The herald., 1896-10-12
TWO SOUND PLANKS

1t Is not to be supposed that the aver
age political platform will contain
many planks of a character that will
win for them practically unanimous ap-
proval, but the platform of the recent
Democratic municipal convention con-
tains at least two of that order-the
plank inviting attention to the dis
graceful condition of our streets and ad-
vocating a betterment of that condi-
ton, and the plank demanding that mu-
nicipal officials and employees devote
their constant personal attention to the
duties of their positions during the
working hours of each day. Sundays
and holidays excepted a full days
work for a full days pay. Surely these
two planks should enlist the approba-
ton of every citizen and strengthen the
candidates. Of the men who stand on
them.
That 1.-The condition of many of our
streets is simply outrageous" admits Of
no dispute. That this condition should
be remedied, and that the city can rem
edy it, are propositions as incontro-
vertible as the statement of fact as TO
| the condition is indisputable. The high
| ways and byways of Los Angeles, with
| few exceptions. never have achieved
| that state of beauty which is POLITICALLY
! described "as joy forever" They
| have been better at one time than an
other, but barring a few exceptions,
| they never have been as good as they
! ought to be. While, of course, every
| body conversant with this city for the
| last decade knows that street improve
| ment has not been entirely neglected,
| but that, on the contrary, great strides
in that line have been taken. it cam ot
be pretended that the Improvement
made in that time has been maintained
with uniformity or according to the
| standard called for by rapidly grow
ing and ambitious community. Expen-
| sively improved thoroughfares have
been rendered uncleanly and disagree
! able generally by badly kept or poorly
improved intersecting or tributary
streets or have been allowed to lapse
back into the condition they We're in
| before their improvement. A stree-
once improved should be kept i'm
| proved. OF course it must be admitted
| that certain natural conditions obtain
| ing here are unfavorable to the easy
maintenance of an improved state in
| streets The soils, sand and adobe, which
predominate in this locality are not the
! easiest to deal with or to keep in sub
lection, while the concentration Of the
rainfall within few months of the year
| puts to an exceptional test all but the
| hard paved streets. And the hauling of
certain classes of country produce into
and through the city always commences
| to be heavy before the ordinary graded
| streets have had time to harden afte.'
| the winter rains. But these ma tural diff
| ficulties are not such as to absolutely
| preclude the maintenance of a better
| state of public thoroughfares than that
| of which we can now boast Certain
| improvements are Immediately de-
manded; their prosecution ought not
| to be delayed if they are to be made
before the next rainy season sets
in. The chuck-holes which abound On
popular streets, some of them of sew
eral years standing, need to be filled in.
and the addition of several score of
crosswallSs at the intersections of grad
ed streets would materially assist in
discouraging the notion, all too preva-
lent, that in winter there is no differ
ence between pedestrianism in Los An
geles and the same activity in village