hubert howe bancroft - Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History ...

ATTITUDE OP SAN FRANCISCO. 603
president and vice-president of the United States,
the senate and the house of representatives, setting
forth the injury to San Francisco, its harbor,
and its commerce, which would result from the
grant of Yerba Buena island, or a part of it,
to the railroad; and the telegraph was called into
requisition to convey the substance of the memorial
in advance of the mail. These proceedings called out
a letter from Mr Stanford, addressed to the board of
supervisors of San Francisco, who had appointed a
meeting for the consideration of a resolution regarding
the cession of the island, in which he declared that
the railroad company had at heart the interests of
San Francisco, and would in nowise injure it, or its
harbor or business; but that the occupancy of the
island simply meant the transfer of the business of
the Oakland wharves to the island, and better facilities
for the transaction of San Francisco's business.
This letter had little weight, the public mind being
stubborn in its convictions concerning the policy of the
Central Pacific managers; and on the 17th of the
saine month a citizens' meeting was held at Flatt's
hall, James Otis presiding. In his remarks upon the
destructive effect of encouraging monopolies, Mr Otis
said: "If they will not come to San Francisco, let
them stay there [in Oakland! Other companies will
come to us, and are already Knocking at our doors."
Resolutions were passed in which it was declared that
the representations made to congress by the railroad
company, that accommodations had not been afforded
by San Francisco such as were requisite, were false,
for on the contrary a generous donation of land on the
water-front had been made, with a strip of land two
hundred feet in width and five miles long for right of
way. The statement made in the bill before congress,
said the resolutions, that the grant of Yerba Buena
island would bring the western terminus as near as
possible to San Francisco, was open to question, for
that island was only one and a half miles from Oakland
water-front, and a bridge to it would increase