The herald., 1896-05-02
SENATOR ELKINS' ATTITUDE

at Santa Monica has become a subject
Of interest outside of this immediate
locality. 1t is receiving from some of
the most influential journals of the coun-
| try the attention 1t, because of the prin-
ciple involved, deserves. The Examiner,
Call and Report of San Francisco and
| the Journal and World Of New York
have denounced with vigor and empha-
sis the scheme of Huntington to pro-
cure the construction of harbor for his
company at public expense. And to the
list the Chicago Chronicle, which has the
happy faculty Of being right on nearly
every question Of public Importance,
adds itself. Under the caption, Hunt
ington Wants More" the Chronicle says:
The Pacific roads are still delinquent
to the United States on interest and.
where 1t has matured. on principle Of the
bonds issued by the government in aid
of these roads. The original agreement
which any statesman Of the time ought
to have known would never have been
carried out, was that the roads should
meet the interest as 1t fell due and pro-
vide for the extinguishment of the prin-
cipal at its maturity. But the manipu-
lators of these various roads, who have
grown rich through their construction
and operation, never had and have not
now any purpose Of paying that debt.
They have had both land grants and
bond issues and now they or such of
them as survive, want more from the
United States, which they have deliber-
ately robbed.
The Huntington interest demands OF
congress that deep-water harbor be
provided for it's accommodations at San
ia Monica. When Steve Elkins, the in
eXpressible, was secretary of war in the
cabinet of President Harrison he trans
mitted to Congress a report of board
Of engineer officers of the United States
army who had made careful and criti-
cal examination for the proposed deep
water harbor at Santa Monica bay on
the Pacific slope. The report was un-
imously against the governments un-
dertaking the work at the point indicated
If harbor was to be made at all it
ought to be made at point not Desired
by Huntington.
But when. with characteristic persis-
tcnce, Huntington, who acknowledged
recently to the employment of lobby
for his purposes. appears before COM
nlittee insisting upon his project, this
same Secretary Elkins, now senator,
who knew the conclusion of the engi-
ueers of the army of the United States,
voted to give him the harbor he wanted.
And if the Republican party had full
swing at Washington there is no doubt
Huntington would get just the legisla-
tion he desires, notwithstanding his ap-
palling record of bad faith toward the
United States and its enormous loss of
money.
Senator White, Democrat Of Cali
fornia, who has full knowledge of the
methods of theHunttngton management
in California. is righteously opposing
the grab to which Elkins has given his
assent, and it may be hoped that finally
he will triumph.
Tn, 20 he oh af Of
Mr.. Elkins, commented on so severely
by the Chronicle, it can be said that the
change does not in any way indicate
an alteration of the senator's mind as to
the merits of the harbor question. He
is still of the belief that San Pedro is
and Santa Monica is not the place for
a deep-sea harbor, and his recent action
in committee is the result of indirect
pressure to which he must have given in
with keen regret. The reason for what
seemed a most inexplicable action to
those acquainted with the sentiments en-
tertained by the senator regarding the
government course in the harbor mat
ter, is briefly explained in the following
excerpt from special to the San Fran
cisco Examiner of Wednesday relating
to the harbor question:
One of the strange developments of the
situation is the decision of Senator Ell
kins to stand by the majority of the COM
nlittee and vote for the appropriation
for Santa Monica. When Elkins first
voted in committee for Santa Monica
he said he did SO in order to be able to
move a reconsideration. He today eX-
planned to the St Louis and Los Angeles
people who are interested in San Pedro
that he would be forced to vote for the
3 IT,, l.. =
the $1,300,000 which Senator Frye, chair
man of the committee, has agreed to pro-
vide for the streams of West Virginia.
The action of Elkins is a great surprise
to r C. Kerens and other San Pedro peo-
pie The senator is said to have ad-
mitted that his opinion about the merits
of the two harbors had undergone no
change, but inasmuch as the Santa Mon
lea appropriation would be reached be-
fore the appropriations for West Nir-
ginia, he felt constrained to stand by
the committee in order not to jeopardize
the interests of his own state.
1t is apparent from the foregoing that
the acquiesence by the West Virginia
senator in the Huntington harbor prop
osition reported by the senate COM
lnerce committee, is of the kind OBJ
tanned by a well-armed highwayman
from a defenseless victim The senator
was held up. Under such circumstances
and in the light of the fact that Hunting
ton had majority of the committee
without Senator Elkins' vote, the latter
brings neither moral nor material value
to the cause of the monopoly. The SEN
ator is in no sense a convert to the plans
of Huntington, and his acting with the
Huntington men on the committee has
10 other significance than to illustrate
a phase of the reprehensible log rolling
practice that obtains in congress and in
which participancy seems essential if a
representative or senator would obtain
even meritorious appropriations for his
constituents. The change of 'front.' of
Senator Elkins is not a good subject for
the promoters of the Southern Pacific
Santa Morica scheme to dwell on. The
circumstances attending that change
only contribute to the mass of evidence
which shows that Mr. Huntington is
engaged in an activity around the SEN
ate chamber which, to say the least, is
hardly proper.
AT THE THEATERS