The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-05-10

Was
the guest of honor.)
| believe in the future of San Fran
cisco. She has magnificent harbor
near the center of our coast line and
is right at the gateway of the open sea,
and as her civilization and commerce
grow greater and greater she must
forge ahead, whether she viii or not;
but there are voices in your midst
which do not help you; there are agen-
cies which rend and tear down, rather
than create and build up, and the rail
road interests which /, with my asso-
ciates who are present here tonight,
and others, represent, is no. one Of
those drawbacks
1t has been my constant statement
in the past, it is the same today, and
will be tomorrow, that he interest of
the railroad is so bound up with that
of the whole State that what affects
the prosperity of the one must reflect
directly upon the welfare of the other
If California today accommodated all
the population which she is able to
support, and support generously, the
beginning of a splendid era would be
upon us; and by ''us" / mean the peo-
pie of the whole State.
There is nothing / so long to see in
California as the logical development
of the State; and, though | know this
rightfu1 development would rebound
also to my personal benefit, can say
this without a particle of selfishness
and without the spirit of self-seeking
in any respect.
/ have lately had brought to my no
tice and have urged upon the attention
Of my people here to the recent action
of the Gar of Russia, which is likely
to result in a heavy emigration of
Films to other and more liberal coun-
tries. These thrifty people ought to
find in California a benefirent harbor
of refuge. 1 wish we could get them
here; but, if we could what should we
do with them? What have we to Of
fer them? Land? Yes; but can we
give Iueil WHdL IHey Will ueeu DIT a
price at which they can afford to ac-
quire it? That is the real question
England will offer them great induce
ments; and so will other countries. In
the United States the cold countries Of
the Northwest will present fiattering
Inducements In California we are con-
cerned with the problem of great
ranches, the owners of which have been
unwilling to divide them up. These
people need small farms; and if they
take them, they will take them only at
reasonable prices, for they cannot af-
ford to pay more.
What California needs today is more
people What you merchants need to-
day is more customers to buy your
goods; and the only way you can get
them is by having them here. Cali
fOrnia is community of large land
holders, and vast region of lands that
produce little-not because they are
unproductive, but because they are
held in such large quantities that they
cannot be cultivated as they should be.
One little colony of hard working,
economical, virtuous people like these
Firms, would 1eaven the whole lump,
for their example would be an incite-
ment to thousands of others, who, see
ing their good works and their good
fortune. would strive to share in it.
So far as the Firms at their far away
home are concerned, neither you citi-
ZenS of the State nor we railroad peO-
pie would need to advertise further, for
letters received at home from the kin
dred who had successfully wandered
into this land of milk and honey would
do the work, and l believe We should
find shiploads and carloads landing at
the Golden Gate, ready TO people up
our beautiful valleys and make this
land blossom like the rose. You may
consider this an extravagant picture,
but think I am not an over enthusi-
astic man, and 1 look at question of
this kind in the light of what history
teaches us.
Great communities - nations - have
grown up from small beginnings and
through the force of example, and we
can hardly overestimate the vital i'm
portance and value Of securing the
first party of emigrants-whose eyes
are even now looking wistfully toward
this land of liberty whose richest
promises lie right here The people
not ask the gift of money: nor do they
need it. They are entitled, though, to
fair and liberal treatment and the hand
of good fellowship, to sympathy and
the encouragement of good wishes; for