The San Francisco call., 1899-07-13
Last Weeks Meeting
a Hot One.
OBJECT TO DISCRIMINATION
THE PUSH OPPOSED BY THE
MORE LIBERAL MEMBERS.
C. P. Huntington Runs Against a
Snag in the Place He Least
Expected to Find
One.

When c. P. Huntington, entering upon
the role of a reformer, proposed doing
away with the saloons along the line of
his road he evidently expected some oppo-
sition or protest from the outside. Other
wise he would have signed the order him
self instead of making a catspaw out Of
5. n. Foster. But that his action in cut
ting out the booze would cause friction
among the Southern Pacific directors
themselves was a contingency which,
possibly, he did not count upon.
Yet his action has caused friction.e eand
lots of it. At the last meeting of the
board the matter, together with the pro-
tests filed by the wholesale liquor mer-
chants and others interested. was brought
up, and the result was a red-hot meeting
and a head-on collision between the hunt
ington push on the board and those other
members who were disposed TO take a
more equitable view of the matter
When the order was first issued II was
intended to embrace all the saloons along
the line without any distinction. But this
raised such a howl from the big hquor
houses by whom they are supplied and
from the saloon-keepers themselves, many
of whom the road cannot afford to ignore,
that it was decided to modify the order
Here is where the clash occurred.
The Huntington supporters decided that
the proper thing to do was to close some
of the saloons and allow others TO run
wide open, the discrimination being LETT
TO the judgment of Manager krutschnitt,
who is body and soul a Huntington man
and knows whom to favor and whom to
deal out severity to.
Those of the board who could see neither
the logic nor justice Of such a proceed
Ing violently opposed it. They argued that
If one saloon should be closed so should
another, and if the good of the company 5
employees demanded that all the places
along the line shut up, why, then, 1t
should mean the banishment OF liquor
from the dining and buffet cars as Well
For it is just as easy for a tralnman 10
get liquor on board a car as It is for him
TO get eff at a station TO buy drink
They furthermore characterized the or
is viewed. 1t would be Impossible for the
road to Danish liquor altogether. The
travelling public would not stand 1t. And,
even If it were possible, it would not pre-
vent drinking by the train hands, as moth
Ing would be easier than for a brakeman,
conductor or engineer to carry uquor
along with him secretly, If he so desired.
This opposition, coupled with remarks
which were not entirely complimentary TO
their chiefs wisdom, greatly angered the
Huntington faction ana some pretty
warm talk was INDUCED in by both sides.
The meeting finally adjourned without
any definite agreement being arrived at,
the Huntington people declaring that the
matter would go through in the way they
had decided upon and II the others did not
like it and objected to the proposed dis
elimination they could look on, smile and
seem pleased.
the reputation Huntington has for being
a smooth manipulation, they will buck
against him and TO such good purpose that
he will find that he has come to a ditch
TOO wide to be cleared at a bound.
When seen last week, shortly after the
meeting, Vice-President Stubbs, Manager
Krutschnitt and others of the Huntington
followers who were present in attendance
denied that the liquor matter had come
sion pertaining thereto had arisen. Yet,
even though discussion" and Officially
may not be the proper words, the matter
did come up and provoked enough talk to
be digni1ed by the word quarrel" all