Evening star., 1900-10-06
The People in California Are Pros
porous Now.
SAN FRANCISC0'S COMMERCE
Result of the Acquisition of Islands
in the Orient.
BRYAN NOT POPULAR r
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star

SAN FRANCISCO, Cal. October 1. 1906
The population Of California is less than
eight to the square mile, ana two-thirds Of
this population is resident in cities. A few
years ago the general depression which serf-
ously affected the Pacific coast was es-
pecially distressing in its effect upon the
industries OF the people of this state. Cali
fornia may have been at one time a good
country for poor man, but 1t Is so no
longer, and those who have the best inter-
ests Of the state at heart and who are
most concerned in building it UP are wise
enough to recognize this condition and
make frank avowal thereof. There has
come to California, however. within the
last two or three years a marvellous i'm
provement In the condition OF all her indus
tries. and far more satisfactory adjust
ment of her population to her resources.
The greater part of this prosperity has
come through the activities of the United
States In the oriental countries for which
San Francisco Is the great point of arrival
and departure on this continent. In con-
trast with the scene presented in 1896 the
wharves and anchorage of the magnificent
harbor inside the Golden Gate are crowded
with ships of all descriptions representing
nearly every nation on the face of the globe
which possesses maritime strength.
Big Trade In the Orient.
The marvellous increase OF the foreign
trade OF the United States has been largely
in the direction Of the orient, and this in
itself would have given San Francisco the
stimulus needed to continue its growth as
an exporting and an importing city. In ad-
dition to this, however, has come the busi-
ness resulting from the military operations
Of this government in the far east. The
feet of government transports which sails
from here transactS a business equivalent
to that of the greatest houses In the for
eign trade the world over. Millions Of
dollars have been expended during the
past two years at this point for supplies
Of all kinds, and millions of dollars have
been expended in perfecting system OF
government transportation and terminal
facilities. 1t Is quite common thing to
note in the San Francisco papers adver-
tisements for bids for furnishing the United
States government with single bills OF
goods running into hundreds of thousands
of dollars in value Ever since the first
transport sailed from San Francisco to the
Philippines the quartermaster,s department
has been as busy as II the United states
was carrying on a great war, and as large
as the business has been from the start
1t shows constant increase from month to
month. When it became necessary to send
troops to China the feet of transports was
found inadequate and twenty or more large
steamers were added to 1t. These are now
either on their way to China, are returning
or else are loading at the city wharves.
Some idea of the extent of the business
now being done in San Francisco harbor
may be gained from the fact that although
there are seven miles of wharfage, 1t ire
quently happens that every berth Is occu-
pied and steamers. we'll as sailing ships,
are compelled to lie In the stream and walt
for a chance to load or discharge their car
goes. The largest owner of ships in the
United States Is w. E. Mighell, and nearly
all of his vessels, in number thirty-two.
are now engaged In the trade between here
and the Hawaiian Islands. The demand
for vessels has been SO great that the COM
petition Is keen for all expiring charters
whether of steam or sail tonnage.
Increase In Population.
The census returns show that San Fran
cisco has grown from city Of about 100000
people in 1890 to one Of 800. 600 in 1900, and
this gain has been made not in the decade,
but nearly all Of 1t in the last two years.
There is not much immigration to the state
of California at this time. though land Is
cheaper here now than 1t was fifteen years
ago. Irrigation has been pushed in the arid
sections Of the state to such point that to
obtain new acreage 1t is now necessary to
expend very large sums of money for the
conservation Of water, and great difficulty is
experienced in securing the consent of the
owners OF large ranches to break up their
holdings and put them on the market in lots
of such size as can be purchased by peo-
pie Of moderate mekIs.
Greatest Source OF Income.
The fruit crop Is, of course, the greatest
source Of income to the people of this state,
and this year. notwithstanding the fact that
| the crop is heavy, prices have been very
good. The wheat lands did not produce
| over onehalf of what they usually do, but
where water is available in the drer sec
tions Of the state 1t does not pay to use
| land for the raising of grain, and the latter
does not constitute great factor in agrf-
culture in this section. The mines and the
live stock industry are both fiourishing.
Four years ago municipalities and railroads
carried on extensive improvements for the
sole purpose of giving employment to thous-
ands of men who were without chance to
make their daily bread. There is no need
OF that this year, for the question Of secur-
Ing sufficient labor to carry on large enter
prises is now serious problem in many
sections Of the state. There has been a gen.
eral upward tendency in all prices. Horses.
| which found no sale at S. head four years
ago. now bring from So to $50. Cattle
which then sold for SIS a head now bring
$50. Four years ago wool went begging at
and cents pound and today 1t finds a
ready market at from IL to II cents
San Francisco is not the only point which
has benefited by this change in Industrial i
conditions. The cities in the interior and
on the southern coast have grown In like
or even greater proportion in consequence
of the prosperity Of their tributary areas.
The government work at the harbor Of
San Pedro hardly keeps pace with the
growth Of commerce at that point The hest
feature of all this development and prog
ress in California is the fact that no sec
ton or the state can now be accused of
having a BOOM" such as occasionally pre-
vailed in the earlier days Of the settle
ment Of the Pacific coast.
Don't Enthuse Over Bryan,
Mr.. Bryan and his platform are not
greeted with any great enthusiasm by these
people. who are too busy taking the advan-
tage Of their new opportunities to pay very
much attention to governmental theories Of
pessimistic character. Mr. Bryan has
been in California, and naturally when here
he went to Fresno. the heart Of the demo-
cratic strength Of the state. He made
speech at Fresno, which still fingers in
the minds of a great many of the people
who heard him, and which has been talked
about considerably elsewhere. He talked to
the wine growers; told them that he had
heard that there was a wine growers trust
in thatneighborhood. and that this trust had
scheme to keep up the price Of the pro-
duct Of the California vineyards. The
scheme. as Mr.. Bryan understood 1t. was
to set a figure at which the wine was to
be sold, and If 1t became necessary to main-
tain this price a sufficient quantity was to