The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-05-13
THE F|FTY.F0UR1H CONGRESS
Senatorial Harb0r Debate Comes
to an End
DIFFERENCES HARMONlZED
By the Adoption Of Senator Whites
Amendment
An Agreement Reached to Dispose Of the
River and Hsrbor Bill at Three
O'clock Today
Associated Press Special Wire


O'clock Today
Associated Press Special Wire
WASHINGTON. May 12-The ami
mated contest which has proceeded for
the last four days in the senate over a
deep water harbor on the southern coast
OF California was brought to close to-
day by compromise between the con-
fiicting interests. The issue has been
between the ports of Santa Monica, the
terminus OF the Southern Pacific, and
San Pedro, the locality urged by the
California senators. Senator Frye,
chairman Of the commerce committee
finally harmonized the differences by
referring the determination as between
Santa Monica and San Pedro to a COM
mission to consist of three civil engin-
eers, naval officer and an officer of the
coast survey. The compromise was ac-
cepted by the California senator's and
was unanimously passed. An amend
ment urged by Mr.. German limiting the
expenditures under the contract author
izations to SO, 900, 900 annually, led to q
long debate. A motion by Mr.. Vest to
table the amendment failed; yeas 26
nays 81. An agreement was reached to
dispose Of the bill by o'clock tomorrow.
Senator Frye Of Maine. chairman of
the committee on commerce, resumed
SPCCCh support OIL LH6 pTODOSe1
agreement to the river and harbor bill
for deep water harbor at Santa Mon
lea, California. The senator reviewed
in detail the reports Of the army boards,
reference being made to the feasibility
Of locating the harbor at Santa Monica
for the amount mentioned in the amend
ment.
Senator White of California interject-
ed an injury as to where was that
amount of $3,098, 900 obtained.
From Mr.. Hood" responded Frye,
land sent to the war department"
Again Senator White called attention
to poetic statement by Senator Frye
yesterday as to waves 40 or so feet high.
Senator Frye spiritedly rejected the
statement that he had ever spoken Of
waves 40 or so feet high. He knew as
much about waves, he said, as the Sena-
tor from California. He explained his
reference was to thePacif1c waves break
ing on rocks 40 or so feet high.
YES" said White, sarcastically, "the
rocks might be 100 feet high"
Senator Frye took up the evidence
given by Mr.. Huntington. This was the
man." said the senator, "ref erred to by
Mr.. White as an individual and by Mr..
Berry as man of greed. He is not bull
ing the stock markets nor bearing them,"
said Mr.. Frye. scornfui.y. "He is en-
Eaged in great enterprises. and in all OF
them he is successful, SO if he be an in
dlvidual and be greedy 'thereasons that
induced him to change from San Pedro
to Santa Monica are worthy of the con-
sideration of the senate" The senator
read at length from the evidence of Mr..
Huntington, also from the reports of en-
gineers Hood and Corthell. When incl
dental reference was made to the fact
that the people Of Los Angeles didn't
want a harbor at Santa Monica, Senator
Frye said he did not care what the peo-
pie of Los Angeles wanted. They did not
know what they wanted. One day they
favored one location, next day another.
One year they chose a congressional can
didate on platform favoring San Pedro;
this year they had chosen one on plat
form favoring Santa Monica.
Senator Berry interrupted to say that
the recent platform referred to did not
mention Santa Monica. but declared to
favor Of all harbor projects.
This, declared Senator Frye, was equiv
alent to an endorsement of the Santa
Monica project now proposed, and was
so proposed and 80 understood by the
candidate.
Mr. Frye laid stress upon the report Of
Capt. Taylor, showing the unique ad-
vantages of Santa Monica. The Cali
fornia senator (White) "had. like
skillful lawyer" Incorporated Capt.
Taylor's report in his (White's) speech
in order that it might be buried in the
bowels Of that speech. Mr.. Frye read
the Taylor report and a recent telegram
from Taylor, now at the war college at
Newport, expresinsg his strong opinion
favorable to Santa Monica.
The senator also read letter from
Gen. Miles, stating that as a result of
his observations, while in command of
the department Of the Pacific. he had no
hesitation in saying that Santa Monica
had many advantages to make It safe
harbor and anchorage, while the sur
rounding bluffs afforded opportunities
for mounting land batteries for de-
tense.
Concerning the White amendment re-
ferring the question to another board,
Mr.. Frye said he did not wish to take
the one chance in ten that board
might report for San Pedro. as the SEN
ate might just as well dump $3.000,000
in the ocean as to attempt that project.
1t was an absurdity. said he, to build
an outer deep water harbor at San
Pedro, after having an inner deep water
harbor. Mr. Frye said it was useless
to think a harbor would not be built at
Santa Monica. Did anyone suppose Mr..
Huntington was not going to have a
harbor at Santa Monica?
Mr.. Vest interposed the suggestion
that If Mr.. Huntington desired to con-
struct harbor let him do so. The
$3,000.000 expended by Huntington
would be no charge on the United States
Mr. Frye responded that he did not
believe any senator would ask Mr..
Huntington to do a work that the
United States ought to do. He had as
much right as any other citizen to the
consideration of congress. While he had
said boldly that he believed Mr.. Hunt
ington would not let the Santa Monica
harbor fail. yet he did not expect any
senator to say, Then let Huntington
do it,
Mr. Perkins, Republican Of California,
denied the suggestion that this was
contest between the railroads He read
from Mr.. Frye's speech that the cry
of Huntington ''savored of the slogan of
the sand LOTS and that his name was
"conjured up as the boyle man of Cali
fornia."
"That cry is libel upon the fair name
Of the people of California" exclaimed
Mr.. Perkins. IT repel the charges that
the people Of California seek offices by
declaiming against any man."
He went on to state that he had moth
ing aginst Mr.. Huntington unless it
was certain testimony before a COM
mittee and letter he had written. He
had known him as an honorable mer-
chant in California.
The senator spoke also Of Mr.. Hunt
ington's former associate, Mr. Stanford,
and of his beneficence, and of c. F.
Crocker, who was distributing thous-
anda IN charity He roiected q q so xyiJo