The herald., 1898-09-30
GEN. BARNES ADMISSION

deny that their party in this state Is In
the powerful grasp of the railroad mo-
nopoly. Every newspaper reader
knows that there is overwhelming evil
dence of such control In fact there Is
hut little attempt at concealment of this
influence by the railroad company's
own political manipulators.
General Barnes, Mr.. Cages speecn-
maker-in- chief. does not attempt to dis
e,,ise his intimate relationship with the
Southern Pacific railroad. He Is one OF
the regular attorneys of the corporation.
AS all readers know he is doing the heavy
work. in the Republican campaign.
using to best advantage the forensic
eloouence that has made him specially
useful to the corporation in civil courts.
In the course of his speech at San Ber-
nardino, as partly reported in the Red
lands Facts, General Barnes said:
don't care snap of my finger for the
railroad: / have rendered them good
service, and they never paid me half or
what my judgment was worth; but we
will let that go.
That acknowledgment is as plain as
English language can make 1t. General
Barnes knows that his usefulness to the
company entrenches him in his position
and he can we'll afford the bluster about
his finger snap. If 1t Is true that the
corporation never paid him half what
his services are WORTH the fact is only
nfo oh ot icti in ms q n
ness, with which the people of California
are we'll acquainted. 1t is possible, how
ever, that General Barnes has his oner-
Gus political service in mind when he al
ludes to inadequate compensation. He
certainly deserves a liberal special al
lowance for the work he is doing in this
campaign as Mr.. Cages chief speech
maker.
The circular ostensibly issued by rail-
road employees, wherein it was declared
that combination was forming to 'do
politics in the present campaign. Is
also palpable evidence of the corpora
tion's activity. The printing of a ready
made Gage speech in the San Francisco
Call, purporting to have been delivered
in San Diego. shows the desperate
straits the railroads chief newspaper
organ is put to in the effort to help its
candidate for governor.
The singing arraignment of the rail-
road by Hon. NJ NJ. Estee, for its eff
forts to dominate California politics, Is
unquestonable testimony in the same
direction.
But it is needless to instance special
evidence on this point. The facts are
patent to the whole people of this state.
If the present obtrusion of railroad in
fluence were a new thing in our political
campaigns there might be some excuse
for voters to lack full comprehension
of the situation.
The Southern Pacific railway, under
the adroit management of Coils p.
Huntington, is now aiming to tighten
Its clutch upon the interests of the
masses in California. Recently the fiscal
report OF the company showed a vast
increase in earnings within the last
year, and about the same time appeared
the statement that it cost the citrus fruit
growers s4,5o0,000 to market s11,OO00OO
worth of fruit.
No voter can plead ignorance If he
casts his ballot next November in favor
of giving the Southern Pacific corpora
ton more rope with which to bind the
people of California. 1t Is not only the
lions share of our material interests that
the hungry monopoly wants--it wants
the entire porcine animal