Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-12-03
The Issues of the Contest.

We doubt if the efforts of those who
are 40 anxious to deceive the people as
to the real issues which enter into the
election next Monday, will be success
full. There is too much at stake for
either side to be greatly deluded. The
struggle is between the people and a
few individuals who, having amassed
great wealth through what they term
their exclusive franchises, are deter
mined to leave no effort untried to re-
tain the power through which they
have so long levied and collected from
the masses an immense annual reve-
nue.. There are laws compelling the
appointment of Board of Water Com
missioners, whose business it is to
both fix the rates for water at fair
price and to see that good article is
furnished. The services of an honest
Board of Commissioners would save
the people of Los Angeles thousands of
dollars per annum in the cost of water
and in doctors bills. 1t is to prevent
the appointment of this Board or Sc
cure the appointment of one that will
act as they direct, that the advocates
of Messrs. SABIcHI and TIFFANY are
now spending money freer than water.
1t is to secure an enforcement of the
law and to obtain the justice which
the law guarantees, that the people
the property-holders and the tax-pay-
ers-are rallying to the support of Mr..
BEAUDRY. This is one feature of this
contest, and it is an important one.
The HERALD has no quarrel with the
Water Company, nor is it desirsus Of
depriving that corporation of single
legal privilege it possesses, but we do
desire and shall insist that it comply
with the law regulating all such COR
porations in the State. We object, and
the objection is sustained by the peo-
pie, to giving this corporation the un-
conditional right to close public
streets, build fumes over and through
private property, occupying and
holding city lots and damaging large
amount of individual property with a
reservoir constructed for the sole pur-
pose of holding nearly seven acres of
city lots for almost a generation. The
HERALD does not recognize the JUS
tice of these things, and II une peoplo
are true to their own interests and
true to themselves-they will on Mon
day say to this corporation "You have
rights and in the maintenance of
them we will protect you, but we also
have rights and you must not and
shall not invade them" This water
monopoly assumes the position that it
is i'm mmaculate; that whatever it does
or does not is right, and no man or
community shall say it nay. Hence
when the HERALD intimates that an
improvement might be made in the
quality of water our citizens drink,
this pure institution gets up show
er of indignation, rushes off and COM
mences suit against the HERALD for
$4,000 damages. A part of the con-
test on Monday is to decide whether
this Water Company, that nothing
must be said against, or the people,
own the city of Los Angeles. Another
of the issues to be settled on that day
is whether the Water Company has a
right to prevent a citizen from con-
veying water to portions of the city
in which it has refused to furnish it.
The election of Mr.. SABICHI or Mr..
TIFFANY and the rings Councilmen
will be followed by an attempt to take
from Mr.. BEAUDRY the privilege
granted him by the city to convey
water on the high lands and thus de-
preciate the taxable property of the
city many hundreds of thousands of
dollars. These are a few of the main
features which will present themselves
in the struggle on Monday. The peo-
pie do not wish to deprive the Water
Company of single prerogative, but
they should see to it that that corpo-
ration does not obtain an exclusive
franchise to run the city government
as well as to furnish the people with
water.