The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-25
Attitude
OF
Capital.

richest men in California, never asked for
political favors, and he is interested in
fornia, the Bank OF Nevada or the Hi
hernia Savings and Loan Society. All
three are great monetary corporations;
institutions of it's kind in America. They
did not ask to be treated differently from
other people, they. did not demand that
in their interests or Assessors selected ue-
cause they were friendly to them.
California never was unfair to the rail-
roads. The people of California have al
ways, and will always, deal justly by
capital and capitalists
TO illustrate the railroad power, we
of the English Parliament and an author
Of worldwide reputation. who in his
american Commonwealth" at page 6o3.
volume 2, in speaking of the. great West
ern railway magnates. graphically says:
These railway kings are among Inc
great men. perhaps L may say the great
else they could not hold their position.
They have fame, for every one has heard
of their achievements; every newspaper
chronicles their movements. They have
power, more power-that is, more oppor-
tunity of making their personal will pre-
vafl-than perhaps any one in political
er, who after all hold theirs for four
years and two years, while. the railroad
monarch may keep his for life. When the
way lines travels toward the Pacific on
his palace car his Journey is like royal
progress. Governors of States and Terri
ceive him in solemn session; cities seek
to propitiate him, for has he not the
means Of making or marring city's
fortunes?"
Many years ago Mr.. Lincoln in a speech
Scriptures, said "A house divided
ed, "A nation divided against itself can
not stand-this nation cannot remain part
slave and part free" If Mr.. Lincoln had
been GIFTED with the spirit OF propheeX ne
and now / venture to add that "a State
divided against itself cannot stand and
any State government is divided against
rupt State politics. We are part slave
and part free when the many are con-
Said a United States Senator in
speech made in the Senate some years
ago, referring to the Pacific Railroad
''fhey have but one rule of policy-first
employ all means to convince; failing in
that. then all means to crush.
Their agents and attorneys and lobbyists
our committee rooms and set spies upon
our actions"
The Southern Pacific Railroad Com
pany politically destroys those it cannot
control. For full. twenty-five years the
Central and Southern Pacific Railroad
corporations have followed, with persist
ent bitterness, every publc man ana
every newspaper that has had the indie
pendence to tell the. truth about them,
and they have siandered out of public
life all those who did this. Note the old
Sacramento Union, Governor Haight,
Governor Newton Booth, Senator A. A.
Sargent and many others who might be
named.
They often herald the fact that they
support certain candidates at nominating
conventions when they do not. This is
done to make the candidates feel they
will be under obligations to them If elect
ed. They openly declare they control
from 1900 to 5000 votes in this State
men in their employ; II this be true, it
Is a humiliating and disgraceful thing
to admit, and the people must make a
new Declaration of Independence. This
question arises above party. 1t reaches
the honor of all men of all parties
If these conditions continue 1t may be
that the question will ultimately come,
whether or not the Government will have
to own the railroads. 1t will be safer tor
the Government to own the railroads
than for the railroads to own the Gov
eminent.
We maintain that the political power
of the republic must rest with the people
fA