Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-02-03
some Things that Ought TO he
known.

known.
There are two circumstances in the
present status of things in Los Angeles
which impel us to write this article.
The frat Is that very extended atten-
tion, both ON the Pacific Coast, in the
East and in Europe, is focused upon
Southern California, and more particu.
larly upon Los Angeles. The second is
that our city and county are full Of
persons. strangers within our gates, who
know comparatively little about this
section. We would have written what
we are now writing before II we had
not known, rs we have 30 often de.
clared, that the present was TO be a
specially wet year, and the appearance
of such an editorial In the HERALD
would have been accepted as an attempt
to hedge upon our part as to strongly
and frequently declared opinions. On
the supposition that the present had
proved to be dry year, we should
have suffered very little hereabouts.
We have ceased to be "cow coun.
ty,' and pasturage is a very trifling
matter In our present advanced status.
The wild horses, the cattle and even the
sheep, meaMrably, are gone, with the
general verdict Of good riddance. In.
stead we rejoice in diversified produc-
tion, in splendidly ampliiied irrigating
system And in IN Intelligent system Of
farming. More than that, we have
much accumulated food, county which
has decreased It's mortgage Indebtedness
fully sixty-six and third per cent. dur
Ing the past two years, a wealthy popu-
lation and an incoming tide of immigra-
tion OF the most eligible character,
which has studied the situation to a
nicely and which knows that no spot on
the American Continent is comparable
to Los Angeles ON half n dozen separate
counts.
Many Of our people, and Of course un.
Instructed strangers as well, have been
paralyzed by partial and dazed retro.
spect of the disaster of 1896.
Whether native here or strangers, the
people who surrendered themselves to
such an analogy have been principally
lacking in the logical faculty. just
upon the heels Of the transition Of Los
Angeles from cow county to an agri.
cultural county n premature "boom" was
pressed in this city far beyend the legit-
innate point. Every one who could load
himself up with real estate and mort
gage did 80, hopeful that the immediate
future would make him rich man. Al
that time we had scarcely more than hall
the population which we now have. We
produced some oranges and lot Of wines
aud brandies, so crude in character,
that there was no market for them, and
grapes were drug here at IS ton. We
really raised nothing that we consumed.
Butter, cheese, potatoes, bacon, hams,
flour, and all the necessaries of life,
were brought here from San Francisco.
Arizona, New Mexico, and even many
portions of our own county, were sealed
70 us as respects market for the little
we had to sell.
On the heels Of such lamentable state
Of things the bank of Temple 4 Work
man suspended, following the suspension
of the Bank Of California, with dead
loss Of million and a quarter of dollars
to local depositors an appalling financial
visitation.
Then came the most phenomenal
drouth known in our history. The
bank Of Temple 4 Workman failed in
the fall OF 1875. On the theory that
misfortunes never come singly the sea
son of 1857 was the dryest ON record,
only 5.S4 inches of rain falling during
that weather year, which differs in nota
tion from the calendar year.
An unexampled smallpox epiiemi,
followed, which was largely duo to tn,
fact that the native population had al
ways obstinately resisted vaccination.
As a consequence of these cumulativ,
mislortunes two things followed.
~ The speculators were forecloset
and closed out. 1t took years to right
this community from this dead weight
but it is now thoroughly righted.
l2.) Our people started in energetical
ly on the wholesome road of production
for which this county is so pre-eminent
ly adapted.
As we stand now, Instead of being fec
from San Francisco our flour, hams, ba
con, cheese, vegetables, butter ant
eggs are found from the Pacific oceal
clear to the Texas line, and highly ap
preciated at all points.
Our wines and brandies are know
and, in demand all over this continent
and, indeed, all over the world. We sci
q couple of million dollars worth q
them yearly now. as oontradistinguishe,
to the old popular verdict of reputation
Instead of raising 30, 900 bushels o
wheat in this county, as in 1876, W
raised two millions of bushels of tina
cereal last year, and will raise fou
millions of bushels this year. And s.
as to all the products OF the farm.
In addition, we are producing s., 900,
600 worth of crude petroleum a year
from single narrow canon of this coun
ty, and the product will be indefnitel,
extended.
Oar banks are plelhoric with MONEY
and have the largest Immediately availa
BILE cash assets OF any banks on th,
American continent.
These are some of the salient reasons
which, to our mind, were conclusive o
the fact that, even If we had had wha
is known as dry year, we should still
have been very happy, progressive and
prosperous people in Los Angeles. Al
1t is, the most vOlant "boom" known
since Kansas city challenged attention
away back in the sixties, " Withhold III,
board in this city and county ior somt
years to come.
The Los Angeles river is fuller thar
for years and years past, and it will taxi