The herald., 1894-12-12
A FIERCE FIGHT FOR A STREET.
ElOquence Turned Loose in the
Council Chamber.
Property Owners Interested in Fig
uerOa Street Talk.
Will ID. Gould and Sheldon Borden L cad
the Opposing FOrcss-No Discus
sion Has Yet Been Rsaohed.
Today's Session.

tion yesterday, the council met as a
whole and took up several special
orders set for that time.
The first order was that of the prop.
erty owner, and reaidents on Figueroa
street near Washington, who have re-
Gently had their lots and streets COW
cred with oil carried down by. storm
water during the recent rains from the
Second street oil district.
After the council had listened to sev.
eral of the gentlemen interested, Coun =
Gilman Nickel made motion chat the
chief OF police be instructed to arrest all
violators of the ordinance which makes
it misdemea nor for any person to
allow oil to escape and flow over the
The motion, after being seconded by
Mr.. Peseell. was carried.
The council then took up the Figue.
roa street matter, which came before i
on a protest against the proposed aban-t
donment of a portion of Figueroa stree t,
lying between Sixth and Pico streets.
Will ID. Gould addressed the eou neil
as one of the protestants against the
abandonment of Figueroa street. The
salient features of Mr.. Gould's argument
were as follows:
''Figueroa street is the longest and
best street in the city, being fully five
and half miles long in q straight Ii ne
The city dedicated that street to public
use and sold the property in blocks
fronting ON that street, and it now has
no legal or moral right to abandon it
without compensation to the property
owners. The public interests require
that the street be maintained and i'm
proved, particularly from Sixth to Sew
enth streets.
This street is obstructed from Pico to
Sixth streets, distance of less than
one mile. From Seventh street north
to Orange street the, property is entirely
vacant and unimproved. A territory
each side OF Figueroa street and north
OF Sixth street, comprising more than
200 lots. demands an outlet; on Figue-
roa street from Sixth to Seventh streets,
and all OF the property in that vicinity
is greatly damaged because Figueroa
street is not opened and graded from
Sixth street to Seventh street. There
are no valuable improvements upon Fig
ueroa street between Sixth and Seventh
streets. In fact the land is entirely va.
cant for majority OF that distance and
wholly 30 from Orange street to Seventh
street. A few parties have fenced up
Figueroa street between Orange and
Sixth streets and have made the same
their back yards, without authority OF
law and greatly to the damage of their
neighbors and ell property owners on
Figueroa street for the entire distance.
We respectfully submit that all the
property owners on Figueroa street
along its whole length of over five miles
are directly interested in maintaining
that street in its entiIety, and were they
compelled to pay ten.iold the amount
of the adverse claims to a portion Of
that street it would bs better to submit
to that imposition than to forever lose a
portion OF that important thoroughfare.
"Whatever may be the public neces.
sity of maintaining Figueroa street
south of Seventh street, there certainly
can be no doubt as to the public neces.
sity of maintaining that street from
Seventh street north to Sixth street.
From Sixth street north for nearly three
miles FigueroA street 10 unobsvtuoted.
"Seventh street, with it's double track
street car line, 10 one of the most i'm.
portsnt thoroughfarss across the city.
Into this street Figueroa street demands
an entrance from the north.
During the past 20 yesrslthis matter
has been three times before the city
council and referred to three different
city attorneys, and in each case that
law officer, after carefully examining
the abstracts, maps and records, has
unhesitatingly and unqualifedly ad-
vised the council in writing that the
city OF Los Angeles owns Figueroa street
along it's entire lenghth, and that the
obstruction of that street from Pco to
Sixth street Is wholly unwarranted and
contrary to law.
1--WE appeal to the mayor and city
council not to confscste our property,
not to abandon the city property. not to
in iure public interests and not to do
thing that is wrong in morals and wrong
in law, by the abandonment OF one of
the oldest and best public streets in the
entire city,"
Sheldon Borden followed Mr.. Gould,
and spoke at length on the opposite side
of the question. Mr.. Borden reviewed
the several actions which have been be-
fore the council from time to time for
the past 20 years in regard to this matt
ter.
The special committee OF the council,
consisting of Messrs. Nickel, Murson
and Rhodes, sbpointed to investigate
the matter OF the abandonment of Figue-
roa street. presented it's report.
The committee recommends that the
city abandon Figueroa street betw cen
Pico and Sixth. To attempt to open the
street. the report eays, would result in
prolonged litigation, with every prospect
of defeat.
There is no necessity for opening the
street, the report further says, at any
point except between Orange and Sew
enth, and compromise has been effect.
ed whereby Kip street will be extended
into Seventh.
We submit. the report asys again, that
no assessment of damages is necessary
in order to effect such abandonment,
the street having never been opened or
travelled between the points, and there
being no property fronting thereon it
appears no assessment is necessary.
Mr.. Gebbard followed Mr.. Borden on
the same side of the fence lie said that
Mr.. Gould seems to be Thoroughly in
toxicated with selfshness over this mat.
ter.
"I don't think he knows how selfish
ne is himself" he said.
Professor Grow spoke in favor OF the
abandonment in his own behalf and
also in favor of all those interested. He
showed how the street put through
would injure him to the extent of about
$1,000.
Mr.. Gould spoke at length for the Sec
ond time, and WAS cut short by an ad.
journ ment to today. At | O'Clock he