Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-02
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BooMs.


If we may believe only small part
of the information that reaches us from
the boom cities of the new state of
Washington, then the collapse that has
come over them is one of the most
serious character. There is absolute
suffering there for the necessaries OF
life, and some of the churches in Oak
land and this city have been requested
to make up contributions of cast-of
clothing to be distributed amongst the
poor families that have to face an in
clement winter with scant wardrobes.
OF course such appeals are only
sign of the hardness of the times in
the new cities of the sound; for desti-
tuition and suffering can always be
found even in the most prosperous COM
munities. But there is no doubt that
the bottom has completely dropped out
of the land and lot boom in that state,
and that it is suffering from the severn
ties that always attend reactions from
kite-fying and transportation.
Tacoma to build up two large CONNER
cial cities on the sound, it would be diff
fcult for any one but the interested pro-
motors of realty sales to explain. Lum-
Der, that has to seek the antipodes for
market, will not build up great cities,
and the coal output OF that state is not
yet of Importance enough to sustain
large populations. The great reliance
for certain prosperity must eventually
be in the productions of the soil-but
as grain is the sole staple to be Dope uded
upon, and as vast forests are to be
cleared before its yield can reach the
proportions that would build up great
commercial centers, we are constrained
to believe that the sound cities have
grown out of proportion to the resources
they possess for their present support.
III Washington, however, possessed
the climate, the soil and the capacity
for production that Southern California
has, the recovery of Seattle and Tacoma
from the collapse they have suffered
would be only a question of a short
time. There is no instance ON record of
so speedy and complete a recovery from
the collapse of an era of wild and ex-
travagant speculation as that exhibited
by Los Angeles. The boom had carried
our people into the widest extrava-
gances. They had laid down the pillow,
and the shovel and the hoe been hung
away in the barn. Their farms
were cut up into town lots, and produc-
ton had almost entirely ceased. In
stead of raising what we consumed,
nearly everything used was brought
from abroad, and we were all living in
FOOLS paradise. When we woke up
out of the dream, we realized that we
had gone wrong; that instead of getting
rich, we were actually getting poor, and
that if we would recover from our folly
we must avail ourselves of our match
less soil possibilities, and make ourselves
prosper legitimately on the natural pro-
auctions of our incompatible section.
Itrequired but couple of years of econ
omy and earnest work to get out of the
slough, and now there is no part of the
Union that is In a healthier or more
prosperous condition than the city of
Los Angeles and her tributary country.
The acreage of orchards and vineyards
has been increased enormously and
farms and grain fields have made their
appearance in places that were before
avoided as sterile deserts. Wherever
one goes now in what was
known as the boom region three
years ago, he will find new homes
with thriving gardens and rich fruit or
charde. Indeed the boom and its col
lapse have been blessing to us if we
accept the results they evolved by bring
ing our people to realizing sense of the