The San Francisco call., 1897-01-29
Residents Up There Tired OF
Going Halt Way to New York
to Reach This City.
Attorney Preston Causes an Injustice
to the Valley Road to Be
Remedied.

| and Mono wagon ROADS, so that the in
habitants be in touch with those of the
rest of the State.
Marsdon Manson OF the Bureau of High
ways appeared by request and described
the route needed, and Assem- blyman
Caples OF Mono also addressed the COM
mittee, ending by saying: Gentlemen,
all the people of Mono ask of this Legisla.
ture is this road, which will enable us to
cross the Sierras without going half way
to New York in order to reach the South
ern Pacific Railroad to come to Sacra-
mento Or San Francisco. The cost of con-
struction is computed to be about $4,000 a
mile
The matter was passed without any de.
cision being arrived at but it is probable
that Mono will receive its appropriation.
The Lake Tahoe and Placerville wagon
road bill asking for an appropriation of
$25, 900 in order to repair the road and
provide salary of $50 per month for an
overseer, who shall be empowered to make
repairs. etc., then cropped up. This is in
furt therance of the pet idea of Governor
Budd, which is to make it the beau ideal
road of the State.
Assem- blyman Burnham advocated the
interests of this bill, and it was finally re-
ferred to the sub-ioint comm ittee of the
Senate and Assent bly,.
AT the last session of the Legislature a
bill was introduced and passed providing
that the road become State property, and
in favoring the proposition it was plainly
stated that it would require but nominal
sum to place it and keep it in repair, and
81.
expressed the opinion that $4,000 was by
no means a nominal sum.
Assembly bill 43S which endeavors to
prevent the granting of franchises or privi-
leges for the construction, extension or
operation of railroads over or upon county
roads or highways by the Boards of
| Supervisors of the several counties of the
! State, developed bug of gigantic dimen-
| sions and encountered a very decided
opposition from those against whose in
terests it was seemingly framed. Nomi-
nally the bill was introduced in order to
protect the highways of the State from the
encroachments of electric roads, but as
was plainly portrayed by Attorney Pres
ton CT the San Joaquin Valley road, if this
proposed act was carried, it meant a
death blow to the extension of that road
There are many unincorporated
towns" said the speaker. (which can
only be entered by some public highway,
and if we are debarred by this proposed
act our work must cease. For instance
take the towns of Ridley and Visalia; the
only approach is on the public road. And
another thing--should this act pass it
would be repeating by implication the
! nd
future strong litigation.
Gentlemen of the committee" contin-
ued the speaker, ''the introduction of
steam railroads in any locality means
added prosperity and advancement. For
years this State has been restricted in its
growth by lack of opposition in trans
portation facilities, and the road which
represent is the only one which has been
started IN order to release the people from
the iron bands of the Southern Pacific.
and 1t has already made cut in freight
rates of II per cent and they didn't liti-
gate either. Ever since its inception we
have had to meet and overcome obstacle
after obstacle.
1--WE have always endeavored not to i'm
pose In any way upon the people, and I
am borne out in this statement by the fact
that we have constructed 125 miles of road
with but four condemnation suits, in ecch
of which the contestants were awarded no
greater sums than we would have paid
them. AT the present time we are blocked
al Fresno by man named Burns who
has refused to allow US to pass through his
property, and in company with his wife
has gone in hiding in order to escape the
serving of papers.
"All we ask, gentlemen, is that you SO
amend this act as to not throw added
difficulties in the path of road which is
being built. not from the prosperity of its
stockholders, but through their misery.
We do not want to use the highways any
more than is absolutely necessary, as they
are conducive of damage suits, but we do
not want to be debarr ed from using them
when it is necessary"
Then arose hot discussion on the sub
ject, and Assemblyman Mellick of Los
Angeles stated that he was opposed to the
entire act, as in futurity he saw a connec.
ton between the San Joaquin Valley road
an the Santa Fe which would excite an
opposition in rates proving beneficial
to all.
After considera BILE discussion Caminetti,
at Preston's suggestion, introduced an
amendment, so that the bill reads as fol-
| lows:
SECTION l. 1t sh hall be unlawful for the Board
of Supervisors of any county to authorize or
pass any ordinance, order or resolution grant
ing to any person or persons or association OF
persons or corporation whatsoever any privi.
lege or franchise for the construction, extern
sion or operation of any railroad over or upon
any or part OF any county road or highway in
any county in the State OF California; provided,
where public highways are absolutely re.
quired the person or persons or association
of persons or corporation applying for such
franchise, if the same be granted, must, under
conditions prescribed by the Board of Super
visors, provide highway suitable and safe,
distance equal in kind with that part so ap.
propriated. The provisions of this act shall
not apply to crossings over highways nor to
highways in mountain or other passes, nor to
approaches to cities and towns for distance
of one mile therefrom.
The amendment was adopted and the
committee decided to report favorably on
the bill as amended.
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National HorffcuLtnraE Convention.
| COLUMBUS, ONO, Jan. 2S.-A call has