The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-30

QOuDJ II ne could secure the
OF single voting precinct in the State. | am
convinced that, with all the pressure he could
bring to bear, he could not ind 5000 OF our
citizens who would avow themselves to be
advocates of his refunding scheme. L now
present an incomplete list OF the various
bodies that have declared against the con-
spiraey and in favor OF strict foreclosure
within the last six months:
San Francisco Union for Practical Progress,
San Francisco Committee of Fifty, California
Anti-Funding Bill Convention, San Francisco
Chamber OF Commerce, Alameda County Fed
Grated Trades, Society of American Socialists,
Prohibition State Central Committee; Gait
Lodge No. 1, Patriots OF America; San fran,
cisco Iroquois Club, Democratic State Central
Committee, Alameda County Populist Conven-
ton, Republican State Convention, Nevada
State Republican Convention, State Populist
Convention, Prohibition party convention,
San Francisco Labor Council.
Here are sixteen different organizations, rep
resentlng labor, trade, commerce, patrlouc
fraternities and every political party extant.
If l had preserved the facts the list might
easily have been doubled. have omitted, Tor
example, q convention of the supervisors OF
the different counties of California, which
lately, at San Jose, adopted similar resolutions.
With these facts before you you can realize
the monstrous falsehood of the assertion that
the opponents of refunding in California were
only ga few hundreds"
But it was SAID at Washington that Cali
fornla had nothing to propose in place OF the
refunding scheme. This again was a lie:
Congressman Mcguire hit the nail on the head
and was Overwhelmingly Endorsed when ne
voiced public sentiment. The substitute tor
rounding is strict foreclosure.
The speaker of the evening was next in
troduced. After the applause which
greeted Judge Mcguire had subsidized, he
spoke as follows:
Mr.. Chairman and Fellow Citizens: 1 like
this practice of calling on the representatives
of the people to give an account of their stew
ardship. / believe that many of our present
evils are due to lack of appreciation of a rep
tor fha.r r ~ nc nT1C
myself should dread to return to Congress II |
had been traitor to my people and had failed
TO do what it was my duty to do;
This funding bill fight has become pretty
well known through the press. / will, there
fore, not dwell upon its details, but will tell
how the fight is being carried on by the South
| ern Pacific Company, an incorporated pirate,
organized in Kentucky and allowed to plumber
! every State except Kentucky.
| After much trouble we finally succeeded in
! being assigned day to be heard before the
! Pacific Railroads Committee of the House.
| Meanwhile a mass meeting had been held in
| San Francisco, and a representation was sent
Sumner and Mr.. Perkins. Although they
| failed to arrive the Monday when the Com
mittee on Railroads met we used up the time
until general meeting was held, at which the
Californians were given hearing.
! We had strong minority and made gallant
! fight. They had men pledged to support the
funding bill. They had the support and in
! f1uepce of all other railroads IN the country.
The fight was on the floor of the House.
He mentioned Congressman Boatner
! Harris OF Tennessee and Cooper OF Wis
consin for their good and effective work
against the funding bill. Continuing he
said:
In connection with the work of the mass
meeting in this City which sent the repre-
| sentatives on TO Washington wish to mention
| especially the work of Hon. Adolph Sutro.
| Mr.. Sutro found lack of suitable literature
! in Washington and furthermore discovered
/ 41,n&N = IS 41gn 0ffS
mittee and the copies OF the San Francisco
! papers containing the famous Cotton" letters
( had been lost. had to telegraph to San Fran
! cisco for the necessary papers and Mayor
| Sutro promptly and generously procured and
/ forwarded them to Washington. We secured
promptly and used effectively that literature.
Armed with these we proceeded and here
want to say that in spite OF the condemnation
of the dis tribution of this literature by GER
/ tain persons very much is due to these letters
/ and pamphlets. Many Representatives took
exception to the sending of this literature, but
| l found nobody who felt insulted at it who
! was not one of Mr.. Huntingtons hirelings.
! In the present Congress We met with strong
! and determined opposition. Even those who
! had formerly supported US were prevented
! from assisting US as before. Mr.. Cooper was
ruthlessly removed don't say that Speaker
Reed did it at the instance of Mr.. Hun tington
! but the great influence of the great railroads
was perhaps impelled to leave Cooper off and
we had no friend in the committee but Boat
ner.
A determined and powerful lobby, mar
shaled by Mr.. Huntington, the king of lobby
lists, came on TO Washington. Old as he is,
rich as he is, powerful as he is, G. p. Huntington
will still crawl about the corridors and halls
OF Washington in search OF pennies.
We found that the Senate committee on Pa
citic railroads was in favor of refunding. But
there was one giant on the committee who had
! been member of 1t since its organization,
and that Senator was john I. Morgan, one of
the greatest statesmen of the United States.
And if it were not for his misfortune TO have
been q major in the Confederate army he
would certainly stand without peer among
those who are named as Presidential candi-
dates.
Mr.. Loud and Mr. McLachlan both asserted
from the beginning that they would stand
But believe that even California representa-
tives ought not only to vote against but fight
the funding bill.
1 give credit to Representatives Barham.
Bowers and McLachlan for their work among
the Republicans against the funding bill
The Bowers bill, providing for the refund
ing OF both roads and extending the time to
eighty-six years and fixing the interest at
per cent instead of 3, as under the Reilly BILL
was substituted in the Fifty-fourth Congress-
To us of the Pacific Coast it made little differ
ence.
1t asked that the Government shall carry
debt CT some $4,000 900 for these compa-
MES for ffty-ive years at per cent, whereas
the Government las to pay over 80 per cent.
We are fighting against such a "business''
proposition as this. We believe that by fore
closure the Government can realize at least so
nection can be severed with these men who
have fattened upon the people so long. We
believe that if the refunding course is taken
the Government will realize less than one.
third of what it would get by foreclosure. We
have the remedy of foreclosure, and we are
confident that it is sufficient.
hold that the true fountain of the Govern
ment is to govern and not to engage in any
private business, except where it is necessary
TO take charge of public utility in order to
prevent private monopoly. / believe in max
ing the railroads public highways and letting
private enterprises compete freely in passenger
and freight transportation. If this were done
and the six big trunk lines competed freely
over the Pacific roads / believe that this conf
petition would benefit us far more than any
Interstate Commerce Commission. If this ex-
pertinent should be impossible to put into
operation would advocate Government own
ership of the roads. Applause
IhBut If even that be impossible to realize let
us have the road sold out to some competing
railroads. ii the road is purchased at a reas-
enable rate and operated as a business matter,
l believe that competition will do what it h as
done in the case of the Valley Railroad. Zap
plause.l For / read that the opening of the
Valley road for short distance down the
San Joaquin Valley has enabled" the South
ern Pacific to lower its freight rates on grain
in the San Joaquin Valley.
have been asked by the committee to state
what was done by myself and colleagues in
California in this contest. | found Barham
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