Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-14
THE REAL POINTS TO CONSIDER.

yersation with Hon. JEFF Chandler
which contained points that admit oi
editorial treatment. In common with
all the gentlemen connected with the
Terminal railway, he has an extremely
high opinion of the capabilities of de-
velopment of Los Angeles county and
has very sanguine expectations as to
our future. He puts one aspect of the
matter thus:
The expense of transportation from
the eastern states to Los Angeles is oi
course great. Where a man has any
considerable family it involves almost
as much as would be required to buy a
small farm in Kansas. When the poor
man arrived here he found that he
would have to pay high price for land,
at least high price as compared with
what land can be bought for elsewhere.
Then, when it came to growing oranges
and lemons, and even the deciduous
fruits, he would have to wait a long
time for a return on his money. 1t
would unquestionably bevery gratifying
when it came, but it would be too long
on the way for his purse. On this &C
count Mr.. Chandler thought that this
was no poor mans country, and that
people of small means would prefer to
seek the cheaper lands to the north.
The writer replied that he had never
advised people altogether without
means to come to Los Angeles county,
although he had never counseled man
to stay away simply because he was
poor. At the time they were passing
the place of Mr.. Andrew Stephan, a
very prosperous German farmer. This
gentleman's place shows all the signs of
extreme thrift. He has home place OF
three hundred acres, and he is farming
two thousand acres altogether, the
major portion of which belongs to the
Santa Monica ranch of the Messrs.
Jones and Baker. His fields of waving
grain were sight to see. From all the
indications of the crops and the mar
ket, Mr.. Stephan will make from sixty
to seventy thousand dollars net this
year. He has been offered two hun
dred thousand dollars for his home
place. Mr.. Chandler was informed
that this progressive German told the
writer that he came here eight years
ago without dollar in his pocket. By
dint of industry and intelligence he has
made himself a rich man. 1t would
have been crime to have kept man
I:1xo 4hok ont of fhic
At this stage of the conversation
the Hon. Sherman o. Hough-
ton interposed, and called atten-
tion to the fact that Pasadena and Riv-
erside were both settled originally by
men of comparatively small means.
They had persevered under considerable
difficulties, and many of the rich men
of those settlements today were almost
without money when they arrived in
California. Mr.. Chandler's attention
was also called to the fact that the set
tier in Los Angeles county could make
living for his family by cultivating
cereals and other crops between his
trees while awaiting their arrival at the
bearing stage.
The fact is that the energetic poor
man has unusual opportunities for ad
vancing himself in Los Angeles county.
Take the standing offer of Mr.. E. j.
Baldwin. For years that gentleman
offered to supply competent farmers
who had teams with feed and seed, to
be repaid out of the crops and land, the
proprietor exacting only one third of the
crop in return. On the rich lands of the
San Felipe Lugo and the San Francis
quito the farmer is certain of making
from 125 to $50 bushels of corn to the
acre.
1t is no unusual thing in Los Angeles
county for farmer to make the price of
his land off of single years crop. This
has been done over and over again. The
fact can be easily demonstrated that he
can make more money off of ten acres in
Los Angeles county than off of one
hundred and sixty in the Mississippi or
Missouri valleys, and at less than one
tenth the labor. He is not obliged to
work more than one-sixteenth part of
the ground, and he is infinitely better
off as respects clothing and fuel, need.
ing the latter only for cooking purposes.
The great cost of transportation is
indeed signal drawback, but it is one
that can be remedied at any time by
the adoption by the railway companies
of an enlightened policy. During the
low passenger rates which prevailed for
a time during the "boom" multitudes
thronged into Los Angeles and Califor-
mia generally. The railway companies
admitted that they never made so much
money on passe ngers as during that
time. Why not adopt the plan as
permanent policy, giving, say, $50
rate from the Missouri river to Los An
geles? If they should do so there can
be NO doubt but that California would
fill up rapidly.
There is another reason why the HER
t1ttaf