Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-06-27
Letter from Mr.. Potts.

EDITOR HERALD:-The Republican
of the 24th inst. speaks of the proceed
ings of our City Council in refusing to
build bridges on Temple street as an
act of great injustice, as it certainly
is, and urges as reason why they
should build the bridges asked for mot
to say anything about the wrong to
others) the great increase of the value
of the land, and thus increasing the
city's resources, which is certainly a
very good reason why it should be
done if the Council had the interests
of the city in view. But if you will ex-
anime little further into their official
proceedings you will see that the
Council as body pay no attention to
the general interest of the city.
Whether this inattention to the city's
interests is the result of prejudice,
malice or ignorance, it is not for me
to say. But it is my business to state
a few facts to show to you and the
voters of the city that | am correct in
my statements. The City Council, as
we'll as others, claim that the water
flowing in the Los Angeles river be-
longs exclusively to the city. Now
the question that is unsettled with
our wise Council is, what is the city?
From their official acts / am led to
believe that they think that the Com
mon Council is all that is meant by
the word city, that they have no
rights to respect, provided the party
does not reside in the part of the city
that they think he should. This is
shown plainly by their act in refusing
to sell water that belongs to the city
to parties who are within halfa mile of
the Court House, while they authorize
the Water Overseer to sell water two
miles outside of what others call the
city limits. l took ride outside of
what is called the city limits, Friday,
and found that there were thousands
of acres that are irrigated from the
city's water, that has been enhanced
in value by this from $40 to $500 per
acre, and yet this land does not pay
cent into the city treasury unless, as I
before stated, the Council is the city;
while I have land within half a mile
of the Court House that is assessed at
$500 per acre to support the city gov
ernment that these Fathers of ours
refuse to let me have drop of water
on. Now the question is, what is a
city? Is it the Common Council, or
is it the land, or the houses, or is it
the people who pay taxes to keep
up city government, or is the city
composed of all these ? If so, these
gentlemen pay no attention to the
general interest of the city, or they
would not try to depreciate the value
of property within the city limits that
is assessed to create a city revenue, by
refusing to sell water on the same,
while they are selling it two miles
outside of the city, thus increasing the
value of land that pays no taxes to the
city and depreciating that that does;
but if the Common Council is the
city of Los Angeles, | am in duty
bound to acknowledge that they are
faithful servants, as am forced to the
conclusion that all they seem to have
at stake is to crafty their own whims
and to subserve their own interests
and that of their special friends. This
kind of work is what led to the get
ting up of the obnoxious Board ol
Public Works bill. Now, if as the
Council seems to think, they are the
city, l am gone sucker, and have no
redress-for it is their custom to &c
for those, as they say, who are not
their friends; but if the word city
means all the people who are in its
limits and all the land within its linn
it, and all the buildings, etc., etc.,
why then these gentlemen are laying
the taxpayers liable for damages that
will very far exceed all the money OBJ.
tanned for water sold outside of the
city limits. They are depreciatinQ
the value of my land by refusing to let
me have what is my inherent right
taking mine and giving 1t to another
i depriving me of American citizenship
and throwing over it the mantle of .
city government, and acting like they
thought the Common Council were
the exclusive owners of the whole
country, and as though they wanted
it to remain as it is, so that no mar
or beast could ever get any farther