The record-union., 1896-04-02
ARE THEY BLIND?
The Los Angeles express on the
Double Appropriations.

being afforded the rest of the United
States by this town of community, or
portion of the community, that OBJ
jects to too many Congressional appro-
priations. We venture the assertion that
in the whole history of the United
States there never before has been a
similar occurrence.
The claim is made that the appropri-
alton which Mr.. Huntington has Sc
cured, it is said, for Santa Monica will
injure the appropriation for San Pedro.
Who says SO? Not Congressman Nc
Lachlan, who ought to know as much
about it as most citizens of Los Angeles,
for he said to the San Francisco '.Chron-
icle' representative that he was great
ly surprised to hear of the committee
agreeing to appropriate money for Santa
Monica; at the same time he is not so
fearful of the results as he was for the
reason that he had been instructed by
his constituents to keep his hands off
Santa Monica, make no fight against
it's improvement, but work to have San
Pedro Harbor put under the continuous
contract system.
HE has been reliably Informed that
the committee has agreed to give what
he and the other Californians asked for
San Pedro, and if the people of South
ern California do not ask him to oppose
the appropriation for Santa Monica all
will be we'll when the bill comes up in
the House for passage"
That is certainly very clear. In the
opinion of the member Of Congress from
this district, who has publicly pledged
himself do all he can for San Pedro, and
who has worked in season and out or
season for that object, appropriations
for both harbors can be secured, but II
he fights Santa Monica both appropria-
tions will be lost.
But Congressman McLachlan is not
the only Representative of this dlstrlct
in Congress. Senator White is another.
He made the late Congressional tight
ON that one issue and nominated gen.
tleman selected solely for the purpose
of having a San Pedro man in the
House. and yet he is quoted by the
Chronicle" as saying:
Senator White expressed himseiI as
disturbed about the manner IN WHICH
the appropriation for Santa Monica
was secured, but says that II his con-
stituents will look at the matter IN the
right light and not ask him to hght that
proposition, the Improvements 1or potn
San Pedro and Santa Monica Will pass
without trouble"
Does anyone doubt Senator White
Ioyalty to the San Pedro darpor
Here. too. is Senator Perkins. who Is
quoted as saying:
.sThat he had his doubts of any appro-
nriation passing the House for the I'M
movement of a harbor or river which had
not been first indorsed by the Board OF
Tinted States Engineers detailed to
specially examine and report on the
same If, however, he said, congress
is disposed to establish new precedent,
1 am too loyal to my State to refuse TO
vote for it.
But aside from the local representa-
tiyes in the two houses OF Congress, mere
is Binger Hermann, who is acknoWl-
edged to be the best representative OF
this Coast ON the River and Harbor
Committee, a man who has been there
for years, and the oldest member in the
point of service on the committee, who
congratulates this city in securing two
harborS instead of one. 1t should be
roted, too, that the San Pedro appro-
priation is to be under contract system,
which means that the work will go on
until it is completed.
1t is alleged by some local wiseacres
that Congress will not appropriate
money for two harbors only forty miles
apart. Since when has it established
this rule? 1t makes appropriations for a
dozen harbors on Puget Sound not forty
miles apart and all in a radius of 100
;,.I, ,1xy h. forx-
sound passenger boats to represent it's
commerce, got $4,000 the same year
that Tacoma, Seattle, Port Orchard,
Port Townsend and half dozen other
places got appropriations. The fact is
the appropriation is being fought locally
by the Times because it is opposed to
every scheme which will benefit this
section. The editor of the Times"
knew before he left Washington that
this double appropriation was to be pro-
posed, and now he comes home, is sur
rrised to learn of the purposes of the
COMMITTEE and is attempting to fight
them.
The Examiner" of course, is opposed
to the appropriation for Santa Monica,
first. because it was the result of the
work of Mr.. Huntington it is alleged,
and secondly, because as a San Fran
cisco paper it is OPPOSED to any harbor
improvements down here, and it is
shrewd enough to see that if it can get
the Los Angeles people to oppose the
Santa Monica appropriation it will have
killed all appropriations for. a Los An
geles harbor this Congress.
Are the people of this town blind to
these facts? Do they not see that good
harbors here, especially. if the Mica
ragua Canal is built, means that this
town will outrival San Francisco? Do
not let us be foolish enough to oppose
the good things that have unexpectedly
come to us. Let us all stand together to
get all we can for this section, and, as
the Express said Saturday, if an ap-
preparation can be secured for Redondo
and Newport. by all means let us get
1t. This building Of these two harbors
means lots of work for our people; lots
of money spent in our town, greatly
increased commerce with the South Seas
and South America; it is the hight of
folly to oppose the double appropria-
ton. II we do we shall lose both, and
we shall deserve to lose them.
The proofreader of the Hamburger
"Nachrichten.' Bismarck's organ, has