The record-union., 1896-02-17
NOT COERCED.
River Resolutions Of the Chamber Of
Commerce.
They Were Passed Freely, Debated
Fully, and Were Not the Re-
suit Of Boycotting.

An article appeared in yesterdays
San Francisco Chronicle" which, if
originating with that journal, its stu
pidity is easily accounted for. If it
had its origin with any of the officers
or. as would appear, with the Secre-
tary of the Miners Association, it
proves that not one-half the fools have
yet been enumerated.
The article referred to purports to
give the inside history of the resolu-
tion passed at the annual meeting of
the Chamber of Commerce in this city
last Wednesday evening. It goes on to
say that the miners are overjoyed at
the passage of the resolutions con-
cerning river improvement, declaring
that the chamber is desirous Of seeing
the mining industry prosecuted and
prosper under laws permitting it, if it
can be done and not inf1ict injury upon
the navigable rivers and their tribu-
taries and the lands adjacent thereto.
Then follows the statement that this
is conceived to be a victory over the
Anti-debris Association. 1t is added
that "a number of hydraulic mine
owners had resolved on retaliatory
measures This information was con-
veyed to several Sacramento merchants
by correspondence. An extract from
one of these letters, written by Secre-
tary Sonntag, read as follows: In my
letter to Mr.. 3. I stated that some of
the principal miners were endeavoring
to push through a compact whereby
they would ignore Sacramento entirely
in purchasing supplies. To-day / have
been authoritatively informed that two
principal mine-owners who live only
thirty miles from Sacramento have
drawn up articles to be forwarded
throughout the State. / would not like
to see this thing done, for I really know
the merchants of Sacramento are our
friends, and I hope your fellow mer-
chants of that city will show the same
good spirit and judgment that you have
exercised. T"
AS stated above, if that were true
that Sacramento merchants had been
threatened by boycott into passing the
resolutions referred to, the biggest
fool on earth would not kick over the
milk by rushing off to newspaper and
telling of it. The Record Union"
knowing the alleged history to be un-
true and that the chamber acted as it
did without any COW or threat, sent
reporter last evening to call upon Judge
and ask him about it. Judge Hinkson
said: THE comments Of the Chronicle
are manifestly unjust to the members
OF our Chamber of Commerce and are
calculated to do much harm The fact
is that I wrote the resolutions without
the dictation of anyone, and as express
sive of my own views, and believing
that they were right and could not be
Objectionable to anyone who would con-
strue them as they were written, and
fer that reason 1 felt very certain that
in spirit of fairness and in the interest
Of the valley people there would be no
difficulty in having thew passed by the
Chamber of Commerce. I did not an
ticipate any difficulty in the passage of
the resolutions"
Did you write the resolutions at the
meeting of the chamber?"
No. / wrote the resolutions in my
chambers and took them to the meeting
to have them introduced. Contrary to
my expectation, I was placed on the
Committee on Resolutions"
When the resolutions were debated
was the question of a threat to infiict
loss of trade referred to, or suggested
in case the resolutions did not pass?"
The resolutions We're fully debated
in the Chamber of Commerce, and no
member was influenced in his vote by
any threat or attempted intimidation"
AS the passage of the resolutions
was freely debated, was there any idea
entertained that anyone was being CO.
creed or cowed?"
NO. sir; not at ALL
rs it not fact that precisely the
idea expressed in the resolutions, name
ly, that the people of the city wish no
industry of the mountains stopped that
can be conducted without injury to the
rivers and adjacent lands, has always
been entertained by the mass of the
people of Sacramento?"
Most assuredly."
IF there had been any threat or COW
attempted or operating on members of
the chamber, would you have known of
it in all probability"
Certainly 1 would Let me add. the
evident object was to secure the pas
sage of the Johnson bill and any other
legislation that might aid the hydraulic
miners in the prosecution of their in
dustry in such manner as would not
injuriously affect the Sacramento River.
its tributaries and the lands adjacent