Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-11
The Herald and the Sewer Question


from the HERALD Job Office.
The Herald and the Sewer Question.
As, notwithstanding it's mslodorous
characteristics, the sewer question will
have to be indefinitely discussed from
now till the day of election, we give
some considerable space to it in our issue
of this morning. 1t is perhaps not as
improving as good sermon, nor as enter
tanning as the long homilies which the
Associated Press gives us from time to
time on the differences between Poet
master General Wanamaker and DR..
Norvin Green, but it is of great local in
terest, all the same. Realizing this
fact, the HERALD this morning presents
the long and rather clever exposition of
the merits of the Ballona route from the
pen of Mr.. Fred Eaton, the City Epgin-
eer, and the cogent and powerful
counter arguments of Mr.. Andrew
Glassell.
Without the least desire to impugn the
good faith and intelligence Of the many
good men who favor the Councils plan
for the outfall sewer-and after diligent
investigation we have found that many
of our best citizens do favor that project
the HERALD is opposed to it. Maugre
the official expressions of Mr.. Eaton, the
HERALD knows that the whole sewage Of
Los Angeles can be used and not thrown
away, and nobody knows this fact better
than Mr.. Eaton himself, and nobody has
given clearer expression to this truth
than the City Engineer, in private con-
versations particularly. We have NO
hesitation in setting off against Mr..
Eaton's present views the clear and in
telligent judgment upon the whole ques-
tion of Mr.. Andrew Glassell.
One feature of the Councils plan has
been curiously enough very little dis
cussed, and that is the prodigious sum
set apart in the $4,000 for the city's
sewering for storm drains. This amounts
to nearly seventy per cent of the whole
sum called for by the city. 1t is dispro-
portionate and prodigious, and its true
inwardness will undoubtedly be fully de-
veloped in the press before vote is
taken on the matter. There is great
deal of enlightenment to be found in
careful investigation of this department
of the sewer controversy.
We do not think it necessary to work
ourselves up to fever heat on this
issue. If the opponents of the bonds
organize with anything like the energy
of the friends of the measure, the sewer
bonds will be defeated. On the other
hand, if, when the election day comes,
the anti-outfall sewer people shall be
found without purpose or organization,
the Council will easily carry through its
pet measure. There are some people SO
peculiarly constituted that they cannot
understand an attitude fair, temperate
and impartial, like that of the HERALD.
Claiming and exercising the right to
hold our own views, and to enforce
them, from the very moment that we
realized that many of the best and most
representative citizens of Los Angeles
held opinions Numerically the opposite
Of our own, we recognized the obliga-
ton to treat them respectfully. When
we were giving interviews with leading
citizens on the matter, one strong advo-
cate of the sewer bonds said: "You
don't want to interview me, because l
am in favor of the bonds" son the
contrary" replied the HERALD man,
"my instructions are to reflect public
opinion precisely as find it."
1t is very difficult for Journal like
the Tribune to understand fair and i'm
partial attitude like this on the part of
newspaper. The HERALD has been a
Democratic journal for nearly sixteen
years, and during the whole of that time
it has not once attempted to bulldoze a
Democratic convention, or to ostracize q
Democrat. 1t has always had opinions
and expressed them freely, but it has
been run strictly in the interest of the
public.
In our issue of yesterday we gave the
views of United States Senator John P
Jones on the equity of polluting the
ocean in the immediate neighborhood of
our most charming watering place. Mr.
Jones is one of the most distinguished
public men in the United States. At
one time he spent million dollars out
of his own purse in building up this
county. His great investments and
public spirited enterprises in Los Ange-
les were undoubtedly largely instru-
mental in creating the boom
of 1874-75, which first brought