Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-01-08
Our Friends Again.

y
who are our friends, has drawn forth
considerable comment favorable and
otherwise, yet those who are so will
ing to run off after strange gods find
themselves unable to combat the po-
sition we assumed while many who
had not given the subject considera-
tion heretofore concede that it is to
the Southern Pacific Railroad we owe
our great and rapid prosperity. 1t is
unsafe to assume that the advantages
we have cannot be taken from us and
that we can with impunity display
our ingratitude by swearing at the
friend who lifted us from the mire.
The Southern Pacific people are
spending hundreds of thousands of
dollars per week in the effort to give
us speedy railroad communication
with San Francisco, and while we are
coquetting with those whose only OBJ
ject is to obtain from our people a
subscription of nearly half a million
dollars, we forget that the Law does
not compel this dispatch-that if so
disposed the Southern Pacific Compa-
ny could defer completing the road
North of us for the space of nearly two
years. A still greater calamity might
come to us, and If our citizens persist
in avowing their hostility to the best
friend Southern California ever had,
the blow may fall. The Southern Pa
cific may conclude to withdraw them
selves from community in which
their efforts are not apprecia ted nor
their presence desired, and build a
connecting link between Tehachape
Pass and Cajon Pass, to point near
where the Southern Pacific road enters
San Gorgonio Pass. To do this
would, to great extent, relieve this
community of their presence and leave
us to the uncertain and unme thodical
accommodations of branch road con-
Meeting us with the main trunk at Te-
hachape. Our people will do we'll
not to attach too much importance to
the eloquent patriots whose energy
and enterprise is embodied in the
phrase uOr ct etpr9tered nihit-voice and
nothing more, New town lots in the
near future is the reward to which
some at least of the most patriotic are
looking forward. The Santa Monica
railroad Is good thing for Los Ange-
les. 1t is one more of the half dozen
avenues that will yet connect our city
with the ocean beach. One of these,
and probably the next one built will
be by way of Centinela to the beauti-
full little cove Immediately South. east
of the Salt Works. 1T is close under
the Sierra or Cerro San Pedro, shield
ed from the Southeast winds and bet
ter protected from the North gales
than Santa Monica. The beach is
very fine and the land gently sloping
down to the water is covered with a
rich soil. Good fresh water is obtain
ed in abundance in this vicinity by
digging from three to ten feet. For a
verification of these statements we re-
fer the doubling THOMAS to the gen.
tlemen connected with the Coast Sur
vey, some of whom are now in this
city, and whose integrity is such that
they would not make misstatement
involving the science of their profess
sion, though to do so would elect the
President. Nov a word about this
Santa Monica railroad-to call it Los
Angeles and Independence railroad is
to utter II libel on history. No mat
ter what benefit has already and
hereafter may inure to Los Angeles
from this road, we all know that ii
was built, not out of the good will of
its proprietors toward Los Angeles,
but as an adjunct to the sale of the 80,
900 acres of land contained in the San
ia Monica and San Vicente ranches.
If any one doubts this we refer them
to the fact that We could only induce
the owners to run the road into the
city by subscribing for S275,O 900 worth
of It's stock and, that at meeting In
the interest of the road held a few
pights ago 1t was publicly announced