The herald., 1896-04-03
THE MONOPOLY'S DEFEAT

from washington lnQlcato tnat tne people
of Los Angeles and Southern California
have won q great victory over monopoly
by securing knockout of the Huntington
harbor appropriation in the river and har-
bor bill, and the retention, at the same
time, of the appropriation for San Pedro.
1t is true that the San Pedro appropriation,
as it will be recommended by the house
committee on rivers and harbors, will ap-
parently be only $4,000, there having
been shown on the part of somebody a
disposition to punish the people of South
ern California for refusing to be bribed,
by an appropriation Of 1892 900 for their
own harbor, to consent to the looting of
the government treasury by Huntington to
the tune Of $2,S00.OOO for his private har-
Dor at Santa Monica. But the apparent
reduction Of the appropriation for San
Pedro need not give our people any alarm.
While it is true that this wrong against
the constituency of Mr.. McLachlan has
been proposed, apparently without any
objection made to the committee upon
his part, SO far as the people here have been
informed, yet, before the bill becomes a
law, there will be abundant opportunities by
appealing to the honesty of the house and
senate on the floor Of those bodies to right
that wrong. In the opinion of The HER
AID Mr.. McLachlan, if he is inclined to do
his duty to his constituents, will use his in
fluence upon the floor of the house to have
the sum of s2,S0O,OOO, which it appears
that the committee was willing to give Mr..
Huntington under the continuing contract
plan for his harbor. put in the appropria-
ton bill under the same plan for the peo-
ple's deep water harbor at San Pedro. If,
as appears by his recent actions, he cannot
be depended upon to do this, there is yet,
we are sure, abundant reason to hope that
the sum of $4,000 named for the San
Pedro inner harbor will, through the efforts
of Messrs. Mcclure, Bowers and Barham,
if not through those of our immediate rep
resentative, be raised to the sum of $685.
900, originally intended for San Pedro by
the house committee. However, should
this fail to be accomplished in the house,
there can be no doubt of its accomplish
ment in the senate through the efforts of
our own senator and Senator Perkins, who,
by his honest stand against Huntington's
job. as expressed in interviews with him
published in the California press, has emil
tied himself to the gratitude of every citi-
zen of Southern California. We feel that
we can venture to congratulate our
citizens in advance upon the fact that
We have in the senate a man from
our midst with both ability and influence.
to see that they receive just treatment at
the hands of congress, and one who is dis
posed to use his ability and influence to
that end. The acquaintance secured by
Senator White, during his past service as
senator, with all the various ramifications
of the harbor matter, will be of great value
to him in this fight. AS THE HERALD has
already shown. the people here have at
various times supplied the senator with
information that can be used with concIu-
sive effect against the falsehoods by which
Mr.. Huntington proposes to defeat the
peoples will in this matter. This data
would unquestionably have been cheerfully
put at the service of Mr.. McLachlan by Sem
ator White had Mr.. McLachlan seen fit to
attempt to secure it for use before the COM
mittee of his own branch of congress, be-
fore whom the harbor matter first came.
His neglect in that behalf will enable Sem
ator White to make first use of these
weapons. and all who are familiar with the
force and efficiency with which he can
WELD such instruments, either on the floor
of the court room or the senate, in argu-
of the result when he presents the case of
San Pedro for the consideration of the SEN
ate of the United States.