The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1896-05-08
The "OCtOpuS."


times meet men who jump on the Ma
sonic and other secret orders with both
feet and when the secret of the mans
animosity is found out it shows that he
tried to get into these organizations and
was blackballed. Now it is just posi-
BILE that this is the secret animosity OF
a certain Congressman in his TRADE
against what he is pleased to call the
Pacific octopus" as shown in late
number of the Washington "Star"
Perhaps the octopus" refused to be
bled; hence the expose Of the wrongs
imposed on the people by these So
called incorporated pirates. Now, let
us admit, for argument sake, that these
self-constituted robbers did get rich in
their manipulation of public moneys,
lands, subsidies, etc: What if these
men, Stanford, Huntington, Croker ct
al, by calling themselves the w. D.
Co.. G. and F., P. 1. Co., or what not,
did make piles of money? Did the peo-
PIE get poorer by the operation? Now
suppose there had been no c. P. with it's
c. and F., w. d. Co, P. I. Co, or S. and
w. if you please. The chances are that
it would have been the U. P. with its
have been any better eff? There are a
class of people in all communities who
are eternally fighting the railroads.
What would California be to-day with
out railroads, regardless of who or how
they were built? The Central Pacific
Company are accused Of levying tribute
on some of the towns through which
they built the road. What was the
tribute in Sacramento? If my memory
serves me well it was the right of way
on the water front. Was not this right
of way of more advantage to Sacra-
mento City and county than to have
the road run from Brighton to the
American River? What would Sacra-
n,ento be to-day without the extensive
railroad shops and other money dis-
tributing railroad interests? The
chances are that she would still have
her China slough and a very limited
river trade. If Stockton did not want
the railroad, why did she extend the
city limits to take ia the road after it
was built? She suddenly discovered
that railroad property was a good thing
after ALL In fact, the railroad did more
for Stockton than Stockton did for the
to this Congressman deponent saith not.
but what Stanford, Huntington. Hop
kins and Croker did individually for
California is more than a thousand
kicking Congressman ever did. Fight
ing corporations seems to be the mis-
sion on earth of certain men and news
papers. In many cases those who fight
the hardest can thank the railroads for
the very homes they live in; in fact.
they strike at the very source of their
own income and the very bread they
earn. Fighting the railroads for taxes
is another pastime. L own property in
railroad town in California. This
property was acquired from my earn
lhgs as an employe, and by reason Of
the division shops being located in the
town l put all my earnings into the
home. This property is at present an
almost dead loss to me, as it does not
pay it's taxes. Why? Simply because
the shops were taken away, causing the
bottom to drop out of real estate in the
town. Yet in the face of all of these
drawbacks I am in favor of making the
tax rate on all railroad property so per
cent less than on other corporate prop
erty, such as gas and water companies.
Why? Because railroads build up aud
develop a country and create taxable
properties outside Of their own right of
way that would have no existence were
it not for the railroads.
Go with me through the San Joa-
quin Valley; would there have been a
Modesto, MERGED, Fresno, Tulare were
it not for the railroad? Did these towns
create the railroad or the railroad ere
ate the towns? Bakersfield would still
be the measly place it was before the
railroad era were it not for Sumner, a
railroad town. The writer can remem-
Der the time when a person could stand
at the station at Fresno and not see a
tree anywhere on the horizon. What
are the conditions now? From ten
miles north to thirty miles south from
the east to the west, vineyards and
fruit orchards meet the view What
produced this change? Some me says
water, which is very true, but the water
came down to meet the railroad, which
was there. first What applies to the
San Joaquin Valley obtains in other
sections wherever railroads run. The
thousands of workingmen's homes in
California to-day would not exist were
it not for railroads. The writer knows
men who went to the coast with hardly
a dollar in their pockets, yet Today
these men are well fixed financially.
Where did they get their money? Out
of the railroad pay car. If the railroads
want everything in sight, as claimed
by some, the State, county and city
get their money back with interest in
an indirect way. The people made a