Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-01-22
Wednesday, JANUARY SO, 1890.
National versus Private Eaterprise.

National versus Private Eaterprise.
For some years past there has been a
remarkable paralysis as respects govern
ment operations ct Wilmington harbor.
This state of things has been singularly
coincident with the presence of Gov.
Stanford in the Senate of the United
States and of Gen. William Vandever in
the United States House of Representa-
tives. No sane Angelef1o ever expected
that the Ventura statesman would
ever really interest himself in forward
ing any work for the development
of any interest of Los Angeles county.
He was elected in 1886 through COM
binations which embodied jeslousies of
Los Angeles in two adjoining counties,
and he has since been faithful to that tacit
understanding. The HERALD has never
permitted itself to be personally dis
respectful to Gen. Vandever, and it
looks upon him as a sort of Dandolo Of
Southern California Republican politics,
but the foregoing brief statement of the
case is the true one. OF course, he will
appear at times to be mindful of our in.
terests, but hs will tender US the Dead
Sea apple in every instance. Or, to
vary the simile, about the time we are
hunting around for chunk of bread we
will be pretty sure to get hunk OF
something quite as hard as sandstone
from that quarter.
With Governor Stanford the case was
supposed to be different. Lively hopes
were entertained of what would be done
for San Pedro when he got into the
Senate of the United States. The fact
is that in his later years the old gentle.
man has become the pink of susvity.
His manners and speech are emollient
in the highest degree, and would
serve as model for the mature and
benignant statesman; but it is a peculiar
fact that since Governor Stanford has
been one of the Senators from California
San Pedro or Wilmington harbor-
whichever You may choose to call that
Interesting locality-hss got nothing but
fair words. Nobody can talk more in
telligently than he of the claims of that
great uncompleted work of the govern
ment; and, apparently, nobody can
do less real work for its advance
ment. The why and the wherefore
of this peculiar condition of things has
not yet been explained to the people of
Los Angeles, but the fact remains az
we have explained it in the foregoing
brief remarks.
1t is thus decidedly fortunate that
private enterprise is at work for the de-
velopment of Los Angeles. county and
Southern California, and this enterprise
is fortunately backed by unlimited cap
ital and exceptional experience in the
development Of cou ntry just starting
out on magical career of growth. The
Messrs. Thompson and Ainsworth, who
have undertaken to build up a
great port at Redondo Beach, are
no spring chickens in the work of build.
ing up new countries. Their careers in
Oregon and Washington, at Portland and
Oakland, and half score of other nascent
cities, shows that they know what thew
are about. They propose to give the
people OF Los Angeles, at Redondo Beach
serviceable port which will do the busi-
ness of a city of quarter of million
inhabitants. They have already pro-
vided us with wharf which does busi-
ness Of three Thousand tons monthly, and
this will shortly be increased to thirty
thousand tons. When occasion calls for
1t, freight landed at Redondo can be
placed in Los Angeles within two hours
and half after the landing of the vessel
there. They have supplemented the
branch of the Santa Fe road which leads
down to Redondo by splendidly equip
ped road of their own. They are build
ing at Redondo seaside hotel which
will not, when completed, have supe-
rior on the American continent. They
have the ambition to make Redondo
Beach the Front street of Los Angeles,
and it looks as if they will accomplish
that great work in remarkably short
time.
Their enterprise is good one as it
stands, but its great attractiveness and
strength are not a whit diminished by
the fact that it looks very much as if
Redondo is to be the Pacific Coast ter
minus of the Union Pacific railway, for
such is the true character of the Utah
Central branch which is now stretching
it's arms out to Los Angeles.
The United States government ought
to complete its great project of creating
a deep-water harbor at San Pedro. The
most distinguished officers of the United
States Corps of Engineers are on record
to the effect that this can be done with |
comparatively moderate expenditure of |
money. But it is pleasant to know that,
whether it is done or not, private enter
prise is building up at Redondo Beach
harbor which promises to be of not only
local but even international utility and
All honor to- the Messrs. Thompson
and Ainsworth, who have had che genius