The record-union., 1896-03-17

| tlonS must be accompanied by the name
| of the writer, not for publication unless
SO desired. but as a guarantee of good
faith.-Eds.
|
Observations and Impressions of a Late
/ Conner.
| Eds. Record Union: Having COM
paratively recently become resident OF
your city, impressions and opinions
born of an interest which an observing
stranger usually takes in almost every
| thing he sees and hears-much of which
| an old resident overlooks or ignores
may not be wholly uninteresting to your
readers. First, then. ! will say that,
taking into consideration what 1 had
heard and read concerning your paper
and which gave me the impression that
it was devoted almost entirely to rail-
road matters-I was agreeably disap-
pointed and gratified TO find it's edi-
torials-unlike those of very many other
| jcurnals-so thoroughly inbued with
true Americanism that notwithstanding
the advocacy of what might be the
financial gain of great transporting
enterprise, you have apparently not
been influenced from patriotic to more
selfish principles, as it might have
others under similar circumstances /;
you have not failed to raise a warning
voice against unrestricted immigration
of an undesirable class. ready to crowd
an already overstocked labor market
and constantly coming into ruinous
competition with both native and for
| eign-bor laborers already here, vet
friendly alike to railroad and other
great enterprises, as well as to all hon
est, Industrious workingmen and their
families, the interests of whom are in
separately interviewer with combined
capital and enterprise.
With an evident answering conf
dence and abiding faith in the ultimate
restoration of law and order during the
exciting period of that most unreason-
able strike, unawed by numbers in tenn
porary assumed authority, when the
rights of property were by very
many trampled upon, and anarchy
seemed to prevail, your course was Dig
nif1ed impartial and seemed unin1u-
eEced by mere partisan politics, labor
unions, desire for patronage, or that
sectarian religious championship which
leads to Misrepresentation and abuse of
others views of what constitutes true
l.
Pope and Secret Confraternities." is
the embodiment of facts, sound sense
and that moral courage and independ-
ence of action which all good, loyal citi-
zens admire.
Whenever you advocate or uphold a
cause, or defend an enterprise, or prin-
ciples you think worthy of your support,
evidently you do so Internationally as
a matter of duty, without counting the
cost. This is in marked contrast with
the course pursued by many, if not
most, of the city dailieS and some other
California papers, which, when forced
by facts and circumstances to acknowl-
edge the public benefit derived from
combined capital and railroad enter
prise in order to supply the wants of,
and that which interests their readers
as a matter of news pertaining thereto,
and when generally known facts will
not admit of direct unfavorable COM
ment, they usually add something which
amounts to an apology in order to cater
to the prejudices of opponents to such
enterprise for the purpose of retaining
their good will and patronage In short,
the advocacy of right principles and ad-
hesian to plain facts seems to be con-
ditional with very many-supposed
self interest governing their otherwise
independence of action.
Although the inconsiderate may fail
to fully appreciate your position, mas
much as impartial, intelligent, think
ing men will do you justice, you may
well be proud of your Record"
Notwithstanding the general infor-
nation and partial knowledge myself
in common with others residing at a
distance have had concerning the ex-
tensiveness and Importance of the
Southern Pacific Railroad shops in this
city, upon visiting them / was sur
prised to find the establishment to be
one of the largest of the kind in Amer
lea for the purpose of turning out
great amount and variety of railroad
work-chiefy car and locomotive build
ing and repairS-much of which repair
ing is brought here from hundreds and
even thousands of miles away, from
along the lines of the company's roads
as well as to learn of the greater num-
Der of men employed than / had sup
posed, and the consequent vast amount
OF money disbursed every wear in
monthly payments, which benefits
either directly or indirectly to a greater
or less extent the Workingmen
merchants and almost every citizen of
Sacramento. In fact, it seems to be
the chief source of cash supply in this
city, as can be readily inferred by the
almost universal interest taken in and
the early knowledge of the arrival of
the company's monthly pay-car.
In their shops and roundhouse, and
about the premises, may usually he
seen from twenty five to fifty locomo
tives, the majority of them undergoing
or waiting for repair. Some of them
numbered upward of 1000. Just think
of it; more than one for each and every
year of the Christian eraI Figure up
the number of cars necessary for each
locomotive, and the Seader will get
some idea of the amount of work
brought to this establishment, to say
nothing of what is being done at sew
eral smaller shops located at other
points along their roads, Then com
pare these powerful giant pioneers of
civilization, a modern passenger car
and a steamship, with the old gocart
chariots and arks described in the early
history of the world
Imagine the vast amount of business
transacted through means of this tre-
mendous motive power, to say nothing
OF their stationary, portable and ma
rlne engines, which not only furnish
employment for and keep the wolf of
hunger from the doors of a numerous
body Of laboring men, but have also
rendered almost worthless land valua-
bic and made it possible for the white
no ,,Io