The San Francisco call., 1898-08-27
SUMMERS RABID LANGUAGE
M. J.: KELLER REPLIES AND IS RATHER SARCASTIC.
The. Coming Change of Congressman Has Brought Forward the
 Much-Debated Warm =: Question Again.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,


 Ex-Congressman Charles A. Sumner who has published certain letters regard ing the status of Oakland tidal canal matters, has made several statements which, are emphatically contradicted by Oaklanders. Some time ago there ap- = peared a circular entitled The Oakland Tidal. Canal-Letter No. g." but no copies of it could be obtained by Oaklanders, and 1t. was understood that the letter was not for local circulation.
 Recently several copies of it have been circulated, and as there IS to De new Congressman sent from this district next November the matter has become one or great interest. In his letter MT. Sumner says:
 That this revival of attention to the report of the three distinguished engineers who in 1874 reported so favorably and earnestly about a harb6r in San Antonio Creek-on which Oak land was then said to be situated-has been -exaspefating to Mir. Huntington and many of . his funkeys (especially to his lobbyists and bribers W ho sojourn or sleep in the city of Oak .land). is to be wondered at by the intel llgent citizen in this locality. These despicable creatures have long been engaged In the business Of whispering-(only of late talking loudly in the strain to be indicated)-aoout the .'ridieulous idea of any such thing as ''har- bor east of Broadway It is indeed very az gravattng to them to be confronted with the explicit language of The Board of Officers constituted by special orders No Sz heaqquaT- ters corps of engineers, Washington. D. C.. March 24 1873 f For now all my readers have seen for themselves that 1t is not true that the or1gl- nal scheme was merely for the opening of San Francisco to that point on San Antonio . Creek which is marked as the foot of Broad way in Oakland '' The engineers reported that they were directed to make an examination and survey and plan of harbor for San An tonic Creek, California; and their words and actions showed that they never dreamed that fhky were 10 be confined to so much of the creek as was measured from deep water at its mouth in San Francisco Bay to the oak land Broadway frontage The most of my readers have doubtless by this time become all of the people of Oakland proper-all who not ar hireliugS infamous Huntington-are to be most thoroughly pro Submitted by Coloneis Stewart and Alexander and Major Wendell, in 1874. That plan had its "consummation in the tidal Ganal ;ho On selves. This was their own suggestion; brought about this feature in the grand project, save sndd nst4re b6a[d nfFe 6e ofces to fRey sd or cunateIy, such a plan is almost provided by nature" II the neck of land to be cut through had been many times s wide 1t is. they would have suggested and urged the excayat- ing That Is what they mean or imply when they use the language quoted above. But for tunately the distance is not great, and the cost of digging the canal will not be relatively
 Unfortunately. most unfortunately. ii was subsequently discovered that the interests of the railroad monopoly were in conflict with the carrying out of this plan which the engi- neers joyfully exclaimed about. as almost
 Now this plan fully consummated would make a harbor of the entire of San Antonio Creek-''a fine. land-locked harbor." Hunting ton and his henchmen don't want that. Oh. no And furthermore. they have been saying that no such thing was ever contemplated. ''The Ideal How absurd!" Only ship chan Canal Gs f0 to Se hp caha Why ch taafl e nently worthy citizens as Steve Gage and MT. Keller tyrhose advertisement may be seen on the ticket holders given to Southern Pacific Railroad commuters)s are nearly choked with Laughter over the ''ridiculousness'' of the sug gestion.
 . Vice-President M J. Keller of the Oak land Board of Trade, who has taken leading paSt in haIbor T., matters sttia for seT, to Mir: Sumner:
 e Mir Sumner is certainly the 2 3 wrong. track as to the cause of the late Z z, controversy about the Oakland harbor ( :3 I know the railroad company has been 2 % charged at times with a desire to i'm 6 a pede all work Oakland harbor; e 5 charged with having a preference for g @ first cutting the canal and improving $ Q East Oakland basin before completing 2 '& the portion west of Webster street. q q The wishes and preferences of that 2 A company. if they had any. were never . . considered by the Oakland Board of fTrade 2 $ when. they proceeded through their com q | q mittee tc undo the schemes of Dr. Mo e 2. Lean. q $ T. was this gentleman who perhaps at q q the request of the railroad company. in 2 C order to delay the of the harbor in- e ( definitely sent petition to the Secre- 2 3 tary of War, signed by the two Califor- z e. nia Senators, by Congressman Hilborn e z. and by four others from this State. ask, 2 q. ing that all money then available, and 6 e to become available, be expended in cut q . ting the canal and dredging East Oak 2 >3 land basin until completed. This action S ss is what brought on the controversy. Q $ If any interest desired to delay the use
 3 of the harbor would it not be best S A served by securing a compliance with e e the doctors petition? M As a matter of fact, the Oakland com %a ~ nittee never opposed the cutting of Q 3 the canal; the Board of Trade never q 1 opposed 1t: the people of Oakland z <3 never opposed this work, and the 6 ~ declarations of Mir. Metcalf in his 2 M campaign speech in Alameda, previous 6 fafa ylrfTy1 O. . cient evidence. q This raspng on a question settled by 2 ~ official acts of the cities of Oakland z q and Alameda-settled by the signatures 6 Q of the Alameda representatives. and fn- q q dorsed by the people of Alameda In pub 2 %a lie; ;meeting-would seem to be for po- 2 q ntfcal effect. Why don't the gentlemen 2 e or the committee come out in the open z z rather than encourage this bushwhack- c ing, If they still think they yielded their Q C consent and their signatures adversely Q c to the interests of their city? e