The record-union., 1896-05-13
QUESTION OF A SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA HARBOR.
The Long Drawn Out Controversy Brought
to a Close in the Senate.
A Board to be Appointed to Investigate
the Matter,
of an Officer of the Navy,
an Officer of the Coast and GeOdetiC
Survey and Three Civil Engineers
Skilled in Riparian Work-House
Proceedings.

Skilled in Riparian Work-House
Proceedings.
| WASHINGTON, May 12.-The long
| drawn-out controversy between the ad-
yocates of the harbor of San Pedro and
| those of the harbor of Santa Monica as
| to which of those two points shall be
| selected for the expenditure of some
| $4,000, 900 in the construction of a
| breakwater and the making of a deep
sea harbor in Southern California was
| brought to a close to-day by a settle
ment in the way of a compromise. Ihe
| debate had gone on since Friday last,
to the exclusion of almost every other
subject, and when it closed after four
hours debate to-day an amendment
was offered by the Chairman OF the
| Committee on Commerce - Frye or
Maine, an advocate of Santa Monica
and was accepted by Senators White OF
California, Vest of Missouri, Pasco or
Florida and the other minority mem
bers of the committee, and agreed to by
the Senate without division.
AS the matter now stands, the Dill
| provides for a board consisting OF an
officer of the navy, to be selected by the
Secretary of the Navy; an officer OF the
Coast and Geodetic Survey, to be ap-
pointed by the Superintendent of the
survey, and three civil engineers skilled
! in riparian work, to be appointed
| by the President, to examine the two
| harbOrs, the report Of the majority 10
be final, and it is provided that when
ever the board shall have settled the
location and n. de it's report to the Sec
| retary of War, the Secretary of War
| shall make contracts for the completion
| of the harbor selected by the board, ac-
cording to the project reported by 1t, at
| a cost not exceeding in the aggregate
! S2,900,000.
| After that question was thus disposed
| of, an amendment was offered by Cor
man of Maryland, limiting the annual
expenditure under this and former
river and harbor bills to S10,00O,O 900.
A motion to lay that amendment on
the table was made by Vest and was de-
feated-ayes 26, nays 81.
When the river and harbor bill was
taken up, Frye Rep) of Maine, Chair
man of the Committee on Commerce,
continued his argument in support of
the committee amendment favoring
Santa Monica as the location for a
deep-sea harbor in Southern California.
| White Dem) of California, member
of the Committee on Commerce, who is
opposed to the amendment, asked Frye
where the figures of S3,05o,0 900 fixed III
the amendment had been obtained.
Frye said that they had been obtained
from Hood, Chief Engineer of the
Southern Pacific, but that all the details
were on file in the office of the Engineer
Corps in Washington.
Frye began to quote from Hunting
| toms testimony before the committee.
He spoke of him as the 'individual' re-
ferred to by White and as the man of
greed referred to by Berry Oem) of
| Arkansas. "He is not" said Frye,
| 'bulling the stock markets, nor bearing
them, nor cornering wheat or flour, but
| he is engaged on enormous enterprises
the result of which has built up the
commerce of this republic, and in az
| his enterprises he is successful So if
he be an individual or if he be
! greedy the reasons which induce him
| to change from San Pedro to Santa
Monica are worthy of the consideration
of the name"
| Frye quoted from the statements of
Mr.. Huntington, ex-senator Cole and
Mr.. Corthell, civil engineer, as to the
| advantages which Santa Monica pos
sesses over San Pedro. Referring to the
wishes of the people of Los Angeles. he
said they did not enter into the case.
| The shipowners of Spain had far more
| interest in it than the people of Los
Angeles, who thought one way one day
on, hn hPr
next; who one year had plank in their
Congressional Convention in favor of
San Pedro and the next year one in
favor of Santa Monica.
Frye also quoted from the report of
| Colonel Mendell of the corps of engi-
neers. dated November /, 1882 in which
| the bay of Santa Monica is described
with the statement that if the south
west waves were cut off, as they could
be by a breakwater judiciously located,
/ it would make a harbor that might have
any desired capacity. At that time Los
Angeles had a population of 5000 or
| 10000 (now 100000, and had no COM
merce, and consequently Colonel Men
dell did not recommend an appropria-
| tion for it.
FRYE also quoted from like favora BILE
statement of Lieutenant Taylor of the
Pacific Coast Survey, and read a letter
to himself from General Miles of May
10. 1894. who had had his headquarters
for two years at Los Angeles, and who
spoke of Santa Monica as a place of
national importance, which would un-
doubtedly be the principal port of the
entire southern Pacific coast.
In conclusion, Frye said: I'VE have
had this fight for years. We wish to be
divested of it. never to hear of it again,
and | hope for the reasons given the
Senate will vote down the amendment
offered by the Senator from California
CWhite). and will agree to the amend
ment reported by the committee and
that this contest shall be ended
Perkins (Rep) of California spoke in
advocacy of the amendment offered by
his cOllea que. He resented the repre-
sentations of Senators Vest and Frye
aeainst Mr. Huntington, 1.-The bogy man
of California" and said they were a vile
slander against the good name and
fame of the people of California They
had no prejudices against Mr.. Hunting
ton and the other leading officers of the
Southern Pacific; and they had given
proof of that in the election of Mr.. Stan
ford to the Govern orship of the State
and twice to the United States Senate,
and in the choice of the recent State Re-