Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1889-10-25

promptly discontinued hereafter. No papers
VIII be sent to subscribers by mail unless the
same have been paid for in advance. This rule
10 inflexible. AYERS & LYNCH.
FRIDAY. OCTOBER s5. 1850. +
A Peculiar Railway Development.
Unless some peculiar meteorological
shall supervene, sometime
today the Senatorial Committee, charged
with investigating the workings of the
Central and Union Pacific Railways
both large bene6ciaries Of the national
bounty-will arrive here. The Gov
eminent of the United States is
rightly interested in bringing the cor
porations which it has created at least to
an acknowledgment of their obligations,
and the purpose of the establishment of
this notable com mission, which embraces
a very distinguished personnel, is to make
q report which shall secure the rights Of
the national trea ury, with the least pos
sible friction. At least that is the con-
ception of the matter which approves
itself to, this journal.
Years ago in California it was fashion.
able to froth at the mouth whenever the
Central and Southern Pacific Railways
were mentioned. Away back in 1879
and up to and inclusive of 1882 the
HERALD never did any of this frothing.
Whatever sacrifice Of prosperity was in
volved in its attitude, and no doubt it
was great, it endured with Spartan forth
tude. This journal never truckled to the
powers that be at the corner of Fourth
and Townsend street, just as it never
Kotooed to the Kearney mob, pursuing
the even tenor Of its own way, without
fear or faver, and paying it's own bills,
with occasional sums over to the credit
of it's bank account; and, consequently,
it claims the right to speak now as it
always did, according to the best in
terests Of its section.
When the project was first advanced to
bring the Southern Pacific Railway to
Los Angeles, it was handicapped by the
demand from the Messrs. Stanford.
Crocker, Hopkins and Huntington of a
tax of fifteen Der cent. on the taxable
valuation of Los Angeles county. The
valuation Of the county at that time
1S73-was $4,000, 1000. That meant the
turning over of $4,000 to the railway
people. An election was held on this
proposition; and, to the credit of the
sagacity of the people of Los Angeles,
they voted the money. 1t was paid by
turning over the Los Angeles & San
Pedro Railway at fixed valuation, and
by bonds for the balance.
That was sixteen years ago. The
Southern Pacific Railway met their obi.
cations in good faith, tunneled the San
Fernando mountains; and, towards the
close Of the year 1876, the snort of the
iron horse was heard in Los Angeles.
The event was celebrated by great
banquet, in which Gov. Stanford and
others of his associates participated.
Everything then looked galore.
Then for while these superb schemes
of railway development rested. The
men who had surmounted the crest of
the Tehachepi mountains were naturally
fatigued for the time being. Los
Angeles underwent tremendous eclipse,
in which an unprecedented drouth and a
smallpox epidemic played their part.
Everybody cursed the railroad. About
this time the Messrs. Stanford, Croker,
Hopkins and Huntington began to push
their Sunset system towards New
Orleans. There was thorough and i'm
mediate revival. When the Sunset sys-
tenn reached the Colorado river the re-
vival hereabouts was simply tremendous.
From that time forward every pulsating
artery in the mines of Arizona poured
their life-blood into Los Angeles, and the
City of the Queen of the Angels took up
its march toward the position which it
now occupies on every ground, of the
second city Of the Pacific Coast. Not
only the second city, but larger than
Portland, San Jose and Sacramento put
together.
The five million dollars valuation Of
this county, on which the Messrs. STAN
ford, Croker, Hopkins and Huntington
exacted tribute of fifteen per cent, has
become valuation which an Assessor of
Los Angeles county has since put above
one hundred millions. The railway
people have become rich beyond the
dreams OF avarice. and 30 have the
regions through which their roads run.
and, remarkable above all, the city and
county of the Angels.
In suggesting settlement with the
parent of the railway systems from which
such magical development has come.
we have no hesitation in expressing it as
our belief that, while the interests of the
Government should not be neglected. the
settlement should be governed, to rea-
sonable extent, by the tremendous evan.
gel of progress and wealth which has
followed fast upon the heels OF the Gov.
ernment's generous grants.
This seems to be the spirit in which
this long outstanding account will be
adjusted, and it is clearly right. What.
ever adjustment shall secure to the
United States treasury recoupment for its
outlays, in view of the low rates of inter-
est prevailing now, and the enormous
of values following the
creation Of the Union and Central Pacific
Railways, will undoubtedly not only