Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-13
A UNIVERSAL MOVEMENT OF PROGRESS.

No one who has been familiar with
Los Angeles city and county for the last
decade or so can have been insensible to
the irresistible movement of develop
ment which has characterized this re-
gion during that period. We have had
activity and stagnation in real estate.
We have had booms in all stages. As a
general thing, we may say that the peo-
pie of Los Angeles have always been
either booming, getting over boom or
getting ready for another boom. But
whether our several booms have been in
their aphelion or their apogee, or at any
intermediate stage, the invariable law
of our evolution has been progress.
Ten years ago Los Angeles was simply
a Spanish-American burg-a cross be-
tween 'dobie town and an American
frontier settlement. Today, while our
city is somewhat amorphous and unde-
fined, it is absolutely one of the hand
-eomest places in the United States. The
fact that it covers thirty-six square
miles, and that it requires several days
to get around it, blinds people who hang
around the hotels to this truth. But it
is an indisputable fact all the same.
When the census, ten years ago, gave
us II, 300 people. the only store between
the City of Paris and the junction Of
Spring and Main streets, out near Tenth
street, was that of Charles Brode. 1t is
notable circumstance that, the other
day, he sold the property on which it
stood to Mr.. Stimson, Chicago capital
list, for SIS, 900. Ten years ago the lot
would probably have been considered
dear at $4,000. And SO come the chroni-
cles all over the city.
Going back decade, the Spring and
Sixth street horse railway was almost the
only one in the city. 1t is just possible
that the Main Street and Agricultural
Park railway made hourly trips at that
time. What contrast now?
Today Los Angeles has splendid sys-
tenn of cable railways in operation, and
one of the most extensive electric plants
of the United States in course of con-
struction and partially under way run
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Pacific railway, with its ramifcations
to San Francisco and towards Arizona,
were all that we could boast of, with the
short local line to Santa Monica built bv
Senator Jones. the old Los Angeles and
Wilmington road and branch of the
Southern Pacific running through
Downey and aiming at Santa Ana. For
years we have had, added to these, the
splendid transcontinental connections of
che Santa Fe and Atlantic and Pacific
railways, with their almost innumerable
local railway ramifications. We have, be-
sides, the Termi nal railway, with the GER
tainty that, in short time, we shall
have new transeontinental road and
a connection with Salt Lake through
the extension OF the Central Utah Rail
way west and of the Terminal Railway
east.
As a matter of fact, taking into the
count the innumerable local and poten-
4ial transcontinental railways which
center in and ramify from Los Angeles
shortly to be crowned by the new coast
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bara-we are warranted in claiming for
our city that it is already one OF the
three or four greatest railway eenters on
the American continent, and is worthy
to be grouped with New York, Chicago
and indianapolis.
In every line Los Angeles is charae-
terized by marked progress. Today we
are increasing in population at more
rapid rate than at any time since 1886
81. Our hotels, boarding houses, lodg-
ing houses and residences are filling up.
Business is good and is improving. Pro-
duction is being chronicled at an un-
heard of rate. To tell the truth ard
shame the devil, it looks very much as
if the Angelic city will have 700 in
habitants before the present movement
shall have halt called to its impetuous
advances.
Such is dispassionate estimate of the
situation as it appears for Los Angeles
to one who has watched the growth of
Southern California closely for nearly
twenty years.
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