experience of the past,
| the production of the county will be
| doubled, possibly quadrupled that a
delay in the construction of a road will
| increase the difficulty of securing a right
! of way; that the selection of China Basin,
San Francisco, for a terminus makes the
San Jose route the easy and natural choice /;
bHab III CNC11I VI uOW II Tic
coast from San Francisco to Santa Cruz the
terminal facilities at China Basin will
serve for it as well as for the San Jose line /;
that by reason of the comparatively dense
population of Santa Clara County the pas
senger traffic will be heavy; that the
county attaches no conditions to it's SUBJ
scription, other than that the road shall
traverse it.
In addition to these matters, attention
was called to the fact that the Fresno and
Monterey road, with all its contracts, right
of way and other privileges, can be bought
for a reasonable sum, and that its connec-
ton at Fresno with the San Joaquin Valley
road would be an important consideration
in transcontinental project, which the
Santa Fe Company is doubtless willing to
| support.
| This is a very important showing, and
with regard to the assertions concerning
| the volume of traffic that may be now
secured the committee supported them
with figures. Nor did they leave out of
the account such evidences of thrift, pros
perity and enterprise as are observable in
the high perfection to which horticulture
has been carried in the county, in the per-
| the beauty of the cities and towns of the
valley, and in the pride which the people
| take in utilizing to the fullest extent within
their power all the wonderful natural adj
vantages and beauties with which the
county has been blessed.
| Altogether the showing is a very strong
| one, and it has been made by earnest and
| intelligent men. No doubt Stockton will
read the report of the meeting with great
| interest and profit and will strive earnestly
| to offer even stronger inducements. Thus
a friendly rivalry is established; and while
| it will be conducted on manly and gener-
Gus lines, each of the parties to it will
appreciate the vital interests that are in
! VOWED in the struggle. If San Jose wins
| the fight it will still have such advantage
as may come from its being on the main
overland passenger route of the Southern
| Pacific when the line from San Luis Obispo
to Santa Barbara shall have been COM
pleted. Stockton already has both the
| Southern Pacific and the Sacramento River
| to haul its products to the ocean. 1t is
| evident to both cities, however, that the
one which secures the valley road will
quickly double its importance, and that
the owners of its real estate will soon see
the value of their holdings doubled. 1t is
largely for these men to show the true
spirit of enterprise and demonstrate their
right to the benefits which come from its
exercise.
The CALL urges most strenuously that
both roads be built. Both are needed
either would accomplish as m UGH good as
the other, and together they would more
than double the benefits of either. Let the
iron be struck while it is hot Let the
latent wealth of these two splendid Sec
tons be coined into dollars and poured
into the fund of the States prosperity.