The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-03-05
How the Legislature Stands on
the Railroad Bill
CAN LOS ANGELES BOND 4?
Marble and Langley Have Labored
Long and Hard
Special Session Of the Senate judiciary
Committee Held to Hear Argument
on the neasure

Sacramento, March 4.-Senator Mathews
got through the special appropriation for
furnishing the Normal School this after
noon, and Senator Androus got the bill
making a special appropriation for the
Whittier State school advanced to Sec
ond reading and made. the special order
for Wednesday at 2 p. m.
The Assembly passed a bill granting
salaries to license collectors who served
until ruled out of Office by decision Of
the Supreme Court.
Messrs. Marble and Langley have la
bored hard for bill allowing Los Angeles
to bond herself for a railroad. A bill has
been reported and is on file in the As
sembly with report that it do pass,
thanks to Pendleton who has worked had
to advance it on the file.
This evening the Senate Judiciary Com
mttee concluded to hold special session
to listen to an argument OF Mr.. Marble
on the subject He appeared before it
and said the state is evidently OIL the eve
of great railway development. Southern
California, ever alive to all that advances
the best interests OF this great common
wealth, comes to you asking for priv
lege of joining in the advance movement.
The south has no great valleys easy to
construct railways through full Of tonnage
and possessed OF great monied wealth,
like those of the Sacramento and San
Joaquin. That makes the solution OF the
railroad problem so easy to these locali-
ties. On the contrary, she has only
small nook of land between mountains
and sea to draw her prosperity from, ana
to increase her prosperity and enlarge
her possibilities she must break through
the rim of the mountains that surround
,.x1 4. 4 - 10 ta
and iron fields of Utah. II accomplished,
and there is no reason why coal and iron
should not be laid down in Los Angeles
as cheaply as they are in Chicago from
the great fields of Ohio and Pennsylvania,
greater distance, and when that day
comes it will bring general prosperity
that will rejoice every true lover OF this
great commonwealth All your con-
stituents ask is the privilege of submit
ting this great quest on to the people for
their decision, and il is the only way sue
cess can be accomplished. The problem
of reaching the coal and iron fields of Utah
has been before Southern California for
years, and there is no question which
they deem more important to their pros
perlty or on which they are more
united. In endeavoring to solve the pro-
blem their attention has been called to
Cincinnati That city for more than a
third of century was striving to reach
the strategic point, Chattanooga, 1876
miles distant, in different states and over
mountains and rivers that made it the
most expensive road on the continent to
construct, per mile, the one single bridge
at Cincinnati costing over S3, 000, 0O0
and there were other great bridges and
tunnels Oho's constitution and laws
were as averse if not more adverse to
state in the Union. The Legislature, at
length granted the city the privilege to
build the road herself. People endorsed
the movement at the polls. Their acts
were confirmed by the Courts. A magnifi-
cent property was produced that has
done more than anything else to maintain
the prosperity of that city as the peerless
Queen of the Ohio Valley and today the
property there produced is paying That
city over 1000, 600 net per annum, and
the last five years of the lease is to be ST.
260, 900 net, sum more than per cent
on $25, 900, 600, the property costing ST.
OOO, 600. At the expiration of the present
lease there is no doubt but much higher
rental will be secured. TO not grant this
privilege is to stop the progress and put
blight on that part of our fair land
that is asking the privilege. Whilst it is
general law, like many other general
laws, it only affects localities situated as
ours is. 1t can only be put in force by
vote of two-thirds of the people. 1t can
be oppressive to none.
''We have in the county of Los Angeles
but five taxpayers, corporate and other,
that pay taxes on an appraisement for tax
alton exceeding $500, 200, and less than
fifty such that pay OH $780, 900 and up
wards and the highest tax that can come
to any one who stands assessed on the
duplicate for $4,000 will be $25 per year,
a very small sum to contribute to bring
such increase in prosperity and wealth
as it will cause. What we propose is no
experiment, but proved success. The
locality whose example we are asked to
follow was authorized to tax itself nearly
so per cent more than we are asking the
privilege Of. Their works were built in
expensive times. We are to construct in
cheaper times and at a time when it is
patriotic duty to give idle laborers
work,o more especially when it can be
done with permanent public advantage.
A Legislature having SO much to do in
short time has no time to waste. will
say no more"