Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-31
SATURDAY, AUGUST 81, 1883
The Sewer Bonds Defeated.

The total vote cast in the city yesterday
for and against the sewer bonds was
1000. Two-thirds of this total (the num-
ber required to carry the bonds) would
be 4,673. The vote in favor of the bonds
was 8, ,S51, SO that it fell short S22 ballots
of being two-thirds vote. Against the
bonds 3,115 votes were polled. This
verdict of the people disposes of the
question, as far as the Ballona
route is concerned. We are salts
fed that if the Council had
outlined fair and economical system Of
sewerage for the city, with the outfall
carried by the river route, where the
sewage is wanted to enrich the poor and
sandy lands which align it on either
side, and which are very extensive, the
proposition would have met the approval
of the people. Indeed, yesterdays vote
is an unmistakable demonstration in
favor of the river route, and tells the
Council in terms as emphatic as if they
had been spoken, that it is
their duty now to Immediately
prepare plan to carry the
sewage by the river route. The sooner
they prepare the plans of new system
based upon this idea, the sooner will all
the ends sought for by the honest voters
who cast their votes on both sides of the
question yesterday be realized. For, we
insist that there is no large fraction of our
people who are not in favor of proper
system of sewerage for this city. The
Executive Committee of the citizens who
opposed the bonds yesterday have pub
licly pledged their faith to such pro-
gramme, and they will not 60 back of
their pledge.
There was one feature in the attitude
OF the Council upon this sewer question
which contributed m no small degree to
render their scheme unpopular; end
that WAS the bull-headed and determined
stand they took upon the Ballona route.
They evinced no spirit of concession or
compromise; but having Illuminated
their scheme they persistently and arbi-
trarily insisted upon it, and tried to put
it through by main force and in spite OF
the fair and decent protestations Of
large and respectable number OF our rep
resentative citizens.
1t is no small matter to ask the people
of city like Los Angeles, and especially
at time of depression, to assume debt
of over million and a quarter of dollars.
1t would be very serious matter under
any circumstances, but when 30 vast a
sum is demanded to carry out scheme
go vulnerable as the one presented, it
would have been little less than madness
for the people to have accepted it. The
Council have nobody to blame but them
selves and their own sullen stubborn
ness if they have received an
unmistakable reproof from the people.
But they can recover favor if they will
now set themselves energetically at work
to correct their error. Let them call in
the counsel of capable men who have the
confidence of the community, and out
line a plan that will meet the wants Of
the city and that will place our sewage
upon land where it is needed.
1t should not be forgotten that the
question of irrigating poor lands is one
that has a national Importance at the
present time. 1t would appear very
strange that a city like Los Angeles, in
the very center of one of the greatest
irrigating districts in the country, had
wasted the water Of its river by running
it into the sea instead of upon the arid
lands that require it.