Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-06-07
Another Impostor.


The Sacramento Bee, Of May 3lst
last, has q venomous article made up
out Of an interview with business man
who has visited! Los Angeles recently.
The colossal falsifier who deceived the
editor of the Bee, who should have
known better, says Of this city: EVERY
where he went in the city, his eyes were
greeted with placards Of "For Sale and
"To Let" and feeling of depression is
slowly but surely taking the place OF
unwarranted enthusiasm lately rreva-
lent. Land in the county is held at
enormously high fgures-from $3.50 to
$1,000 per acre, according to the extent
OF the improvements. And yet the
banks have not sufficient faith therein
to lend money thereon to any extent.
One gentleman had purchased teu. acres
Of fine orange groves for $4,000. and yet
the banks refused to lend him $1,000
without additional security. From two
to five carloads Of immigrants arrive
over the Southern route every day.
most Of whom stop at Los Angeles. But
our informant states that many of ihem
only stay few days and then proceed
farther north. "Why should they stop
in Los Angeles :" he asked. "What is
there for them to stop for! Fine or
ange groves, drives. etc.? Granted. but
they are all occupied, and what land is
for sale Is held at such extraordinarily
fanciful figures that no one not blessed
with on abundance of money can afford
to touch it. Los Angeles hasn't one.half
the country back of it that Sacramento
has; no, not one fifth. There is nothing
IN that whole section to compare with
the country round about us here. Money
has made it look beautiful, and adver.
tising has given 1t reputation which it
by no means deserves. But as an agri-
cultural county it is far Inferior to that
| which lies ell around US. Los Angeles
aud vicinity are GASES in the desert, and
beyond and outside Of them there il
nothing"
| 1t 10 difficult to conceive Of more false.
hoods concentrated in q short article OF
forty lines than are embraced in this ar.
| ticle, which 10 o combination OF false
hood and folly.
In the first place there Is not city in
the United States of the size of Los An-
gsles where there are 30 few houses to
lot % In this place. For the last twelve
months at least 100 families have been
constantly waiting to- get house to rent.
Within the past year 1900 houses have
been built in Los Angeles, and all are
occupied. 1t oftentimes happens that
houses are rented sixty days before they
ale completed. and oil the large stores,
| Of which many have been erected re-
Gently, have bsen rented several months
in advance Of their completion. Not
less than 81, $50, 600 have been expend-
ed in this city during the past year in
the construction of street railways,
houses, warehouses. schools and
churches. Can Sacramento show half
that activity! There were 10000. 600
brick laid in Los Angeles last year.
while three-fourths Of the houses erect.
cd were Of wood. In regard to land be-
ing held at $3.50 to $1,000 per acre, such
. statement 10 wild and fallacious. Land
in ANAL lots. in the midst of settle.
ment with waterwoiks complete, and
special advantages for semi-tropical
fruits, has sometimes been sold 81 $3.50
per acre, with water-pipes furnished sad
permanent water right secured, but
there 10 vast amount Of land as good a.
they have in Sacramento county that
can be purchased for IS per acre. Choice
land in small tracts near to settlements
can be had at $50 per acre, while gov
ernment land can be purchased Of the
State at sl.25 per acre, or homesteaded
at cost Of about IA cents per acre. The
finest fruit land in the State, out Of the
wind and above the frost, can be pur
chased for $l0O per acre, with
water right and above the
reach OF the malarial air of Sacra.
mento and Of the fogs Of the ocean. One
acre Of this land is worth more than any
ten acres Of unoccupisd land in Sacra.
mento county.
| But the height Of absurdity Is reached
when the Bee states that Los Angeles
hasn't one-fifth of the coantry back of II
that Sacramento has. The Truth is that
little Sacramento county. which is about
one-sixth the size of Los Angeles county.
could be set down in one Of our
valleys, and without making much
Of . sensation. Three grain ranches
in this county will produce more grain
this year than all of Sacramento county
combined. The fruit, the grain, the
wine, the wool, the fisheries, the petro
lean, the mines, the vegetables, the
nursery stock of Los Angeles. Is ten
times that Of Sacramento county, and il
increasing all the time.
The county is an empire in itself. and
: Is doubling in population and wealth in
,, each seven years. 1t affords US pleasuls
to know that Sacramento county Is im
proving all the time, but 10 compare L
to the great county Of Los Angeles,
, which is six times "a large and twenty
) times as wealthy in natural resources, !,
. worse than useless, it is q downright in
famous, unblushing, unadulterated false
, hood, born Of envy, jealousy. and com
msrcial disappointment. The publisher
. Of the Bee would do well to curb th'
ambition Of their local writers, and no
: make themselves ridiculous by publish
ing such wild. absurd and malicioui
! statements.