Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-06-11


gruntled individuals, who are afflicted
with the scribbling itch, will now and
then yentilate their narrow-minded pref
udices and their failure to become rich
at once by splenetc aud lying letters
about Southern California in the Eastern
press. But, to set against this occasional
and uninhuential spleen, We have the
myrilds Of letters, which have been and
are still daily being writ.en East by my
riads Of people who have been success
ful here, and the recorded facts oil pro-
gress and prosperity.
Under the circumstances, 1t is proper
that we should review the actual status
Of things here as they exist to-day, in
dulging, at the same time, in forecaste
OF the future. In order not to extend
our article unnecessarily, we will conline
our remarks to Los Angeles.
When Nordhof was here in 1872 the
Southern Pacific Railway had tapped the
upper end of the San Joaquin valley,
and the people of Los Angeles were de-
liberating whether or no they should
give thai powerful corporation subsidy
OF $500, 900 as an inducement to build
the road to this city. Angelenos then
were Obliged to reach San Francisco
either by sea by an infreqnent steamer
line, or by stage to connection with the
southern terminus OF the Southern Pa
ciic. A stage line ran coaches to San
Diego, which often contained only single
passenger. 1t was the same with regard
to San Bernardino. With the exception
OF few vineyards and orange groves,
Los Angeles was simply a
vast sheep range. Where Pasadena
now stands there was only the single San
on the banks OF the Arroyo Seco. Such
places as Pomona, Santa Ana, Orange,
| Westminster, and other hourishing settle
ments had not even been thought OF.
Los Angeles itself was merely 'dobe
town, and nearly everything her peo-
pie consumed was brought here from
abroad. Not only did not her people take
rail connection with the East into their
business calculations, but they were even
distrustful OF the completion Of rail-
way which should connect them with
San Francisco. Capital was here in
small volume, land was held in immense
tracts as sheep ranches, with subdivision
and settlement as far off contin-
gencies, and "no fence" law made
it seem doubtful ii farming
and horticulture would ever even be at
tempted on a large scale. There prob
ably never was more provincial com,
munity than Los An !eles was then. Her
people hoped for nothing and were con-
tent with little, which was conspicuously
shown by the fact that, even a year later
DR.. Griffin sold the half OF the San Pas
quail ranch, on which Pasadena now
stands, for about $S an acre. Busnes:
was dead everywhere in Southern Cali
fornia, and enterprise was not even
thought OF.
Such, without exaggeration, was the
condition of things in Los Angeles when
Charles Nordhoff was here, in 1S7l-72
How was it during the past winter, wher
the New York Herald sought to arrest the
imperial progress of Southern California
Then, with multiplied steamer service
Los Angeles not only had railway con-
nection through the interior counties
with San Francisco but was shortly also
to have coast road to the metropolis:
which will admit OF making the trip,
refreshed with sea-breezes, in fifteen
hours. In addition, we have the sunset
route which gives us rail connection from
tidewater to tide-water over the shortest
possible route, and gives us, besides, the
benefit of all the ramifcatons OF the
TexasPacifc system. The Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe system has now its
Pacific Coast terminus in Los Angeles
with all the branches of the Atlantic and
Pacific Railway at our service. We
can avail ourselves as fully OF the
Central and Union Pacific Railways as
can the people OF San Francisco. To sun
up this striking array of transcontinental
railway facilities, two other great sys
tens contemplate making Los Angeles
their coast terminus, while our local
railway lines are almost beyond mum.
| ber.
Instead Of the poorly patronizod stages
which formerly ran out OF Los Angeles
in Nordhoff's time, nearly ninety rail
way trains daily enter and leave the
city, and they are always fully patron
lied and often crowded to inconvenience
Instead of sheep ranges, which were in
vogue here during Nordhoff' s visit, LIS An
geles county now contains multitudes
OF the finest farms, orchards and vine.
yards in the world. The city, instead OF
being the provincial affair OF 1872, with
a population of only five or
six thousand souls, with a population
OF only II 300 by the census of 1890
eight years later-now contains close
upon eighty thousand inhabitants, by all
standards OF estimating population. A
fair estimate of the population of the
county is one hundred and fifty thou
sand Instead OF the primitive buildings
of 1872, Los Angeles is now modern
city, filed with edifces which would not
be out OF place on the Rue Des Italer.s,
in Paris, and boas;ing amongst her busi-
ness men people who are not surpassed
for their enterprise on the American con-
tinent.
These are Q few salient facts, and no
one can be deaf to their significance. The
agencies which have given US one hun
dred and fifty thousand people in the past
sixteen years have been multiplied hun
dred fold. When population has reached
a certain point, geometrical and even
| nrit hnnalicnl rntins ca1n not hn lnal-nl f..r.