Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-30
AGAINST THE BONDS.
A Mass Meeting at Turn
Verein Hall.

"A MASS meeting at Iur1
| Verein Hall.
STRONG ARGUMENTS ADVANCED
Hon. S. NJ. White and Judge Bransol
| Tell Why the Bonds should
be Defeated.
A meeting of those opposed to the is
suing of the sewer bonds was held las
evening in Turn Verein Hall. Abou
| 800 citizens were present and the utter
ances OF the speakers were received with
no small degree of enthusiasm. The
meeting was called to order by G. M
Wells, who introduced the Hon. Stephen
M. White. The latter spoke as follows
ut seems to me that it is hardly neces.
sary to further discuss this storm water
and sewer proposition. However, as the
enemy when cornered will recede from
one position and take up another, it is
just as well we should follow them, how
ever remote and however few in number
they may become. Tomorrow will de-
eide the question, and let me ask you to
turn out then whether you ever did ct
any election in your life before. Re-
member that while it is necessary to
| have a two-thirds vote to carry the
bonds, this does not mean two-thirds of
the registered voters, but only o-thirds
of those who vote. You must turn out
and work, and your vote must be de-.
posted to make it do any good.
Now let us turn to several matters
which have lately come up. A few days
ago the Council passed resolution
adopting a certain contract with Mr..
Anderson Rose, and directed the Clerk
TO sign it. 1t was simply announced that
. contract had been made. All we we're
allowed to know about it was that some
such contract existed. Mayor Hazard
found it out and exposed it. There is a
man whose integrity cannot be ques.
toned. He was elected to stand by the
people, and he has done 30 nobly. 1t is
urged that this is an option and not a
contract, and that it will be Withdrawn.
We are now informed that for $12,5OO
Mr.. Rose will give to the city four acres
Pretty good price for Ballona land The
entire ranch is assessed at some $40, 900.
There are some fine calculations con-
nected with this deal, which / leave for
the City Engineer to figure on.
"It has been asserted that the right of
way has been all obtained, yet part of it
is along public highway. There is a
provision of our civil code that every one
whose property abuts highway is sup.
posed to be owner of it to its center. A
case turning on this point recently came
up in Pasadena. The persons along
this route who abut the right of way are
in a position to bring injunctions, with
good prospects of success. When is the
sewer to be built while these people
stand ready to head it off?
''But in spite of all this, an appeal is
made to all the workingmen to vote for
the bonds. Now 1 have confidence in
the workingmen Of this city, that they
will not cast their votes for any thing
which they believe will, in the long run,
be injurious to the city. Those who ex-
iect them to do SO place mean esti-
mate on the American manhood of our
workingmen.
"Not one single argument offered by
those opposed to the bonds has been sue
cessfully handled. Their advocates con.
tent themselves with calling US silurians.
A man who objects to this enormous
storm. water drain is said to bs man of
small ideas.
These gentlemen tell you in one breath
that the sewers will be built immedi-
ately, and in the next that the bonds
will be issued only as fast as necessary.
The blocks will have to be issued very
rapidly il the work is done inside of two
years. They scatter the information that
the town is unhealthy, that diphtheria is
carrying off the children. l have con-
suited the reports of the Board of Health
and l find that Los Angeles is the
healthiest city in the State. What shall
We say OF those who are spreading such
lies all over the country?
"They say Mortgage the city and we
shall then have good times Why don't
they carry out this principle in their own
affairs. Don't we think it very unfortu.
nate when we are compelled to borrow
money and 20 pledge our property? II
some one wanted to get the money and
pocket it, | could understand such an
argument when urged in his behalf, but
as it is hardly see how the debt will be
an advantage to anybody.
"Why is it necessary, when there is
such an opposition to it, that the Council
should offer us a system more expensive
than will be found in any city of this
size in the United States? Look, they
say, at London Look at Paris What
comparisons Look at our Council and
at the Roman Forum We forget just
where we are sometimes. Old cities
which have been working on this propo-
sition for centuries are not fit subjects
for comparison.
81 was told today by Mayor Hazard
that he has statement from the South
Side Irrigation Company that that com.
pany has never had such contract with
the city as is claimed exists by those
who advocate the passage of the bonds
They abate none OF their rights. Now
in this contract which Mr.. Rose has, he
has the preference of sale OF fifty inches.
We must then, in addition to what we
pay for his lands, still deliver this water
We can't tell what sort of contracts will
be made between now and tomorrow
and still less what will be made after to-
morrow, if the bonds carry.
This city has great future, but as We
know that money is scarce and timei
are hard, will it help to spread
abroad the knowledge that we have
mortgaged our property to within 500, ,00(
of all that we are allowed by law? Ir
the city of Placerville an indebtedness
was incred which it could not meet
No one would run for Office and processes
could not be served. The city was dis.
organized for thirty years. We have
struggled ahead and our indebtedness il