Year: 1870

burdens. by any plausible arguments in favor
OF railroad system, il is To be hoped has
passed ey. The reason for this Concurrence
OF opinion by both parties was that there was
no limit to debt and taxation If such a career
was entered upon. The pledges given were
accepted by the people, no. merely in their
letter. bnt in their spirit All the reasons
sganst State aid apply with double force
against county aid. Most Of the members
who vote on these propositions for county aid
have no direct interest or responsibility, and
the burden falls frequently upon counties
least able to bear it. What is also an impor-
tant consideration is that a powerful railroad
corporation in sparcely settled county can
almost invariably control the result. in spite
of every effort of resident taxpayers. The
latter are virtually tied, hand and foot, and
handed over for sacrifice.


| 1t has been seriously questioned whether,
under our State Constitution, the Legislature
can shift the responsibility of legislation,
with which they are charged, to a mass meet
ing of a county or district.


The duty of making laws is imposed by the
Constitution upon the Legislature under GER
tain restrictions. and it admits of grave doubt
whether that duty can be relinquished in
any other way than is indicated by its provis-
|
donment Of responsibility are obvious.


| There are cases in which proposition is
made for moderate subscription by town
or city to local railroad, where the popular
sentiment is so unanimous that it presents
itself almost in the light of general voun-
tary subscription by the taxpayers. equalized
by the local authorities acting for the body
polite. This is the most plausible shape in
I,rh Al, fho ho nod. nd loo
| little objection beyond those that exist to the
whole system and such as are of q legal and
constitutional character.


The measures under review. however. are
not of this harmless nature. The first Of the
bills whose titles are given provides that the
voters of Stanislaus, Merced, Fresno, Tulare
and Kern counties shall vote upon tte propo-
stion to donate their bonds to the San Joa-
quin Valley Railroad Company Tor any other
company first constructing railroad through
these counties), at the rate of 5000 per
mile except that in Kern county the amount
is limited to $3.50 900, and in Stanislaus, to
| SlS0,000. Formerly, such propositions were
in the shape of loan of bonds, but in the
progress of the railroad system they began
to assume the form of donations. The diff
ference, perhaps, is not material, for loan
usually ends in gift. The assessed value of
real and personal property in Kern county
for 1869. according to the Controllers rerorr.
was 81, l91 .S95 S3, ofwhich only SAL, ,5lS 0S
was real estate. In other words, the bill
proposes to afford an opportunity for voters
from abroad, on thirty days residence in the
present or expected employ of the corpora
ton, to incumber the real estate of that cOun-
ty to an amount equal to more than one hun
dred per cent. of it's assessed value! The
San joaquin Valley Railroad Company is
not new and feeble association. 1t is un-
derstood to be, and doubtless is, the Central
Pacific Railroad Company, under another
name-a corporation of vast wealth, of fran
chises such as are perhaps held by no cor
poration on the continent, managed by gen.
tlemen of great energy. enterprise and bust
ness ability. The total vote os Kern county
at the judicial election in 1869 is given at
23S, though at the Presidential election G3O
votes were polled. Is it not plain, that if the
corporation chose to make an effort, the re-
suit in such county would be foregone
conclusion without reference to the wishes of
the tax payers? The same proportion of
debt on the whole State would give us State
debt of more than 150,000 900, and wonld
sink the State into hopeless bankruptcy. The
same proportion of debt which this bill pro-
1
give us a State debt of about $13 900, 900.
In Fresno, Merced and Tulare counties, the
number of miles is not given, and no compar-
ison can be made. If there are sixty miles
in Tulare county. it would impose debt Of
$500, 900 upon county the entire real estate
of which was assessed in 1869 at S365 ,S12.
The only thing required of the company is
that it shall build fifty miles of railroad per
annum. commencing after January lst, A.
d. 1871. and counting the portion already
partly completed. There is no limitation in
| the bill upon the charges of passengers or
| freight no limitation of the incumbrance up
on the counties to such amount as they could
| probably pay without embarrassment, and
the election is ordered la June, without Civ
ing the tax payers the right of option as to
whether they would not ask tha. the election
shorld be held. Men who never paid tax.
and probably never will, can vote away the
property of those who have accumulated a
competency by their thrift aud enterprise.
The provisions for taxation ere stringent, and
the interests of the corporation effectually Sc
cured ; but not the same care is taken for the
interests of those who are to be made liable
for these enormous subsidies.


| This aid is virtually given in favor of a cor
poratiou to which the most nunifcent grants
nave already been made, and which is sup
posed to be one of the most wealthy and pow
erful corporations on the continent.


All this is to be done for this corporation
at the expense of the tax payers, when it is
as certain as anything in the future can be
that the road up the valley will be and must
be built, without any great delay, # no sub
sidy whatever is granted. IF the road is not
built by one company. it will soon be by an
other. The Central Pacific Company cannot
afford to wait 1t must build the road and
that soon, in order to complete its system and
secure the trade of the vast and fertile region
which lies along the San Joaquin and around
its sources. as well as to control the trans
continental route along the thirty-ifth par
a!lel.


| The other bill provides for the construc-
ton of road by the Southern Pacific Rail
road Company through Monterey and San
Luis Obispo counties. The same objections
apply to this bill. No route is DESIGNATED in
the bill. nor is the number of miles limited in
those counties. For aught that appears there
may be sixty, eighty, or a hundred miles in
either county, Il ia stafad - c. Tt,