Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-08-26
A Prosperous People.

; In the annals OF history the growth o
Los Angeles county is destined to be for
ever memorable. When the last censu
was taken we had in the county abou
twenty thousand people. Half o
these were outside the limits o
Los Angeles city. Stagnation char
acterized the condition OF every
industry. There was no marke
for our products, and our farmers wer'
weary with the effort of eking out .
scanty livelihood. Land could not b,
sold, and it would have been hard to ge
anyone to pay taxes on what was looked
upon as the poorer grades of our farming
territory. In the city of Los Angeles
there were scores of empty houses, SC
large had been the exodus of people
from the dull place. City property could
be bought for two.thirds of what the i'm
provements had cost.
Recently the School Marshall took a
census of the children in this city. The
number was twenty-seven thousand.
The Board of Supervisors have ordered
new registration of voters preparatory
to the election to take place next Novem-
Der. 1t is still over ten weeks to election
day, yet there are the names of twenty
three thousand citizens on the Great Reg
lister. Itis estimated by the best judges that
the total vote of Los Angeles county will
run up to twenty-seven thousand, and it
is conceded by all who are entitled to an
opinion that it may reach nearly to
thirty thousand.
These facts, as the HERALD stated yes
terday morning indicate that the popula-
ton cannot be Jot below eighty thou
sand; and, as the HERALD as plainly
stated, they point to strong probability
of the municipality containing nearer
ninety thousand souls. Eight.years ago
the city's population was little more
than equal to that of the outside terri
tory. Four years ago there was nearly
an equilibrium established between the
two; while two years ago the country
districts rather outnumbered the city
in population. 1t is probable that
the country still somewhat leads
the city in this respect. Thus it
may be stated as very conservative
proposition that Los Angeles county,
which eight years ago had a population
of little over twenty thousand. has now
one hundred and sixty thousand people
resident within her borders; that she
probably numbers one hundred and sew
enty-five thousand, and that there may
quite possibly be nearly two hundred
thousand souls in the county.
And this great influx of new people has
not impoverished the land. The old
timers have become rich by this i'm
mense growth, and the newcomers have
pressed them hard, and even beaten
them in adding to their possessions in a
multitude of cases, while all who have
come here with little money, or still
better, with capabilities, with industry,
brains and pluck have done well. The
people are all prosperous. Country towns
have grown from villages of few
hundreds to cities of as many thousands.
These smaller municipalities all vie with
Los Angeles in their onward march of
They have put up fine
hotels, neat opera houses, and industrial
establishments, as well as fine residences
and solid stores. The large ranches
have been cut up and sold to actual SET
tiers who have studded the country wi tn
comfortable and prosperous homes. |
This is all very well for the past, and |
the present is secure; but, what of the |
future is the topic of general interest.
The moment is characterized by a tone
Of quiet as compared with the rush of |
last winter. Has there come an end to |
our march of progress, and is our era of
development at an end? Not by any
means. The county has at the out. |
side two hundred thousand inhabitants. |
She is capable Of supporting out
Of her own soil a teeming throng
Of round million. The HERALD has |
been publishing interviews of late which |
90 to recall what all travellers say, that |
ours is the most healthy and pleasant
climate on the globe. Passing by the
and lucrative business of
raising oranges and grapes, and even
other gifts of the goddess Pomona, and
coming down to the prosaic and matter
of-fact occupations of raising hay, corn
md potatoes, we have soils here which
will produce two crops a year-one of
one hundred sacks to the acre
ind then one of corn, one hum
lred to one hundred and fifty bushels
per acre; or we have soils which will
yield six to eight crops Of hay, aggregat-
ng ten to fifteen tons per annum for each
lcre. The gross value of any of these
;rops is from $50 to 500 an acre. The
'enial climate and astonishing profits Of