Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-11-03
DIR. Grifffn,s Speech.

SRecCAs
Mr.. Sherman Page, the Master of Cere-
monies, then introduced to the people
DR.. John S. Griffin, the founder of East
Los Angeles. The doctor said in sub
stance:
MY FRIENDS: This is great event.
None of US who, years ago, began to
make improvements on this side of the
river ever dreamed of seeing anything
like what we see today. Some of you
perhaps may be interested in a very
short account of what was done here so
many years ago. In February, 1858,
DR.. J. q. Welch aud myself petitioned
the City Council to sell us 800 acres of
land on this side. Some of them seemed
to be afraid there was a job in it, 80 it
was decided that we be not allowed to
buy the 300 acres, but that we must buy
the whole tract of city land on this side
OF the river. There were 1000 acres of
it. They sent German Baron over
to survey the land, and he saw over
p 600 acres of it. It was put up at
auction, and DR., Welch and 1 were ad-
judged to be the highest and best bid
ders. go it was knocked down to us. We
did not know where to get the money to
pay for it. 1t cost $l,014, big sum of
money for that time. We bought the
land for sheep pasture and stocked it
with sheep. There WAS not much money
in il. In 1867 bought out my partner,
paying him 81 an acre for his interest.
All the people who knew us thought l
VAS cinched in the bargain.
In 1870 my nephew and myself had a
home erected. Ii was in the Schieffelin
tract, where F. 81. Newell now lives. The
same year we fenced 1000 acres of the
land and went to raising barley. There
vas not much money in that. In
| 1868 the City Water Company was
founded. l took good deal of interest
iG that, and hoped at some time to set
them to work in water mains on this
side. Then | began to hope that some
Gay we might be able to haye a little
town over here. After getting the ditch
in here, and the water mains laid in the
streets, in 1875 we decided to lay out q
town site see here some of the men
who were with us in those early under
takings. Here is Hayden among those
present. / do not see Ledbetter.
He built the first bridge over
the river. Then there was
Mr.. Hughes and Billy. He drove the
first conveyance for people that ran to
this side. 1t was an old omnibus. The
Legislature passed bill allowing the
Supervisors to give $500 of county money,
| to be increased by an equal sum from
the city. Before this we had to wade
the river. We all took Oft our shoes and
waded. The ladies did 80, too. Charlie
Hayden has seen them often sit down
and take off their shoes and wade the
stream.
And now we havs this great cable road
to carry us over the river and back. 1t
| is great thing. Let US not rest here.
Let US be stirring and get some other
great improvements in here. Let us
work together; let US join hands. The
High School was to be built on the hill,
but the people of the West End did not
like that. They wanted to drag it off
to the racetrack or somewhere. They
lput it or wheels to hunt a
site for it. People offered the
sites at $4,000, at $4,000, at
$40 900. offered them four acres by the
park, four times as much land as they
could get in the other side for $40 900,
for 81. They would not have il. 1t was
the best place of all for it. Here is my
friend Workman, of Boyle Heights, who
will join us. Let the East Side all pull
together. Let Us keep the other end of
the town from pulling every thing
away from Us. | never expected to see
here what we have, but if we pull to-
gether we will get much more than We
have now. more tn an many of us yet
|expect to see here. i
Col. !. q. Rob fnAoRE,s address.
After DR.. Griffin had finished, amid
the applause of all the people, Colonel
j. G. Robinson, the Superintendent of
the cable system, was presented TO the
audience. He spoke On the road and its
aims as follows:
FelloaO citizens of Los angeles:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN-It is difficult
for me to find words with which to ex-
press my feelings upon this occasion.
You are today celebrating the con-
summation of a great enterprise. This
line which has just been opened, uniting
East Los Angeles with bands of steel
closely to the parent city, practically
forms the last link in our important sys-
tenn. Presently trains will be run on The
remaining branches connecting your
homes with the parks on the west, then
you will have the facilities afforded you
Of the enjoyment of through trains every
few minutes to miles away without
change of Car or additional fare.
To all intents and purposes, the cable
system of Los Angeles, the greatest-yes,
| may say the greatest in many of it's
fentures-is completed. But the pleasure
OF this day has for me one alloy, Presi-
dent @. B. Holmes, of Chicago, the gem
tleman to whose daring enterprise Los
Angeles owes her perfect cable system,
and East Los Angeles her new cable
road, the gentleman whose fsr.seeing
confidence in the future of this city has
led him and his colleagues in Chicago to
Invest their millions here, is not with us.
The building Of the system has been q
great undertaking, g,-dfficulties have been
encountered that were undreamed of by
th hose who projected it, difficulties that
had they been thoroughly understood in
the first instance, would have appalled,
those who set out to construct these
roads. That these difficulties have been
overcome let our presence here today at
test.
believe that none present will dispute
the assertion that East Los Angeles is
the largest residential suburb of the city.
The cable company has appreciated
that fact, and we have known that some,
very many indeed, Of the residents Of
this beautiful section, bave felt that they
had fair grounds for complaint, because
theirs was the last of the trunk lines to
be complated and thrown onan m tho