Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-05
Not,ce To gHatl subscribers.
TUESDAY, MARCH s, 1883.
County Division.

The bill to erect, out of the southern
portion OF Los Angeles, the new county
of Orange, will in all probability become
a law. The adoption of resolution by
the Senate permitting any member to
call up bill out of order, will relieve
this measure from its present position
low down upon the file. Senator Nc
Comas will doubtless avail himself of his
privilege and place the bill upon its
passage. There are forty members
of the Senate, and but sixteen CT
them can be counted upon to
vote against the measure. The only hope
for its defeat lies in the influence and
eloquence of Senator White. But it is
hardly possible that, at this late stage of
the session, when every member has
committed himself one way or the other
some having traded with the friends of
the bill for their votes on other measures
that even Mr.. Whites powerful appeal
will be effective. Besides, the apathy of
our people on the subject, and the recent
development that some of our leading
citizens have signed petition that can
be construed into favoring division, are
calculated to throw cold water upon any
effort our Senator might otherwise feel
called upon to make.
The HERALD has opposed the dismem-
berment of this county for various rea-
sons. With the present railroad facilities
for reaching this city, no hardship is
imposed upon any part of the county.
In the new county there will be parts OF
it as remote from the new county seat as
they are now from the present county
seat. Yet the cost and loss of time in
reaching this city is about the only argu-
ment the seceders advance for division.
Years ago, when we had no railroad
facilities, there was some strength in
that argument, but now that our
county is traversed in all its parts by
two great railways and a number of
local ones, it possesses but little, if any,
weight. Another strong reason against
division is the increased cost to the tax
payers Of maintaining two sets of officers
when one set is sufficient. This is a
factor of some importance, as the people
of both counties will learn to their sor-
row after division has become an accom-
plished fact.
Then, again, it is going to be a very
costly experiment to set the new county
up in business on its own hook. The
records of the county, as far as they
relate to real estate and other matters
in the seeded territory, will have to
be transcribed at great cost new county
buildings will have to be erected, and
perhaps Orange will have to start out
with u considerable debt, as it is doubt
full whether, in the adjustment OF the pre-
sent debt between the two counties, any,
where near the assets will remain with
ms TO cover Oranges share.
But the injustice enforced upon us will
be found in the fact that we shall be
compelled to maintain our county gov
ernment up to its present high standard
of expensiveness with less than one-half
the territory we now have to meet it. It
would suit Los Angeles much better if
the county were SO divided as to leave
us with a compact territory that could,
with our city, be erected into a consoli-
dated city and county that could be ad-
ministered by one set of officers instead
of two. Such an adjustment would be
acceptable to the taxpayers, on the score
of economy.
If the passage of the present measure
can be STAYED off, and the people in the
southern part of the county will wait till
the next session of the Legislature, we
have no doubt that an amicable adjust
ment of the boundaries can be made at
that time that would satisfy everybody.
We will perhaps offer to the seeding
portion of the county larger territory
than they now ask, if they will only de-
lay their act OF partition for two years
longer. They can surely afford to live
with US till that time.