The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-09-21

Editor Herald II noticed IN your issue
| OF Yesterdays Herald a letter criticising
| one OF our earliest and most honorable
townsmen, Mr.. I. W. Hellman, as an
incubus" BY one signing himself 20.
G. c." who evidently knows nothing OF
Mr.. Hellman's history in this city.
He begins by thanking the Herald for
its comment on:Mr. Hellman in Thurs
days issue. He says that Hellman is the
richest man in this county, and the as
sessment roll tells this against Mr.. He'll
mans will. Now how do you know that
this is against his will? In his venomous
TRADE he says that Mr.. Hellman Is a
..leech." who preys on those who have
courage and enterprise. This is not so;
it Is all rot
He continues by saying in all the work
that has been done for the last ten years,
which was Transforming this city from
''dog town to a metropolis He asks,
where was Mr. Hellman?
This shows that he knows little or
nothing about the gentleman whom he is
seeking to Islander.
Now If o. g. e. knows all about Mr..
Hellman, why does he ask that question,
but go on and tell US what Mr.. Hellman
has been doing. which would give some
glimmer of truth to the dirty attack
which he has made on that gentleman.
He also might tell us whose money built
tire first horse car lines OF this city, or
whose money went into the cable system
and was lost; whose money built the first
elsctric light plant, and whose money
WAS spent in perfectIng the city water
plant and keeping it in pace with the
requirements of the populace, etc., etc.
He says that Los Angeles was dog
town. This, / say, never was nor ever
will be so, unless his Hind get IN the ma
jority. And he closes his cowardly at
tack by criticizilg MIR. Hsllman because
that gentleman does not see mt to con-
tribute mis- money to every Tom and
Harry for any and all wild cat" propo-
sitions.
Now, O. G. c., come out from behind
your cowardly screen and give us your
full name. Sd we may see what you
have done toward the interests of this
com munity in the way OF business blocks,
charity and enterprises, etc.
Also what have YOU done in the way
of the most taxes to support our grand
schools ana city government. you, or
the genetlman you characterize rs an IN
cubus? Mr.. Editor, l have lived in this
1--WE years, and while but laboring man
then and now, yet l had q chance to
know l. W. Holman all this time, and up
to the time ne left here four years ago.
o. G. q. says he made mis- money sit
ting down. This Is false. Those who
know l. W. Holman know him to be
bright active and energetic business man,
who could be found in his office six days
in everv week. Los Angeles was trans
formed from a happy Spanish town to
progressive little American city about
1870. and if the American Los Angeles
has any pioneers they are such men as
/. W. Hellman, H. Newmark, S. H.
Mott, John ;. Griffin and the late John
G. Downey. P. Beaudry and o. W. Chllds
and few others. They are the men
who Unidentified themselves with the city
and carried it for eighteen years and con-
tributed to almost every enterprise which
sprung up during that time, and hnally
about 1855 they surrendered the city up
to horde of outside capitalists, who
since. Why? Because they found this
already made city was the best place to
invest their money west OF the Rocky
mountains.
l think it is very unkind of them, or any
one else who are here now, to try and
blacken the name or fame OF any OF the
honorable pioneers Of this city. As to
Mr. Hellman's generosity, | have known
him to give dollars by the hundreds and
by the thousands to enterprises and
charities. and many know this to be true.
1t is painfully true also OF late that slurs
have been cast against the old-tim ers OF
! our city, and although We have in our
n idst men of means and leisure, eddca-
ton and ability to refute these false in
situations, yet it is never done. Boys,
wake up and stay by tina bridge that car
ried US over. thank you, Mr.. Editor,
for kthis valuable space. Respectfully
| yours, M. L. COLLlNS.