Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-16
NOW is OUR OPPORTUNITY.

NOW is OUR OPPORTUNITY.
The HERALD has shown that Los An
geles has back country of incompara-
BILE value lying between the Mojave des-
ert and Utah.
It has shown that exhaustless mines
of gold, silver and copper abound in
that region, and that there are other
resources there, which, if opened to the
energy, enterprise and industry OF our
people, will maintain vast population.
It has shown that there are rich agri-
cultural valleys in that region which
will be settled up if tapped by railroad.
It has shown that the ores of South
eastern Nevada would come here in
great quantities to be reduced, and that
the coal beds OF Southern Utah would
afford us cheap fuel to build up extern
sive and diversified manufactures.
All these things have been shown and
discussed in the columns of the HERALD
time and again, and there is not man
OF the slightest claim mtointelligence to who
does not know that if Los Angeles
should secure that region to her COM
merce and her manufacturing indus
tries, our city would in few years
more than quadruple her population
and become in time the leading city on
the Pacific coast.
But there are lions around, which
must be prevented from crossing our
path. These lions must either be
cajoled or throttled.
Great railroad corporations have GER
tain fixed policies which are altogether
selfish. The long haul is to them the
end and aim of their being. 1t makes
no difference how important or how
promising the interests of localities in
termediate to their long haul terminals
may be, their fixed rule is to go operate
their roads that all the business they
can finally control shall be sent to the
farthest distance on their lines.
Thus, for instance, if the Southern
Pacific and the Union Pacific were to
form an alliance to construct q road
through Southeastern Nevada, the policy
of the Southern Pacific would be to side
track Los Angeles as far as the trade of
New ada and Utah were concerned, and
carry it to San Francisco.
There are unmistakable signs in the
railroad armament pointing to the early
extension of the Santa Fe road from
Mojave to San Francisco by new
route. In that event the relations of
the Santa Fe to any road coming from
Southeastern Nevada would be governed
by the same policy as in the case of the
Southern Pacific.
If we had little OF the spirit that has
made Chicago great American city, we
would take such steps as would prevent
any or all of the great corporations from
sidetracking Los Angeles as to the trade
of that region.
There is but one road that has any
pretensions which could be depended
upon to Offset this policy, and that road
may be in the market when the crucial
time arrives. The Terminal has plant
that could be made, if we had it indis-
solubly fastened to our interests, to off
set and check any move the great cor
porations might make to defect the
trade of our tributary interior region to
San Francisco, and thus sidetrack Los
Angeles.
In any event there is money enough
here to put on a safe footing new
road that would reach out into the dee-
ert and secure to this city the trade Of
Southern Nevada. Salt Lake City
stands ready at any time to cooperate
with Los Angeles in securing railroad
connection between this city and Utah.
If some OF our most substantial and
far-seeing citizens, who have the conf
dence of the community, would get to-
gether and thoroughly discuss the situa-
ton, they might outline and submit
plan to the people which would result
in the early opening of the interior re-
gion to direct railroad communication
with our city.
II we do nothing ourselves, and wait
for some railroad corporation to build a
road through that country, we will pay
for our supineness and Indifference by
finding that road mere feeder to the
Southern Pacific or the Santa Fe to
carry the trade that should belong to us
to San Francisco.
Nothing short of the control in Los
Angeles of q road that will ultimately
reach Utah will give US bond Of fate
against being sidetracked as far as our
rightfully tributary interior trade is
concerned.