Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-04-14
The Chronicle on the Situation.

11th inst. regales It's readers upon
rehash of the Board of Public Works
bill, recently enacted. Knowing as
we do how friendly the Chronicle has
been to Los Angeles, hardly ever al
lowing the name of our city to enter
its columns except for the purpose of
maligning aud misrepresenting us,
we are of course willing to accept its
structures upon this matter as the
words of disinterested friend. We
quote from the article in questions:
The good people of the City of the Angels
are in a fever of excitement over ''blesslng
in disguise" which has been thrust upon
them unexpected and unsought. In iact, III
came TO them so etfectually disguised that
the community which 1T was designed To
benefit are far from recognizing 1t as
"boon." On the contrary, the local papers
are denouncing it with remarkable unanmi-
W asa revolutionary and ndefensibie meas
ure,n a piece of "unpricedented, unoalled ior
and even clandestne legislation" "mu-
nicipal conspiracy" inspired by "some deep
and dark purpoSe.u The boon referred TO
came in the shape of a bill which was hurried
through the State Legislature during the last
hours of the expiring session, creating
Board of Public Works for the city of Los An.
geles, an institution of which the people OF
that city have never realized their urgent
need.
Thus far the Chronicle exercises its
righteous soul over the indignity OF
it's own manufacture, simply for the
good of Los Angeles. Its real animus
is developed in the succeeding para
graph, in which, overlooking entirely
our Representative, Mr.. LAMBoURN,
and our Senator, Mr.. BUSH, it pro-
ceeds to saddle the whole responsible
ty of the measure upon the shoulders
of General MCCONNELL. Doubtless
the Chronicle would not have recog-
nized such bill as the one in ques-
| ton, or devoted so much of its valua-
| bic space to Los Angeles if it had not
wanted to throw rocks at the head of
our Representative. 1t proceeds as
| follows:
General Mcconnell was the good genius
who conferred upon Los Angeles THIS unde-
| sired blessing. 1t was he who engineered The
| bill. He seems to have known what the peo-
| pie wanted and what was good for them long
| before they were themselves conscious OF the
aching void which BOARD Of Works alone
could fill. The General asked and obtaind
| unanimous consent to introduce his bill out
| of it's order and without previous notice. The
manuscript bill was sent TO the Clerks desk
and read twice by its title. The General OBJ
| served that the city would find it necessary
| to make some extraordinary expenditures
| for public Improvements during the ensuin
| two years, and that the taxpayers desired
| that such expenditures should be supervised
| by Board specially constituted for that pur-
| pose rather Than by the regularly constituted
| municipal authorities. The bill had been
carefully guarded. The Commissioners were
| required to give bonds in the sum of $4,000
| each. 1t was purely local ma ter in which
M one but his constituents had any interest.
| He therefore moved thai the rules be further
suspended, that the reading be dispensed
| with, that the bill be considered engrossed,
| and put upon its final passage. The motion
| prevailed and the bill passed, the entire ope-
ration occupying not more than five minutes.
Not member on the floor knew anything
| aboutthe bill except whatGeneIa al McConneli
had seen fit to state. But he knew all about
| it, and declared 1t to be all right. And now,
| Los Angeles, instead of being grateful, are
| wildly indignant. They declare that the
| community were not consulted; that Los An
geles doesn't need and doesn't want a
a Board of Public Works; that the Common
Council, elected by the people, are competent
to look after all municipal interests; and hat
the haste and secrecy with which the meas
ure was rushed through justify the suspicion
of ajob.
At this point, with the Chronicle's s
permission, we will venture to make
a correction. "The people, of Los
Angeles did not enter such a protest
as that mentioned, but the Common
| Council, self-constituting themselves
"the people," did send a telegram to
the Governor to that effect. Petitions
were subsequently circulated for and
against the measure, and, so far as we
know, one was favored as much as an
other. The people of Los Angeles
have made no demonstration against
the bill constituting Board of Public
Works. On the contrary, when it was
proposed to call meeting for pub
lie demonstration, the Council vetoed
the proposition for fear the expression
of public sentiment would be against
them. But we proceed to the conclu-
sion of the article:
In letter of the date of the 24th of March
the Sacramento c. correspondent of the Chron-
icte, in terse and graphic style, told the story
OF this remarkable piece of legislation, pre-
facing his interesting narrative with the gen.
eral remark, "The last days uf legislative ses-
sions are proverbially feld-days Tor jobbers."
Having unfolded the tale in The fewest possi-
BILE words, he pointed the moral thus:
And this was an important measure-so
important that the Commissioners are 10 be
required TO give S500OO bonds each. 1t also
inaugurates that Objectionable system of mu-
ncpal administration under which the gross
frauds which have nearly impoverished the
nj n Vf.ak Ixyn 70 hi
and others at the East have been rendered
possible, and which nave loaded them down
with debt. But without criticising this par
ticular bill it is Subm tied that il measure
OF so much importance can 80 readily be
rushed through on the mere ipse diXit OF its
author that 1t is purely local matter and
TALL right" how much more readily can a
thousand other less pretentious schemes, COW
ering perhaps the most villainous projects,
be adroitly engrafted upon the legislation of
the State
tants, and Of these not one in a hundred has
become aware of the necessity for having
Board of Public Works. So far as we are In
formed there is not in the United States a
single city of less than 100000 inhabitants
that has such body. The ungrateful cti-
zens and taxpayers of Los Angeles have ad-
dressed petition to Governor Irwin csking g
him to Withhold all appointments to posi-
tions on the Board until the Mayorand Com
mon Council OF the city shall have an oppor-
tunity To make recommendations of persons
bo ue dppOlnteus COnsiuerlti & all the clfcu1n-
stances attending the passage of the bill, and
the powerful maniies alton of public opinion
which il has elected in the locality to be
benefited" we think 1t would be an act of
justice and also of good policy for the Cover
nor to incline a favorable ear to the prayer of
the petitioners.
Is is rather strange in the Chronicle
to make such statements as it convicts
itself of inconsistency by republishing
the letter of its Sacramento cores
pondent of March the oath previous.
Every man and woman in this city
who paws any attention to the pro.