Year: 1872

and there at present is the only place where
the cars OF chat company can reach ship
on the Pacific coast. Failing in all at
tsmpts to get to any deep water with their
roads nearer TO San Francisco than Goat
Island, and convinced that the wooden piers
at Oakland could only serve temporary
purpose, the railroad company asked Con.
gress to allow them to extend their road
| from Oakland to that island This was,
believe, in 1868. The United States Sen
ate then passed bill granting them the
privilege asked but being late in the ses
sion the House did not reach it, 50 the bill
died. We hear of no outcries at that time
against the passage of the measure In
1870 the same bill was again brought up
and the entire delegation from this State in
Congress voted for the bill but it was de-
feated by two votes. Here We have Sar
gent, johnson and Axtell, one Republican
and two Democrats voting for the bill and
yet We find in Mr. Sargent's Senatorial
election, while his enemies were dragging
in all directions for the errors of his life
and while some of them did not hesitate to
invent ISLANDERS to injure him, no paper and
no man either Republican or Democrat
ever deemed bis Goat Island record at all
damaging, and believe it was never men,
toned to his detriment


La 1872, believing the State was almost
unanimous in wishing to protect producers
from the extortionate charges of the middle
men, a bill was again introduced in to the
House of Representatives to lease the use
of half the island to the railroad company
upon their paying to the Government the
full value of such use. Such value to be
ascertained by three disinterested commits
sioners to be appointed for thai purpose by
the President of the United States. All
other railroads are under this bill allowed
to use the island for depots. For the
purpose of preventing any injury to the
harbor by changing it natural currents,
the company must reach the island by
means of bridge built on piers not less
than 300 feet apart. To forever protect
the producer, the ill prohibits all wharf
charges, and the lease shall be forfeited to
the Government if the company shall ever
use the island for other than legitimate
railroad purposes The city and State are
allowed under this bill to tax all railroad
property on the island and in fact every
guard is thrown around the bill to protect
the producer from receiving the same
treatment he now receives from the enemies
of this bill. But the whar6ngers, the dray-
men, and the warehousemen and all that
close corporation known as the wheat mo-
noplists had taken the alarm. and their or
gans both at San Francisco and Sacramento
using the time honored tactics of the thief
who when, pursued diverted pursuit by
raising the cry Of '"stop thief instantly
began to shout monopoly" with so much
vigor that some few we'll meaning men,
without examining into the matter, actual
ly believed that this effort to loosen the
cluches of the Infamous monopoly which
these papers champion, from the throats of
the farmers of the State, was move made
in the interest of the railroad company
alone. Shall no act be done for the benefit
of the people because thereby the railroad
company may be benefited? If this be so
then reduction of taxation would be an
''infamous scheme" in favor of this mono
poly because they too would be equally
benefited with other tax paying citizens.


Now let US glance for moment at the
character OF the bulk of the opposition to
this bill outside of those who who are per-
sonally and pecuniarily interested in taking
toll from your produce as it passes
through their hands to the consumer. And
first, their is, a strong and powerful lobby
at San Francisco and at Washington, with
all the power of money and great influence,
to have Goat Island granted to private
parties that they may receive its value from


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