The San Francisco call., 1899-10-18

S~1r@-t1E AFTERNOON O1gd0ett6 OF tNe
Southern Pacific Company is up
against it, in the matter of its
y nhsurd claim that opposition to the
appointment of a Southern Pacific
attorney TO the vacancy on the Interstate
Commerce Commission is opposition TO
California. Such an idea may have been
received from the yellow "knockery''
without cracking a smile in the editorial
crib where the writer's fatten on South
ern Pacific money. The hard fact dem
onstrated by interviews with the leading
merchants of California is that they VIII
not be enthusiastic if the President should
name for the position of Commissioner
railroad lawyer. General Chapman is
not their choice. They want business
man. a person of affairs and experience
IN lI3n nSpOftauOn matters; one VINO
KNOWS the difference between a "di1teren-
tal and its application and brake
beam. in word. they want some one
Who Knows what they need. and what are
the business needs of the Pacific Coast.
\ railroad attorney or a hack pOuucian
u0es not MI the measure Of their desires.
IL there Is Il merchant in the wholesale
district bounded by Mission, Clay, East
and Sansome streets who is enthusiastic
IN the advocacy of the appointment of
General Chapman for Interstate Com
LlerCe Commissioner. a Gllgent search
failed 10 reveal his occult hiding place.
ON the other hand, there We're scores of
merchants who had clean-cUt ideas as to
what Is necessary. 1t is unnecessary to
repeat the unpleasant things that were
SAID about the foolish attempt of the
Southern Pacific Company To fOist its at
t0ruey on the President OF the United
States as a Commissioner. one typical
statement was this: If the President
should appoint railroad attorney to rep
resent the Pacific Coast in the Interstate
Commission ii would be enough against
him to hurt the chances of Republican
success in California at the coming PreSi-
Dental election This is something that
President Mckinley will be likely to heed
when he knows the facts"
The largest organization of merchants
west of the Mississippi is the Pacific
Coast Traffic Association. soon to be aug
meuted by accessions Of membership
from the States of Washington and Ore
gOn. Ii is this association which. as 4
whole. is making the movement to have
Commissioner appointed who shall rep
resent truly the interests of the whole
coast Already 400 Wholesale houses are
enrolled in its membership, the com
bined capital of which runs high in the
ten of millions of dollars and represents
all the leading commercial enterprises of
the coast from Puget Sound to San Diego
The association is engaged in a fight for
the i0bbing business OF the coast. as real
defendants in suit now pending before
the Interstate Commerce Commission.
The members are not politicians. but bust
ness men. whose success or failure means
much to the welfare of the coast.
Seeing that the ST. Louis and Chicago
jobbers had united 10 clnch the coast;
knowing that the coast had no represen-
tative on the commission and that ii has
never had one. finding that there was .
chance to get a real representative of /
Pacific Coast interests on the commission, /
one of the first matters to engage the rep !
TesentatiVes of the association in san F!
Francisco was the necessity of doing all
that was possible To have some man
named VINO could benefit the coast. These
gentlemen are disgusted to find that the
Southern Pacific Company. with its
usual greed. is trying to turn their op-
p0rtunity to its own selfish ends
1t is true that few merchants care to
openly tagOnize the railroad people.
Their business can be badly affected by
the hostile acts Of the company. They
90 not care to mention the name of Cen
eFal Chipman to condemn the railroad
company. but that they do not think
that a corporation attorney. and poll
tician viii fill the measure of their wants
appears clearly from what they say. In
indicating their. preferences they show
what they think would not be a good
selection. The Traffic Association has
not yet expressed its desire for the selec- /
ton Of any particular candidate for the
position Of commissioner. and may not
do so. There are three States in the
league for the defense Of the business Of
the Pacific Coast They may have some