The herald., 1893-02-01
WHISPERING WILLIE.
HE DECLINES TO FIGHT San
PEDRO's IMPROVEMENT.
His Letter to the San Diego Council
Gives the Los sAngelesphobistsS Some
Good Advice and Tells Them
Some Plain Truths.

w nlEDtTlUk w lllAO 0ONCipf tAC N'%-
Diego congressman, whatever else he
may be, is not easily bulldozed. Some
weeks ago the few Los Angelesphobist
who now compose the population OF
San Diego induced the council OF that
town to write to the congressman de-
manding that he use all his efforts
against the plan to secure an approprl-
stion for the benefit of San Pedro. He
wrote a reply which the alleged news
papers there refrained from printing
and which was quietly filed by the
council. The reply is OF some interest
and reads as follows:
COMMITTEE ON PENSIONS,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, U. s., 7
WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 1898. }
K J. Ware, esq. City Clerk, San Diego, Cal.
DEAR SIR: l am in receipt of your
favor of the 23d of December, inclosing
copies of Joint resolution No. 2l4 of the
common council of the city of San Diego
and have carefully read the same, and
will file copy with the committee on
rivers and harbors, and at the proper
time will point out the errors and mis-
statements made regarding the harbor
of San Diego, in the memorial adopted
at Los Angeles, and the report submit
ted by the honorable secretary of war
to congress. I cannot conceive how pal
pable misstatements and errors made in
regard to the harbor of San Diego CAL
in any way be made to benefit the pro-
ject of constructing hsrbor at San
Pedro or elsewhere. On the contrary,
If mid n tn wnnfOnIU invita-
antagonism, and to weaken the project ;
for if one or more counts in memorial
are palpably untrue, it serves to discred-
it the whole instrument. But a commu-
nifty ought not to suffer by reason of an
emanation from comparatively few OF
its prejudiced or ignorant members,
who, by reason of their perEonal inter-
ests in project, become for time
blinded to facts.
lbs Angeles and the great San Ber-
nardino valley are as justly entitled to
government aid as Galveston, where the
government is committed to an expend-
iture OF sS,000,000 for harbor improve
ments-more than double the estimated
cost of the proposed harbor at San
Pedro-while Los Angeles has double
the population of Galveston, and, be-
lieve, will have double the amount of
business.
In this connection it should not be
forgotten (and will not be by myseiD
that am the accredited representative
of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and
Orange counties which counties are
vitality interested in this project-just
the same as l am of San Diego county,
and they are equally entitled to my best
efforts for their best material interests;
therefore shall work as faithfully and
as intelligently as l know how to aid in
procuring the necessary appropriation
to construct a harbor at San Pedro, as
recommended. / shall not be swerving
from my plain duty to the people OF
those counties because of the mistakes
or misstatements occurring in the
"whereases" or resolutions of public
meeting in Los Angeles or elsewhere.
In conclusion may Say cannot see
how the construction of an artificial har-
bor at San Pedro, or any other place in
Southern California, can injure San
Diego, or any other place. Southern
California must stand or fall together ae
one. believe no considerable section
OF it can receive any material benefit
that will not be shared in by the whole.
The facts as to the excellence and ca
pacity OF San Diego harbor are known to
all intelligent public men, everywhere
in all nations. There is not a master of
any ship, sailing on any sea anywhere
on the globe, that does not know the
truth about it, or has its chart on his
chip. Business men, mariners or gov
ernments do not depend on the 'where-
as'' adopted by public meetings for in
formation concerning harbors. They
prefer to consult official charts compiled
from government surveys. Very re-
epectfully, w. W. BOWERS.