The San Francisco call., 1896-05-12
Better Dump the Three Millions
in the Pacific Ocean,"
He EXclaims.
CAFFREY AGREES WITH HIM.
Vest and Frye Eulogize Huntington,
the Latter in Long, Un.
finished Speech.

UAOa1AN0AONg Os S'3 no1 Lille
Senate had another copious dose of San
Pedro and Santa Monica to-day. Three of
the members of the Committee on Com
merce who opposed the amendment of
fered by the chairman of the COMMITTEES
(Frye). designating Santa Monica as the
place for q deep-sea harbor in California
Senators Berry of Arkansas, Vest of Mis-
souri, and Caffrey of Louisiana-submitted
remarks against the amendment, which
Berry described as a most unjustifa BILE
and ine1cusable attempt to overrule pub
lie sentiment and to appropriate money in
the interest of private greed and private
gain.
"It would be better" exclaimed Berry,
"to dump this three millions in the Pacific
Ocean than to let the country know this
Senate is ready to override the army en-
gineers and public sentiment in the inter
est of private greed and private gain"
Vest CD, another member of the Com
mittee on Commerce, said he was unable
to appreciate the immediate necessity of
expepding So, 100000 either at San Pedro
or Santa Monica. He did not take any
stock in the abuse of Mr.. Huntington be-
cause he was railroad president and rich
man. Mr.. Huntington had at least given
evidence of his sincerity in favor of Santa
Monica by giving up an investment of
nearly a million dollars at San Pedro.
After his subordInates had spent about
100000 in building wharf and tracks at
San Pedro he concluded to examine the
matter himself, and had determined that
his company had selected the wrong place.
He had TO have harbor for his steamers
and had gone up the coast and found
Santa Monica and had spent million
dollars there, leaving the investment at
San Pedro almost total loss.
There were two questions, Vest said
before the Senate. The first was, Was
there an immediate necessity for the pro-
posed investment? He came TO conclu-
sion that there was not. The Government
was not now in the presence of an over
flowing treasury, but a treasury whose
condition would necessitate in a few
months the issuance of bonds to meet the
ordinary expenses of the Government.
Unfortunately, Mr.. Huntington was a
political factor in California, where the
test of mans fitness for Office was
whether he was for Huntington or against
Huntington. and in that condition OF
public sentiment there he would not make
the appropriation at this time.
Vest went on to argue that with the ex-
penditure of S392, 600 in continuing the i'm
provements at San Pedro there would be a
depth of eighteen feet in that harbor at
low water, and of twenty-three or twenty
four feet at high tide: that the largest
ships could float there, and that that would
meet all the expenses of the improvement
at present and in the future.
Discussing the amendment offered by
White CD of California, providing for an
other committee, Vest said he would not
have an engineer officer on it, because
with General Craig Hill as chief engineer
of the army that officer would be bound in
courtesy to his support not to take an an
tagonistic position to him. He would
therefore suggest commission consisting
of an officer of the coast survey, an officer
OF the navy and a civilian engineer. He
closed his speech with an expression of the
hope that he would never again hear of
Santa Monica or San Pedro.
White CD of California said that he
was perfectly willing to have the matter
submitted to an impartial board. Ali he
wanted was that some authority would
pass upon the question before it was voted
upon.
Caffrey based his argument on the re-
ports of the two boards of army engineers,
and was reminded in that connection of
the success of the Eads scheme for deep
ening the approach to New Orleans in
spite of the adverse views of army engi-
neers.
Frye, chairman of the committee, COM
menced the task of answering all the OBJ
jections to the committee amendment
and in doing so eulogized c. P. Hunting
ton, who had been mentioned as a politi-
cal factor in California, where a mans
chances for nomination for Office depended
upon the fact of whether he was for or
against Huntington.
Before he began his speech he had a
large diagram of Santa Monica Bay and
its surroundings spread out on the carpet
in the area and two other smaller dia-
grams displayed on each side. He pro-
ceeded 10 explain the various points shown
on the diagram and to state their connec-
ton with the pending question. He spoke
of the opposition to Santa Monica coming
from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
Railroad Company, which had been rain
ing kilograms upon the Senators for the
last ten days, and said the only reason he
could see was that it was the remains of an
old fight, by which that company had lost
ten or twelve million dollars.
Frye agreed with Vest that he was tired
of the San Pedro and Santa Monica ques-
ton. He spoke somewhat contemptuously
of the attitude of the people of Los An
geles on the subject He declared that he
would rather have the kindly regard of
Senators and their confidence than all the
support of all the railroads and railroad
men on the face of the earth and all the
money they possessed.
1.-The Los Angeles Times" Frye said,
" said that if l succeeded in getting
Santa Monica received as a harbor my
pockets would be lined with gold. What
a happy way they have addressing
White of California; of talking of public
men in your State. What high estimates
they make of us. / thank kind Provi-
dence that ever since my mother put the
first pocket INTO my pantaloons 1T has been