Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-06
A GREATLY wR0NGED CITY.


Our San Francisco contemporary, the
Chronicle, in its issue of the 4th inst,
has great jeremiad on the wrongs that
the long suffering people of the Golden
Gate have endured at the hands of the
counties to the north and south OF them.
1t is, in truth, sad fate which has be-
fallen San Francisco. The generous and
self-sacrifcing people of that city have
been ground as between the upper and
the neither milestone by the remorseless
interior counties. Our contemporary
says that the Pacific coast metropolis
has been obliged to pay nearly one-third
of the taxes OF the state, and yet has
nothing TO show for it. Nothing has
ever been done for San Francisco, poor
Toll-Taker by the sea!
OF course the Chronicle realizes full
well the exquisite humor OF all this. No
one knows better than the well-posted
men who controls the live paper" that
the pretenee Of San Francisco's paying
any reasonable portion of her taxes is
too farcical for serious consideration.
There are three streets of the metropol-
itan city OF the Pacific coast which, if
they were honestly assessed, would give
larger real estate valuation than that
on which San Francisco is now taxed.
These are Market and Kearney streets
and Van Ness avenue. Nor does
that by any means give an
adequate idea OF the way the rest of the
state has been Disseminated against in
tax matters. For years and years all
the wealth of the state and of the whole
Pacific coast gravitated towards San
Francisco. There is more accumulated
coin and other personal property stored
there than in all the rest of California
combined. This almost entirely escapes
taxation.
The Chronicle makes the text of its
article the fact that the legislature has
seen fit to establish state reform school
at Whittier, in Los Angeles county, and
an asylum for the insane in San Bernar-
dino county. If there had been no legi-
innate reasons, founded on the public
well being, calling for the erection OF
these institutions, sense of shame
would doubtless have impelled the leg
islature to this tardy recognition of a
neglected section. Prior to these appro-
priations we were treated to the absurd
spectacle OF the people of great, opu-
lent and growing region absolutely with
out reminder OF the paternal care of
their. government. II we had to send a
bad boy or girl to reformatory institu-
tion, or a person non compos mentis to an
insane asylum, we were obliged to dis
patch a deputy sheriff distance
Of five or six hundred miles.
The demands OF decency alone called for
The establishment of these institutions
in our midst. Justice and fair play
alike demand the location OF peniten-
tiary, also, in some accessible quarter of
aoutheta California,
Today all the southern counties are
sending immense sums OF money yearly
to Sacramento, only small portion of
WHtCLl, ia CA1C SilUpO VI tiIO SShOoi "PpOi
tionment. ever gets back here. Los
Angeles county alone, during the past
ten years, has sent fully two million and
a half dollars to the state treasurer at
in excess of any conceivable
return. We have been mulcted of that
during that period after allow
ing for every disbursement of the state
here of any kind. We have received for
it in return absolutely nothing excepting g
the right to share in the eclat which at
taches to membership in great COM
If anybody can point out.
any other benefit which has accrued to
US from having been compelled to pay
tar more than our share of the taxes OF
the state we shall gladly give publicity
to his views. If San Francisco would
quit grumbling and pay her just share
of the public burdens there would be
more content in quarters where dissatis-
faction now justly reigns.