The herald., 1894-12-26
FRESNO AND MANAGER LEEDS.

Now comes Manager ]. S. Lseds, talk
ing csnnily through the bonnet OF him.
Manager Leeds of the Traffic assoeia-
tion has just heard from Fresno and with
the complacenoy Of one who draws
! sic, 900 year for promising to accom-
plish wonders and lesser feats, says that
"the outlet which could benefit Fresh o
must be on the bay OF San Francisco
and nowhere else.." To talk OF los An
geles or Monterey, he thinks. 1, "sb-
surd," as "the cereal and fruit crops
are not and never will be marketed
at either of the points mentioned"
Then Manager Leeds gives the people
of the valley what the boys OF Los Au-
geles call "the brush off, in the follow
ing artistic manner:
We are going to build right down TO Fresno
and past it to the end OF the valley. We want
TO have the help of these people and we are
going to do all we can to encourage them to
stand in with us for mutual benefit l am
sure we shall be glad to hear what the Fresno
farmers and merchants want, as well as what
they have to offer.
Manager Leeds has bsen promising TO
build right down to Freeno" ever since
ne became manager of the Traffic asso-
citation; he has been promising to zen
courage these people TO stand in for
mutual benefit" and now he will be
ana merchants want. as we'll as what
they have TO offer"
And what, pray, has Manager Leeds
been doing all these years? How does
It happen that he is ignorant of what
the Fresno farmers and merchants want.
ss we'll as what they hsve to ofsr?''
Surely he has been long enough
ealaried official of the San Fra ncisco
and San Joaquin valley sir line railway
to know what the Fresno people want
and what they have to offer. Fresno is on
the map; it is marked on the valley
railroad chart as "a terminal point" it
is indeed strange that Manager Leeds
should have to be instructed concerning
the needs, the desires and the "offer'
of community OF 5000 citizens reprs-
senting the interests OF region with a
population of at least three times that
number.
But Manager Leeds is destined to
achieve closer acquaintance with the
people of Fresno; 1t will be his fortune.
good or ill, as the case may be, to come
in personal contact with q committee OF
Fresno merchants and farmers, who
will say to him:
"If we find it useless longer to wait
for operations to begin from San Fran
cisco, II is proposed that the people OF
Fresno be urged to cast in their lot
with Los Angeles and the southern part
of the state. work for road to connect
with the Santa Fe system there and stand
in with the Southern Caliiornians in a
demand for division OF the state"
That is what the people of Fresno
will cay to Manager Leeds; and they
will mean what they say. 1t will be-
hoove Manager Leeds to get "a
move on" He will be compelled
to know all about "ths wsnta of Fresno
and what they have to Offer" and as he
talks now it will be necessary for Man
ager Leeds to know these things ION tho
spur OF the moment" He may not ac-
oept the respo inability OF his posit on by
treating the ultimatum OF the people of
Fresno as absurd" neither will he be
able to convince these hardaheaded,
practical men of the valley that their
cereal and fruit crops never will be mar
keted at Los Angeles. The products
will be marketed at Los Angeles whethsr
the valley road to San Francisco is built
or not. And for the purpose OF Begin
ming the work OF securing tits trado
The HERALD hereby invites that Freano
committee, when they have finished
talking to Manager Lseda, to come to
Los Angelica and do business with our
cham ber of commerce.