Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-08-13
A FEW COMPARISONS.
Reflections of am Old Citizen of los
Angeles after Visiting our Sister
City, Santa barbara.


EDITOR HERALD: The very first
thing that attracts the attention of
visitors upon approaching Santa Bar
bara by sea is the wharf, running
to deep water, with sufficient depth
for vessels Of the heaviest ton
mage plying on this coast to lay up
alongside. You step off the wharf,
and pedestrians find finely graded
street, with heavy planked sidewalks,
about two miles in length, on either
side of the street. How different we
find things at our own port! The
steamer anchors long distance from
land; after hours delay, the little
steamer, with its lighters, puts in an
appearance; after another delay of an
hour, the passengers are transferred to
the small steamer; and then for the
wharf, where tickets are obtained for
Los Angeles. This creates an unfav-
orable impression in the minds of Wis.,
itors to our beautiful country. l over
heard one gentleman remark: "Why,
even San Luis Obspo has q good
wharf to deep water" After arriving
at our city, beautiful in many respects,
particularly in regard to fine private
buildings - where are our paved
streets, our city parks, in this semi
tropical cline of ours. The parks are
anticipated to be the finest and best,
filled with specimens of rare and beau
tiful plants and shrubs, the wonder of
the world. But perhaps [ had better
drop the subject of parks and side
walks, lest our City Fathers consider
the coat q good fit and hurriedly put
it on.
They have a Court house, the best
perhaps south of San Jose, real SUBJ
stantial, Systematically arranged tenn
pie of law; not an oblong, old-fash-
ioned box of an affair, as we have,
which requires fifteen minutes sound
talking and explaining to convince an
Eastern man that the thing was ever
intended for anything more than a
market house. We have redeeming
feature in our hotels, which are second
to none outside of San Francisco. The
reflection is, "why is this thusly ?'
We have an extent of arabic back
country that puts Santa Barbara to the
blush; our people in the rural districts
are more enterprising, more persever-
ing than our neighbors seem to be; we
plant more trees in one year than they
do in five; we raise more barley and
corn; produce more wine. Our city
boasts of q grand population of twelve
thousand inhabitants, and we are
taxed; well, moderately, at the least,
and nothing to show for all this. We
rush visitors to San Gabriel, to Hon.
B. D. Wilson's, l.. J. Roses, or Col.
Kewen's or Titus pleasant homes, or
to take the curse off, to two or three
places in the suburbs of our city.
Everything Of interest grows out of
private, nothing out of public enter
prise.
1t seems the people of our neighbor-
ing town have studied we'll how to
make fine appearance out of COM
paratively insignificant resources,
which tells in their favor. We have
resources of untold magnitude; but it
is too true we have not got official get
up worth Il cent. We need good SUBJ
merged drain from which our water,
so very valuable, should he carried in
pipes, or at least cemented bitches;
we'll paved streets, at least one,
say Main street, on which we
can promenade on pleasant eve
nings, without risking our necks
every fifty feet.
| believe you are aware, Mr.. Editor,
that our streets are very dark. Lamp
posts we have, with broken glass Ian
terms all awry, the work of time and
hoodlums; and risky business it is to
hurry along our streets at night, hence
we are beginning to go very
slow lest we fall and break
our legs and mulct the city in
suit for damages. Some one says
it is easy to talk, but we have no
money, and taxes are now too high.
Well. then, would advise the city as
l would farmer with Il very large
farm in bad order, and running down
from year to year-mortgage it for
money to improve it properly, or sell
it to somebody who has money. Yes,
stake the credit Of our city for money
to put it in order. or sell it to some one
who will put it in good trim.
There is screw loose somewhere, 1t
ought to be fixed in year or two.
G.
Los ANGELES Aupust 3 1874