The San Francisco call., 1904-04-10
Third Week of April Con-
vention VIII Meet in Santa
Barbary to Start Project
ALL SECTIONS AROUSED
Representatives From Every
Civic Organization in the
State to Respond to Call
BY Laura Bride Powers


the decision Of the people up north"
NY. but things are getting busy
up north"
What's doing az the old mission
town on the lsth2 Why, on that date
delegates from every burg in Cali
fosnia viii gather there BY the side
OF the sea TO formulate plans for the
restoration and perpetuity Of the Old
kings Highway-the road builded
from the Mission san Diego de Alcals
(San Diego9 TO san Francisco Solano
(SOnoma) on the north.
Rightly speaking, the Canine Real
OF original planning terminated at the
Mission San Francisco de Assist (Do-
lores)-our own fascinating but sadly
unappreciated mission out on Dolores
street. And by the way, how many
OF Us, who would resent vehemently the
charge Of a dearth OF patriotism, have
ever set foot in that wonderful ola
sancuary-the one structure in all our
northern territory coincident with the
birth OF our ration?
But why call Up delinquencies? It's
never too late to mend our ways. And
therefore the convention at Santa
Barbara on the 18th and goth. There,
within sound Of the mission bells,
whose peal has echoed from hill to
hill these hundred years-a very re-
spectacle age as we Americans re-
gard time-will be gathered together
the most remarkable aggregation Of
people California ever garnered in her
name. In her name" is the watch
word Of the convention.
The delegates go from North, South,
East and West Of our vast dominion
vast in truth as measured by our dear
ancestors, the New England States
with no mans dollars in their jeans
or auto bags-but their own, to save
what should have been saved a quar-
ter century ago. Twas about that time
that mems equilibrium became stable,
after the pandemOnium Of making
or losing-fortunes over night
Herewith beg to present to the pub
lie once more the objects of the con-
vention whose one distinctive feature
and let it be cried from our hiIltops-
is not self-interest. but State interest
It is California-our Statei And per-
nit me 10 ask. preparatory to present
ing the object, where in the world, the
vast, vast world, is there such a possi-
bility for a highway as our lovely State
presents? And the beauty-likewise the
feasibility-of the plan is the fact that
vast part Of the old original road
exists to-day as county roads.
And where a deviation exists from
the original trail. as does between
Kings City and the beautiful mission
Of San Antonio de Padua CMonterey
County,. IL is proposed TO keep TO that
road-even though il be ten or twenty
or a hundred feet from the original
carreta road. What or where would be
the practicability Of abandoning a good
existing stretch of road for an unsur-
veyed and impractical donkey path
way. merely because Of an historical
record that a dozen dOnkeys came
north that way in 1770. If success is to
attend the efforts of the Santa Barbara
convention, it is only by keeping with
in the boundaries Of acticability-and
we Will good friends and fellow citi-
zens. we Will; at least, Wen try.
Herewith is the plan of action, some
what tardily presented:
First-To unite all the commercial,
social and agricultural interests Of Cal
ifornia in a general plan for improve
ment Of the public highways.
.Second-Such plan to include the
procuring of legislation by the law
making body Of the State Of California
that win provide for the participation
by the State government in the pre-
liminary location, surveying and plat
ting Of a comprehensive system of
roads for the State and the appropria-
tion Of fair proportion Of the funds
necessary for the construction Of the
same, and to secure for such purpose a
fair proportion Of such moneys as may
be appropriated by the national Gov
ernment for public road building, and
by it apportiOned TO the State Of Cali
fOrnia.
'Third-Preserving the original gov
eminent road Of Spanish California be-
tween the missions San Diego and So
lano de SOnoma.
'FOurth-Investigati the adapta-
bility OF portions Of this road to the
purposes Of a main highway, with the
twenty-one Franciscan missions as sta
tions and landmarks upon it.
Hifth-Securing surveys in each OF
the counties along this route of as
much Of this ancient road as is in ex-
istence.
''Sixth-To make this main highway
from San Diego TO Sonoma Mission a
memorial highway. preservingits Span
ish name Of II Canine Real and urg-
ing the building Of an extension there
Of from its northern terminus northerlv
through the Sacramento Valley 10 the
northern limits Of the State as a main
highway.
Shorn Of verbiage, the general plan
IS TO form a permanent organization
whose business ii viii be to carry ia
the end the establishment Of this great
highway from north. to south of tbe
State. That its business will be to go
before the Legislature of next spring
and ask (now, don't get exictedl NOT
for an appropriation vast enough 10
swing the enterprise, but for ius,
enough TO survey the old mission
roads. Now il is noised abroad in the
land that Governor Pardee will stand
pat on such a modest bid for funds
PAINTINGS OF POPULAR