The San Francisco call., 1905-01-29

ON STILL HUNT
Begin Search for the Bill
That Gives Western Pacific
Road a Terminal Here
VIOLENT SPECULATING
Incline to the Belief That
Harbor Board Measure May
Be in Interest of Company
Special Dispatch to The Call.

SACRAMENTO, Jan. 28.-The an
nouncement from Chicago that con-
.struction on the Western Pacific road
will begin within two months and that
the company has secured rights of way
through California and terminal IN
San Francisco without fear of inter-
| ference" has set a majority of the leg
| isIators speculating violently. They are
conscious of the fact that the Board
of Harbor Commissioners Of San Fran
cisco must first be authorized to lease
a terminal before it can legally grant
the Western Pacific the right it seeks.
With dampened thumbs the solons
are skurrying through the leaves of
their bill files, searching for some pos
sible measure introduced, perhaps in
disguise, that would grant the San
Francisco terminal to the Western Pa
cific when put in force. The statement
of the Western Pacific managers, how
ever, that they will come into the open
and demand the rights they seek. ap-
pealing to the people for the exercise of
moral force if need be, does not lend
color to the theory that the corporation
is proceeding under cover.
This leaves but one line Of argument
and that is that a bill recently intro
duced by Assemblyman Treadwell en-
powering the Board of Harbor Com
missioners of San Francisco to lease
certain described water front blocks is
the much sought measure, though the
Western Pacific is not named in the
bill.
When asked regarding the bill Tread
we'll said that he did not think it had
anything to do with the granting of a
terminal to the Western Pacific. The
bill, he said, was handed him by the
%A>,sx Co. ..4&-4 Il IN@,@
Commission, who informed him that 1t
was simply in line with other measures
that had been adopted giving the COM
mission the right to lease unused
blocks, and that no specific object was
in view or dependent upon the passage
of the bill-in other words, that 1T was
simply "red tape measure empow
ering the board to fulfill functions in
no wise extraordinary. The bill is now
in committee. however, and 1t is prob
able that its purpose will be more fully
explained before it is reported back to
the House.
TRYING TO LOCATE BILL
Shortly after the Legislature con-
vened Harbor Commissioner Spear ar
rived here one morning, and within half
an hour after his arrival the word went
out that he had come to secure the
Governors views on the question of
<
Spear, however, said that he was TAX
ing no interest in any measure either
for or against the Western Pacific;
that he would take no action whatever
regarding the terminal until such time
as the company appeared, before the
board of which he was a member and
made known it's wants.
The fact stands, nevertheless, that
the Chicago office of the road an
nounces that it has procured right to a
terminal in San Francisco without
fear of interference" 1t is quite prob
able that it knows whereof it speaks,
and the question that now remains is
for the Legislature to locate the bill
that is going to empower 1T to enter
San Francisco with its lines
The Merchants Association of San
Francisco has sent letter to every
Assemblyman asking him to support
Beardslee's bill providing that the
property of the wife shall be liable for
all debts for the necessaries Of life con-
tracted by the husband. The bill was
beaten on its third reading Tuesday,
but notice of reconsideration was given.
Assem- mblyman Beardslee at once Sc
cured promise of enough votes for it's
passage upon suggesting certain