100 



CALIFORNIA. 



tion railroads; in the prevention and punishment 

 of unjust discriminations by railroads, and other 

 corporations, against localities and individuals ; the 

 securing fro:n the power or possibility of monopoly 

 the natural -water of the rivers, streams, and lakes 

 of the State, revising them once more in the people ; 

 the rescue of the inhabitants of cities and towns 

 from the oppressive power of water and gas corpo- 

 rations and other kindred monopolies ; the purifica- 

 tion of the administration of justice throughout the 

 State by reforming the grand-jury system, so that 

 powerful criminals may be punished as well as the 

 weak; and generally to secure such improved legis- 

 lation in the interest of good government as wisdom 

 and an honest purpose of reform may suggest. 



4. Resolved, That for the more perfect accomplish- 

 ment of the foregoing, this convention, composed 

 of delegates representing all parties of California, 

 pledge the People's Independent party, and its 

 nominees for office throughout the State, to support 

 and carry out, by all lawful and proper means, the 

 policy and purposes of the party as set forth in this 

 platform. 



5. Resolved, That to this end the agricultural and 

 mining companies of the interior hereby enter into a 

 solemn league and covenant to aid with the cities, 

 the cities pledge themselves as solemnly to the coun- 

 ties of the interior, that all officers, executive, legis- 

 lative, and judicial, elected by this party, in all parts 

 of California, shall, in good faith, endeavor, in their 

 official capacity, lawfully to remedy the grievances 

 of the people, not only such as are peculiar to their 

 own special constituencies or locality, but of the 

 State as well. 



Several resolutions are then devoted to the 

 subject of railroad and transportation compa- 

 nies. In the preamble to these it is stated that, 

 "through improvident and inconsiderate legis- 

 lation, the funds generously appropriated by 

 the nation, and materially increased by Cali- 

 fornia, its cities and counties, to aid in con- 

 structing the Pacific Railroad, have been so 

 employed that small numbers of individuals, 

 acting in corporate capacity, now own and 

 control the only trans-continental railroad in 

 the country, together with almost the entire 

 railroad system of the State, as well as river 

 steamers and ferry-boats plying upon our inte- 

 rior waters, thereby practically monopolizing, 

 not only the entire overland traffic, but like- 

 wise the general carrying-trade of the State 

 and coast." 



It is also declared that the corporations fix 

 their own rates for freight and passage fare, 

 and enforce their own regulations without re- 

 straint; that they make excessive charges and 

 unjust discriminations; and that they have 

 controlled and corrupted the politics of the 

 State, "until the domination of the railroad 

 and other corporations in our politics and 

 government has become an intolerable evil." 

 It is then resolved that these corporations 

 should be placed under legal restrictions ; that 

 their charges should be fixed and adjusted by 

 an equitable standard ; that unjust discrimina- 

 tions against individuals and localities should 

 be punished, and in general that they should 

 be reduced " to the supervision and control of 

 the laws of the land." The construction of 

 competing lines is favored " provided they be 

 built and operated in the interest of the peo- 

 ple, and not solely in that of the monopolists, 



as is the way with railroads now existing in 

 California." 



The subject of irrigation is then taken up, 

 and it is declared that " the waters of the lakes 

 and rivers of the State should be and remain 

 forever in the ownership and control of the 

 public, and never allowed on any pretense to 

 become the subject of private monopoly; " and 

 that the Legislature should speedily "enact 

 proper laws to encourage and favor irrigation 

 in agricultural districts of the State wherever 

 needed, and to prevent monopoly by specula- 

 tors of natural waters necessary thereto, at the 

 same time having due regard for the wants of 

 mining localities and fostering and protecting 

 the just rights of those engaged in mining pur- 

 suits." Several resolutions are next devoted 

 to the subject of the water-supply of San Fran- 

 cisco, condemning the monopoly held by the 

 Spring Valley Water Company and its exorbi- 

 tant charges, and declaring in favor of placing 

 this corporation " under a just control of law," 

 and fixing reasonable rates, so that " in no event 

 shall said corporation levy or collect any rate 

 on water beyond what shall be necessary to 

 pay the interest on the actual capital invested 

 in the construction of said works and the pur- 

 chase of land, disregarding all watered stock 

 or all pretended outlays of money." Opposi- 

 tion is also pledged to all "attempts on the 

 part of any water company or individual to sell 

 any water-works, scheme, or pretended water- 

 works, to the city of San Francisco, or to any 

 town or city of this State, at a price in excess 

 to the money or capital actually expended by 

 such company or individual in the land and 

 works, exclusive of the supposed value of any 

 water right disconnected from ownership in 

 fee simple of the land, it being the cardinal 

 principle with the People's Independent party 

 that the fresh water in the rivers and lakes of 

 this State, as well as the rivers that descend 

 from the clouds, belong of right to the whole 

 people, and any ownership or monopoly of it 

 by a corporation or person beyond what they 

 shall put to some beneficial use is wrong to 

 the entire community." 



Next, regulation of the quality and price of 

 gas in San Francisco is demanded, the San 

 Francisco Gas Company being condemned as 

 a grasping monopoly. Declarations were also 

 made on the subject of retrenchment of ex- 

 penses and reform in the assessment of taxes. 



Revision of the grand jury system and en- 

 forcement of the criminal laws are demanded ; 

 and the platform ends with this declaration : 



36. Resolved, That the sole purpose of the Peo- 

 ple's Independent party in placing candidates be- 

 fore the people of California for election this year 

 is the much-needed reforms in this State, and the 

 objects sought to be attained in this movement for 

 better local government are in no wise dependent 

 on the question whether there will or will not be 

 an Independent National partv, or an independent 

 nomination for President in 1876, and that the vote 

 of any citizen for the nominees of the People's In- 

 dependent party of California, in 1875, does not fore- 

 shadow or have any manner of significance or bear- 



