Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-01-24
THE WHARF MATTER.

respects decidedly misleading.
You say, "If any previous admin
istrstion has given vested right
to the o. II. d l.. Co., etc" In
this you imply a doubt whereas 1t
is on record and an undisputed
fact that the o. r. & l.. Co, has
vested rights granted by legisla
tive enactment. 4.
Again you say, with all the
large business done by the rail
roa corporation today it is pro
badly not a patch on what it will be
in ten OF twenty years hence. when
writing the above no doubt your
thoughts were upon the Southern
Pacific of California, but one must
have very elastic Imagination in
deed to draw comparisons he.
tween the octopus of the Pacific
Coast and the y. II. d l.. Co. The
Southern Pacific was built by the
lnited States Government. 1t
yields an immense power as 1t
has an immense area of rich coun-
try behind It. On the other hand
the q. Il. a l.. Go. owes its exist
cncc to the interchangeable eXertions
and energy of one mau. 1t has no
power, nor does it seek for any, to
be feared by this community.
How can this railroad become q
power politically or financially,
when If all the arabic land along
its lines were put together it
would not make fair sized Cali.
fornia ranch, and the position of
this railroad is such, that for It's
own preservation it is bound to
deal in a Just aud equitable man
ner with all those doing business
with it If ut any time it should .
act arbitrarily the waterway is
available to shippers.
The Southern Pacific Railroad
robbed not only the State of
taxes but the California farmer
Of the fruits of the soil. The o. .
Il. Il l.. Co. has been of inesti
lnable value to our depleted
treasury, in that it has always
paid its fair quota of taxation and
instead of iniuring the farmer it
has done everything in its power
in the way Of reduced rates,
cheap water, and cheap land to
foster the agricultural industry
along its lines.
Your editorial speaks about
oppression or enSlavement of
money power. If it can he called
oppression to fill the harbor with
shipping, to cause a hum OF in.
dustry to leverberate from end TO
end Of this island, to enable
the Government by increased tax
alton to carry on public works, to
circulate among business men,
lnborers and mechanics of this
city nearly three million dollars
this last couple of years. as one of
the people the BULLETIN speaks
for, | pray heaven send us more
Of this kind of oppression. 1t
seems to the writer that your
bringing into this controversy
anything about landings on the
other islands is entirely outside
the question. Landings on the
other islands in many cases are
erected at the only availab BILE
places to be found. Here,
the Government can find
plenty landing and wharf room
without acting arbitrarily, but our
Solons think the Railroad wharf
is the goose with the golden egg,
so they want to destroy it, The
.. Il. d l.. Co. asks for no favors
in this wharf matter The stock
holders of this road have passed
through trying times and now
that they have built up trade
that under favorable circumstances
and with good management will
bring in a small return for their
Investments, they seek for thai
which is granted to enterprising
capital in most every city-name
ly,an outletto handle their products
without interfering in any way
with private rights or Government
property. But this most paternal
Government steps in and, like IA
thief in the night, seeks TO take
that which will not enrich them
much, but will have tendency to
make the railroad poor,
A short time ago the Govern.
ment had an expert engineer from
New York to devise a sewerage
scheme There was also imported