Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-02-09

Is that it allows the people of any
portion of county contemplating
secession to determine the whole
matter for themselves at the ballot.
box. After providing for the for.
nation of a preliminary commits.
sion to ascertain the boundaries OF
the new county, etc., Mr.. Crank's
precious bantling runs as follows:
Sec. 2. Upon receiving said re.
port the Board or Boards of Super
visors shall file the same, and shall
order the question Of the formation
of said new county to be submitted
to the legal voters resident in the
district proposed to be formed into
a new county at special election
called for that purpose. Notice
thereof shall be given by publica-
| ton for four consecutive weeks in
some newspaper of general circula-
ton in the proposed new county.
The manner OF taking the votes
shall be by writing or printing
upon the ballots, "For the forma-
ton of new county," or Against
the formation of new county"
And II, at such election, a majority
of the voters resident in the new
county shall by majority of the
votes cast decide In favor of such
formation of such new county, the
Board or Boards Of Supervisors
shall enter upon their minute
books, respectively, an order es-
tablishing the boundaries of said
new county, in accordance with
the report Of the Commissioners,
and shall forward to the Secretary
of State copy of such order, to be
by him filed in his office.
And, presto, you have your new
county!
This is certainly u model and
patent way of creating new coun-
ties. 1t has generally been sup
posed that there are two parties to
o division OF a State or other po-
litical body, and that the consent
of the party to be seeded from Is
an element in the controversy.
Thus, as a preliminary to the for
nation of a new State of South
California, most people would pre-
fer to obtain the consent of the
Commonwealth as its exists to. day.
Certainly the Congress Of the
United States would insist upon
such little previous and decorous
cerem onial. According TO Mr..
Crank's bill, however, any five
thousand people in the northern or
| southern or eastern or western or
central portions Of Los Angeles
county can assemble together; and,
at their own sweet will, convert
| themselves into new county,
without SO much as saying "by
your leave" to their old compan.
ions in county blessedness. This
would be legalizing secession pure
and simple. Under such system
we should soon have more counties
in California than one could shake
a stick at.
| We confess that we have such q
fondness for and pride in Los An.
geles county that we should like to
see it hang together. Neverthe.
less, whenever our fellow citizens
of the southern portion of the coun.
ty are united and in earnest in de.
handing a eparation, the HERALD
would be regrettully but heartily
in favor of letting them go In
peace. II should not be forgotten
that Los Angeles as she stands is
one Of the most lightly taxed coun.
ties in the State, and that if it bad
not been for our railway subsidy
We should have hardly any public
debt at all. There are, at the
most, only four or five counties in
California with q lighter tax rate
than ours. Such a state of things
hardly seems to justify division,
but, when it does come, let it be
brought about in an orderly and
decorous way, and not by such a
revolutionary process as would be
embodied in Mr.. Crank's enact.
ment. Regard should always be
had for right and the proprieties in
such matters.