The San Francisco call., 1896-01-17
Advocates of Public Ownership
of Railroads Call a Con-
vention.
WILL MAKE STRONG DEMANDS.
The Iroquois Club to Be Requested al
To.Night's Meeting to lndorse
the Project.

Governor Budd has been asked to pre-
side over monster mass meeting whlcn
is to be called to express the feelings OF
the people regarding Government owner
ship of railroads, and those who have the
project in hand are anxiously awaiting an
answer from the States chief executive
before making the final arrangements tor
the gathering.
Some time ago, when the committee or
fifty made public the demands it would
present to Congressional the funding Dill
prepared by President Huntington OF the
Southern Pacific should be rejected-a
great many opponents of the railroad ex-
pressed the opinion that the committee
had not gone far enough and that 1t
should not only have demanded the defeat
of the obnoxious measure, but should have
appealed to Congress in unmistakable
terms for a foreclosure of the $27000,0 QUO
first mortgage held by the Government.
1t is now proposed to supplement the
action of the convention which has been
called for tomorrow by another conven-
tion making greater demands and empha-
sizing them by showing as strong II not
stronger than that of the committee. The
projectors of the new move believe that
the present Is the time to get all that IS
coming to the people of California and the
country at large from the railroad COM
p&ny, and that the demands should be
made while the people are aroused and
ready for action.
Governor Budd is we'll known to be an
advocate of Government ownership OF rail-
roads, and 1t is believed that he will con-
sent to lead the movement and preside
over the meeting, particularly as his ad-
vice and counsel were not sought when the
committee of fifty was formed.
a large number of men prominent in
business and political circles have ex-
pressed their Willingness to attend the
ringing demand to Congress, and several
prominent men have been secured as
speakers for the occasion.
Thus far no word has come from the
Governor to those who addressed him on
the subject, but as the letter was only
mailed on Wednesday an answer was not
expected before this morning at the earli-
est.
Another factor that is working in favor
OF the Government ownership convention
{ is sef-appointed committee of the Iro-
quoIs CLUB, which intends to make every
effort to have that organization lDdOrse the
project. The club is already on record as
1avorlng public ownership of railroads and
telegraph systems, and when the matter IS
! broached at to-nights meeting it is be-
/ lleved that the members Will take kindly
! TO 1t and SEND It's most prominent men as
Z
/ The exact nature of the resolutions that
will be presented to the convention has
not yet been determined and will depend
/ somewhat on the action of the anti-fund-
/ ing bill convention. Should that body
not make its demands strong or clear
enough to suit the Government ownership
advocates it is probable that they will not
/ be considered by the Government owner
ship convention and that that body will
put forth its own demands without refer
ence to anything that has yet been done.
No definite date has been fixed for the
convention, but its projectors expect to
| call it for Wednesday next at Metropolitan
! Temple.
The call will be issued as soon as word is
received from Governor Budd.
! There is no doubt that the people are
ripe for Government ownership" said
! member of the committee last evening
land we see no reason why this time
| should not be taken to ask Congress to
take everything that is coming to the
Government.
''If the United States Government has a
mortgage on the railroads, as every one
believes it has, and that mortgage is due,
why should not the Government take
what belongs to it just as a private citizen
would do when his interests were involved,
Merely asking for the defeat OF the fund
ing bill-while it may be part of our
rights-is not going far enough. The Gov
ernment will eventually own the roads
anyway and it might as well take posses.
sion now as any other time"