The San Francisco call., 1907-02-26
BERKELEY REPLIES To
SACRAMENTO'S DEFENSE
Chamber of Commerce Is
sues Statement Refut-
ing Allegations
FIGURES CORRECTED
Climate, Location and Cost
of Removal Given
in Detail
FIGURES CORRECTED

BERKELEY. Feb. 25.-Reply to the
arguments made by the Sacramento
Chamber OF Commerce against Berke-
ley's advantages as capital city is
made by the Berkeley Chamber OF
Commerce in letter sent to the Sac
ramento people tonight. The assump-
rion that Sacramento's climate is SUI
perior, that the latter city is centrally
located and so suitable for capital pur-
poses; that money would be needlessly
spent If the capital should be removed.
and other alleged misstatements of the
Sacramento Chamber. Of Commerce arc
controverted in the letter prepared by
the Berkeley chamber officials, which
is, in part as follows:
We have received the letter Of the Sscra-
mento Chamber OF COmmerce, dated February "a,
m which are set forth ceftssn arguments against
California should be given an opportunity TO de-
teruline whether ecolomy Of administration, con-
----f. sIiSh0i-s " 80 Gu 80 -.
natc colQi Aions-in short, the greatest good 10
the greatest nuulber--dO nOt demand that their
capital be located at Berkeley.
Inc most patent error is your statement re-
earolng The death rates in Sacramento and Oak
len0 fused Tor this purpose ID the absence OF
available Berkeley statistics. You place the
yesss. from 1896 10 1905, inclusive was u 5s4.
10 ls00 j was, according 70 statistics just com
health reports for Ten months Ln 1906, two
months being missing during this period The
leatn rate was - O. instead OF 12s as stated In
your letter, diderence OF l-44 IN favor OF this
community
That the climate Of Sacramento is the climate
oI the Sacramento aud San Joaquin vs4leys is a
statement that VIII be. resented By every com
nunity from Marysviiie- TO Bakersfield. Analysis
ot the tables OF temperature and humidity, OF
fair dave and cloudy davs will readily show
the incorrectness and Injustice Of the assumpr
tlon thar Jse sacra Hlehto climate is typical Of
the great interior valleys.
Tie annual mean temperature Of Sacramento
given as So j. is compared with Oakland al 81 g.
Ihis arg lE-ent IS used 10 claim a better climate
for Sacramento rilan that OF Oakland and there
fore ~ be1keley- Tie answer 10 this PROPOSE
ZION Is tlet the temperature mean for the
TIRE year IS absolutely worthless as means Of
comparing the climate Of various portions Of
Calfernla II Is apparent at once that the
reason me comparison .aof mean temperature ap-
pears oh It's face 10 be satisfactory. is that the
severe lcar ~ the Sacramento summer averages
lF with tie sagreeable climate Of the winter.
II is The tempera tllre FOR the. various months
tEst should De compared ID order to get an
-lea 81 EAe climatic conditions of the two
IN making this comparison we hud that the
climate or Berkeiey is warmer: IN the winter
hehto- Tie same answer can be made 10 the
statement that there more clear DAYS ia
Sacramento throughout the year than in Berke-
The Chamber Of Commerce Of Sacramento has
very carefully avoided giving tie number Of clear
days y Sacramento during the months Of January
sion The reason for This is evidentIy the fact
tnat there are practically no clear days during
tlese months. il is almost constant Success
sion OF either rains or land legs, neither one Of
which IS particularly attractive to the Caifor-
As the proposition that the Capitol Park
Is worth Sl,0o0, 600 and would revert to the city
oI Sacramento il the capital were changed We
beg 70 say thar the Chamber of Commerce is
mistaken The fact is that the original part Of
tis7 Capitol grounds, where the Capitol building
llseu Is located, belongs absolutely TO- the State
The portion. where the agricultural pavilion is
located II not used for the purposes Of an sgri-
cultural pavilion. would revert to the city OF
Sacramento
We believe that the statement that the Capitol
Park is worth a. million dollars Is ridiculous.
There are thirty eight acres IN. the entire park,
ana $500 per acre would be large price
Absolutely no burden viii fall on the farmers
OF California II they determine 10 invest In a
new Capitol. Should 1t be deemed wise to use
rs large sum as S4,000.O0O for this purpose,
tne interest ana sinking fund necessary 10 retire
forty bonds would amount 10 snly $202. 600
This charge under the new tax law just
passed by the Legislature, which wiz undoubt
eqIg be ratified by the people, Will be made
9 ga inst State funds produced by gross tax
"a the earnings OF rsilroads and other nrhiie
service corpora rions. This tax. Il Is estimated
VIII in 1903 produce slo.5oo. 900. an amount one
70 carry on the state government Not one
collar Of tbe cost Of the capital VIII. therefore.
have % be raised by tax real estate
Replying TO the proposition that the present
Capitol building is a noble structure, one of
Sss o . sts ssSSle m Be % sRe ooS y6sS 6Sa
we beg 70 say IN the first place that there. is
no intention Of duplicating the present Capitol
building. The cost Of the building when com.
pleted was s., ,e00.0 600. What may have been
spent on the old structure TO keep II in repair
sintce then we admit is large and say that
the upkeeping OF an antiouated structure such
as this win continue to be extremely expensive.
The present appropriation Of 1852, 900 to repair
the building is admittedly entirely inadequate
for that purpose. The committee having the
matter In charge has requested an additional
appropriation Of almost equal amount. Is il
70 spend three quarters of h million
dollars on repairing this building which was
when the population of the State was only one
nth as muck zs II iA at the present time? A
Capitol building that was adequate in 1861 is
80 by and California continues to grow IN
wealth and population, as ii always has done
and always will, the present Capitol building will
become more and more inadequate. 1t is only
question OF a few years at best until ft would
oe absolutely necessary to rear large and new
The citizens OF the state Of California with
the exception Of Sacramento and its immediate
surroundings, must first come either to San
Frsneisco or Oakland in order to get 10 Sacra-
mentO-
Ninety per cent Of the citizens who wish n
visit the capital must spend more time and
fbsn thew rould exnsna ~. !. g. Seeramento
Berkeley While IL Is true that the commis-
sions and officials now quertered in San Fran |
capital, Il iE also that their location 10 San
francisco IN the face Of this fact is proof abso
lutte that the business Of the State demands that
ts capital be located at the center Of its popu-
We esimste and this is after consultation |
with various State Commissioner that $50 oOo |
he departments in San Francisco. We estinats
tnat the excess or travelling expense which the 4
State has TO meet over what Il would he N |
the capital were located in Berkeley is approx