The record-union., 1895-06-06
HOIST BY IT'S OWN pErARp.

HOIST BY ITS OWN PETARD.
The Los Angeles Times is very much
irritated over the controversy between
the San Pedro and Santa Monica harbors,
or rather proposed harbors. The editor
of the Times is ambitious to be regarded
rs judicially fair, perfectly independent,
above all petty influences. and, above all.
capable of considering any subject from
the standpoint of high impartiality.
The Times has iterated and reiterated
the assertion that Port Los Angeles is
now and will remain the private prop
erty of the Southern Pacific Company.
An attorney of Los Angeles addressed
representative of the Southern
Pacific Company q series Of ques-
tons, touching this particular phase
of the controversy. He declared
that Santa Monica was the most desirable
shipping point for Los Angeles, and the
question to his mind was, Could its facili-
ties be obtained on reasonable terms by
all railroads and shipping instrumental
ties that might desire to do business
there? He asks the representative of the
Southern Pacific Company whether the
said company would give to all others an
equal right to use the facilities at Port
Los Angeles, and thinks that if all other
railroads desiring terminal facilities where
ship and car could be brought together,
could be placed on equal terms, then Los
Angeles would join with the Southern
Pacific Company in securing the
necessary appropriation to create
the deep-sea harbor. Eventually to this
Mr.. Huntington replies that the Southern
Pacific Company will give to all other
companies equal facilities SO far as it has
control Of the shipping facilities at that
point; that it will lease the great wharf
on equal terms, so that another railroad
may have its use. the same as the South
ern Pacific Company; or they will sell
half interest in the wharf to any other
company; and he further declares that
there is plenty of room to build more piers
alongside that constructed by his COM
pany, and plenty of room on the shore to
construct tracks. Thus the whole ques-
ton as to the monopolized character of
Port Los Angeles was swept away. There
was no longer the slightest justification
for the statement that the Southern Pa
eific Company had monopolized Pert Los
Angeles. It had constructed a wharf at
cost of about million dollars. It was
willing to lease it on fair and equitable
terms, or sell half interest in it, or do
any other thing which would give at that
point equal privileges to other railroads
desiring to do business there.
If Los Angeles wants a deep sea har-
Dor available for its purposes. it's first
effort should be to csntralize all efforts to
secure that end. One would very natnr-
ally have supposed that the Los Angeles
Times. impelled by Its desire to be
deemed judicially fair, would at least
Huntington removes one great objection
to the construction of breakwater at
Port Los Angeles. On the contrary, the
Times shows an unreasoning irritability
over the subject. It sneers at the attor-
ney who made the inquiry which called
out this favorable answer. It says Of the
local agent that his hesitation i'll answer
ing Immediately shows lack of acumen
In recognizing an important communica-
ton. 1t says that the Southern Pacific
Company charges all the traffic will bear.
Il repeats the statement that boards of
engineers had recommended the con-
struction OF deep sea harbor at San
Pedro; and to all this list of grievances it
should have added that C.. P. Huntington
Is bald-headed; that some of the cars of
his equipment need paint; that his loco
motives burn coal, the smoke of which
mars the cerulean blue of Los Angeles
skies. All these would have been quite
as pertinent in the consideration of the
subject matter in hand as the weaponry
which the Los Angeles Times did en-
ploy. It had asserted that the Southern
Pacific Company would of necessity en-
Joy . monopoly Of the shipping facilities