Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-11-03
Gen. II. iii. Uhapman's speech.

The last thing on the programme was
speech on the "East Side" by General
r. H. Chapman. After the cutting up OF
he land into city lots, General Chap
man built the first house on Downey
avenue. He has lived there continu-
ously ever since. He said:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN-I have very
little to add to the eloquent speeches that
have already been made. will say a
| few words about the past and the pres
ent of East Los Angeles, and trust to
your indulgence, after the eloquent re-
marks of those who have preceded me.
We are to be congratulated on this au-
spicious occasion. We are no longer out
of the world. We are no longer cut off
from civilization. l do not know
that we lost much by being cut
off. We have about everything
here we could desire. If the other side
keep on refusing us the High School, re.
fusing us everything, all we ask is that
they cut us off altogether. If they will
keep hands off and let us alone, we will
get all these things for ourselves.
But this is great thing for us all. We
can remember in old times the big
stretch of sandy road that lay between
here and the city. 1t stretched from the
river to the mill-the Stevens & Scott
Mill it was then, the Capitol Mills now.
1t was ankle deep in sand. There was
no bridge ON the river. We all had to
wade. We could not swim. The water
was not deep enough excepting in food
time, and then we did not care to try it.
We were poor on the East Side then.
Few Of US had buggiss; two or three
in all, perhaps. There were plenty Of
horses in DIR. Griffin's pasture, but they
were hard to ride-they were broncos.
l will tell you an incident in my own
history. Here voice called out, "Was
it when you were stood up?'O The
General stated that it WAS not. He said
great deal of misstatement was ahoat
in the community on this head. Some
Of these Jmisstatements had got into
print. Charlie Hayden had told this
story in distorted way. Colonel Ayers,
of the HERALD, had also told of the
event in the same sort of distorted
way 1t mad been stated that the General
had taken some beer Oil this memorable
occasion. The General appealed to his
reputation as complete vindicatlon from
these false reports. The General kept
two large fiat stones, one on each side of
the river. On one of these he sat to take
OFT his shoes, preparatory TO wading the
river. On the other he sat to put them
on again. One night he came down to
the ford. 1t had been raining and the
water was Enee-keep. 1t had cleared off
cold, and the water was freezing. The
General came to the river, sat down on
the fiat stones and TOOK off bis shoes and
stockings. He waled the stream. His
feet were chilled. He WAS shivering. AS
he drew his socks onto his benumbed
feet he looked up above his head and
there hung foot.bridge! He had waded
when he might have walked across dry
ahod on the bridge!
General Chapman told great many
other laughable stories of the old
times. He psid high compliments
to Col. Robinson and his management
of the road. He portrayed in glowing
terms the future of East Los Angeles,
when it would grow out ind Join Pasa-
dena, taking nGarvanza on the way,
skip over the river and grab Glendale,
switch around and take in Alhambra,
and be all East Los Angeles. The Cen
eral laid bare the fallacy Of the PROPOSE
ton of cities being like Greeley's young
men that always went west. 1t only
shows that the East is the source of
everything. The garden of Eden was in
the East, and so is East Los Angeles.
Adam and Eve were created in the East.
1t is all right for the West to be proud Of
it's high origin. The General said a
great deal more to the same effect amid
great applause.