The San Francisco call., 1896-02-20
The Governor Is Not Conscience.
Keeper to His Judge Advo-
cate General.
THE COLONEL IN KENTUCKY
Harrington of Colusa Vigorously Pleads
the Railroad Cause in Ken.
tucky's Capital.

Lawyer and Colonel John T. Har-
lington of Colusa is in Frankfort, Ken
tucky, opportuney SO for Coils Persisten Mt
Huntington, and appears to be improving
his visiting time by constituting himself a
formidable champion of the Southern
Pacific Company in the pending fight in
the Kentucky Legislature over the bill
providing for the repeal of the franchise
of the Southern Pacific Company.
Mr.. Harrington seems to see his duty to
Colusa County and to the State, whose
government he represents to the extent of
being judge advocate general on Governor
Budd's staff, in a defense of the benign
railroad com pany and the charter which it
managed to get from an Eastern State in
which 1t could have no other interest, so
that it might in some measure be freed
from the jurisdiction of the State courts to
which it was properly beholden.
Harrington first saw the light and the
little red schoolhouse in the neighborhood
of Frankfort, Kentucky, and since the
Kentucky Legislature has convened he
has appeared there for the first time in
over thirty years to revisit the scenes of
his boyhood. He looms up in the Ken
tucky capital as Colonel John t. Harring-
ton OF California, judge advocate general
on Governor Budd's staff That adds
weight to his eloquent and ringing words
to the members of the Kentucky Legisla-
ture.
The appearance in Kentucky's capital of
the judge advocate general on Governor
Budd'S staff, while he acts as an attorney
for the railroad company and declares that
he voices the sentiments OF the people OF
California, is q matter concerning which
P1111 rda nf ho iofvy -
1t are of pertinent interesG. Governor
Budd was asked about Colonel Harring-
tons railroad operations yesterday. In
his reply the Governor spoke with his
usual frankness and vigor, saying in effect
three things: That he was not before ac-
quainted with Colonel Harrington's atti-
tude on the Southern Pacific question,
that he did not know that he was respon-
sible for Harrington's private views on the
matter, and that he was unwilling to say
what he might or might not think or do II
circumstances should bring the matter
more definitely to his attention in the
future.
"All l know about the matter is what
have read in the papers," said the Gov
ernor. 81 see that Mr.. Harrington states
that he is there simply TO visit his old
home and friends, and | knew some time
ago that he intended making such visit.
1t appears that while there in that way he
has expressed Individual views in news
paper interview.
II appointed Harrington as Judge advo-
cate-general because L thought him quail
fed for the position, good Democrat and
a friend OF mine. l never inquired and
never learned his views on the railroad
question. l do not understand that it is
my duty to inquire into mans religion
or his views on economic and other ques-
tions when L appoint him to position,
eSDecially to an honorary one. | sid
cred only his qualifications for the place
to which he was appointed. Now L am
not the keeper of his conscience or his
mind, and | do not know that am called
upon to muzzle man holding such a posi-
ton as his, in the expires sion of his per-
sonal opinions.
at is not necessary for me to discuss at
all my own views on the railroad question,
for every body knows them. l am in favor
of the Government owning a railroad line
from one side of the continent to the other
and as to Mr.. Harrington and his express
sions | cannot and in fact would not, in
innate what stand | might take if the mat
ter were presented to me definitely in the
future.
So Colonel Harrington may or may not
be called down by the Governor in his ad-
vocacy of the interests of the Southern Pa
cific monopoly, while displaying in Ken
lucky his high-sounding title as a warrant
IOT MS assuming 10 IdIk 10 lDe hcltuCkY
Legislature in behalf of the people of Cali
fornia.
1t is the Capitol, Frankfort daily news
paper. devoted to the monopoly interests,
which publishes a long interview with
! Colonel Harrington. Says the article
"In speaking of the bill now pending be-
fore the Legislature for the repeal of the
cnarter of the Southern Pacific COMPANY,
he says that the proposition does not meet
with the approval OF the people of Cali
| fornia.''
In his interview Colonel Harring gton
gives the information that "outside of a
few sensational newspapers and Mayor
Sutro OF San Francisco the proposition
has few adherents," and he says that the
opponents of the company out here are its
enemies through personal reasons. This
is especially the case, he asserts, with
Mayor Sutro, who is after the railroad be.
cause it would not establish rate of 5
cents to a place he had built for his
'private gain, and who built that gigantic
swindIe, the Sutro tunnel. California does
not suffer, Mr.. Harrington testlties, and
he says that it would be a stupendous
piece of folly and wrong for Kentucky to
repeal the Southern Pacific charter
All in all Colonel Harrington is about
the ablest advocate the Southern Pacific
Company has in Kentucky s capital at this
critical time, and if Coils doesn't see that
Colonel Harrington is railroad attorney
for a long time in the future there will be
another case of base ingratitude to record.