Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-02-02
CI1lzeNs' MASS MEETING.

CITIZENS MASS MEETING.
Wilmington Harber Matters General Stone
man Authorised to Act-Ths Asssmblsss Rs-
solves Itself Into Meeting to Discuss Stats
Division -UnaAimous for the State Of South
eEn California.
Pursuant to the call which ap-
peared in the newspapers of yes
terday, q large number Of repre-
sentative citizens of Los Angeles
county assembled at Union Hall
last evening. The meeting was
called to order by Mr.. e. F.Spence,
who stated that the citizens had
been called together to. hear o re.
port from the Executive Commit
tee OH Wilmington Harbor inn
provements and to take whatever
action they deemed necessary in
regard to a telegram received by
the committee from Gen. Stone.
man.
The Secretary then read the tele.
gram, as follows:
WASHINGTON, d. e.,
January 31st, 1881. !
j. p Widney, Los angeles, C0l.:
Impossible to obtain spprOpria-
ti0n above engineers estimate--
$4,000. Hold public meeting inn
mediately, directing me to urge
SecretAry Sherman to withdraw
his objections to making Whining
on q port Of entry.
GEO. SToNEMAN. .
On motion, the following rssolu-
tion was adopted and the Secretary
instructed to telegraph 1t to Gen.
Stoneman:
At . mass meeting Of citizens of
Los Angeles county the following
resolution was passed:
Resolved, That General Stone.
man be authorized to urge upon
Congress the making of Wilming.
ton Harbor, California, a port Of
entry.
For statistics see memorial.
Mr.. Spence stated that the bust.
ness for which the committee de.
sired the endorsement Of . public
meeting having been completed, It
would be In order to organize b
mass meeting to consider the qusS-
ton Of State division.
A mass meeting was then organ.
lied by the election of e. F.Bpencs
40 Chairman and r. g. Lynch,
Secretary.
In response to q unanimous call,
DR.. Widney made q brief state
ment of the harbor Improvement
at Wilmington from their COM
msncemsnt and Of the endeavors of
the committee to secure larger ap-
propriations from Congress, and in
this connection proceeded to dis
cuss the further purpose for which
the meeting had been called. We
give . synopsis of the speech. He
said: The government commenced
the work of improving Whining
ton Harbor with liberal appropria.
tions. After the first few years,
however, when the work began to
prove q great success. the amounts
appropriated grew rapidly less, un-
I'll now, with the work nearly fn-
ished, with commerce suffering
from the delay, and with the ship
ping Of this, one Of the most Inn.
p0rtAnt points upon the Pacific
Coast, each year endangered for
lack of proper shelter, 1t IL imp0s-
sible to secure enough money to
even carry on the work slowly.
Why. 10 this? For this reason:
At hrst there was no opposition to
the prosecution Of the work. The
southern railroad system had not
yet been constructed. The Ques.
ton of shorter lines and lower
grades to the East, below the snow
line, had not yet attracted atten-
ton. But now that Southern
transconkinental lines are rapidly
approaching completion; it Is dis
covered that the ports Of Southern
California will be able to control
the trade of China and of the Is-
lands and the American coast
south. When this became appsr-
ent San Francisco, which has hith-
erto held this business, became
alarmed. She saw there was dan.
ger Of losing q portion of her trade.
She cannot check the construction
of these new transcontinental lines,
neither can she take away the ad-
vantage which Southern California
has in the easy grades and low
passes over the Sierras and Rocky
Mountains. The only thing left is
for her to try ard check the i'm.
provement OF Southern California
harbors. If she can keep commerce
from utilizing these harbors 1t
must come to her.
We may expect hereafter to
meet this opposition whenever we
ask an appropriation for harbor
improvements. Not open opposi-
ti0n, hut secret. This year We
asked for 100000. We receive
$4,000.
Another point: Our railroads are
to y 0srtain extent dependent upon
the State Legislature. Railroads
have great capital at stake. They
cannot afford to quarrel with Leg
lislatures. The Legislature con-
trolls the railroads. But in this
State San Francisco virtually con-
trolls the Legislature; che. controls
the whole system of railroads and
lcompels them to run In her
instant. Our roads. here in South
rrn California, are so made tribu.
tary only to her. We have all
seen 1t for years. They have
passed through our lands only to
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