Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-01-18
state Division.


state Division.
Encouraged by their success IN dividing
Los Angeles county, the people OF oranse
have set about an earnest agitation ioi
the division of the State OF California
There has been very little talk about thu
great desideratum for some time past
not half as much as there ought to have
been. The necessity for cutting up oul
unvieldy commonwealth into two sym
metrical States has been felt by inteiii
gent people for years. There is not only
nothing homogeneous in the population
and productions OF the two sections, bu
of late. on the part of the people OF the
Northern and central counties, there naf
been a positive enmity towards those o.
the South.
There are politico-economicsl reasons
for such q separation altogether outside
of the dissimilarity Of the two sections
climatically and of the long and strag
Cling coast line, and these are to be
found in the prodigious sums OF money
that are yearly taken from the Southern
counties to Sacramento, very little ol
which ever returns. They amount In
the counties of Kern, Ventura, San Ber'
nsrdino, San Diego, Orange and Los An
geles to fully million and half OF dol.
lars. q thiId Of which is possibly returned
to us in the shape of school money. AS
for the remaining million, We never re-
ceiye any equivalent for it whatsoever.
IT. leaves us to swell the resources and
enhance the prosperity OF people who, II
thev do not hate US outright, at least
feel semi hostility towards US, which
leads them to backbite and despite US.
If this million dollars year, which
never comes back to US, was kept ia
Southern California, it is fairly wonder
full what good it would do. In the first
place, there is no reason why the govern
ment of the State Of California should
not bs run in an economical manner, and
half of this surplus million be left in the
pockets of the taxpayers. After the first
outlay for State Capitol, the expenses
of such a government ought not to be
large.
But even admitting that there might
be a little extravaganza, the money
would be spent here. 1t would be used
in beautifying and vivifying our own
section. Our own people would reap all
the benefits from it. We would not
have the modification OF knowing that it
was being handled by people who have
never good word to say Of US. In ten
years this million dollars retained in our
midst, with it's natural increment, would
ba an immense sum.
Its yearly deportation is great drain
on the resources of this section. 1t was
only q short time since we saw a
sneer in San Francisco paper at the
large figures of the school census OF the
Southern counties, through which we
got fraction of our money back. That
is to say, Los Angeles county alone will
contribute about 100000 to the State
government and will receive about
100000 of it back for her schools. II
we show any restivenees at the system
of robbery from which We suffer, we are
accorded the most callous Indifference.
The feeling Of the Northern and central
counties towards those of the South is
very much like those of the fisherman
described by DR.. Samuel Johnson, who,
while ekinning his cells, cursed them be-
cause they wriggled.
Unquestionably we ought to have
division of the State; but can We get it 2
There's the rub. The Constitution OF
TIE United States says that no new
State shall be formed out of an old one
without the consent of the old State. 1t
is very doubtful whether this could be
obtained just now. As long as the
people of the central and bay counties
can return their own property at a ridicu-
lous under-valuaticn and make us pay
on high one, they are apt to want tc
keep hold of US. 1t will require long
and persevering agitation to bring them
to the point of consenting to the forma
ton of a State Of South California, Lo.
Angeles. or Orange, or whatever tn,
name might be.
The project would not be advocated
with any warmth by California repre-
sentatives in Congress. Both the Sena
tors would oppose it, as they both be
lieve, from old associations-very excus
able in their case-that California has
history which ought to unity her terri
tory. 1t is tolerably certain that Gen
Vandever would put himself to yer,
little inconvenience in the matter, ant
he would probably be one against sever
in any event.
The scheme, though good one, doe
not look very practicable just now, we ar
sorry to cay. At the same time it doe
no harm to talk about it.
In THE sudden death of Thomas S
Ruddock yesterday Los Angeles lost on