The San Francisco call., 1896-04-09
Stirring Resolutions Denouncing
McLachlan's Proposition
Are Passed.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC SESSION.
Huntington Packs a Hall by Running
Excursion Trains From Santa
Monica.

LOS ANGELES, CAL, April s.-Public
interest tonight was divided between the
two harbor mass-meetings, the one under
the auspices of the Free Harbor League
favoring an appropriation for ''San Pedro
or nothing; the other, indirectly fathered
by the Southern Pacific Company, pre-
sumably in the interests OF both harbors-
Santa Monica and San Pedro-but, of
course, favoring larger appropriation for
deep-sea harbor at Santa Monica, thus
carrying out Coils P. huntingdon
cherished scheme The free harbor meet
ing, at the east entrance of the courthouse
attracted the greater crowd, at least 5000
people being present. Ex-Mayor Hazard
presided.
Speeches were made by President Patter-
son of the Chamber of Commerce, ex-
Mayor Workman, William A. Harris,
Esq, Judd r. Rush, T. E. Gibbon, vice
president of the Terminal Railway, and
E. r. Holman, secretary of the Council of
Labor. The speakers all scored the South
ern Pacific Company and its methods,
their remarks being vociferously ap
plauded by the vast audience. At the
close of the speaking the following resolu-
tiOho NCAC ooOptCus
WHEREAS, A telegram has been received in
this city from our Representatives in Congress
follows: Hermann requests me to notify
the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce that il
Los Angeles people will unite upon the schemes
TO complete the inside harbor at San Pedro and
construct a deep-sea harbor at Santa Monica.
with provision to admit all railroads to
Santa Monica over the Southern Pacific track
by paying pro rata cost, to be determined by
the Secretary OF War, he believes an appro-
priation of So, 600. 600 can be procured this
session for said projects. To be efectual i'm
mediate action must be taken. ! leave the
matter with you" And whereas, this is not a
proposal TO construct two harbors, but is in
fact proposition 10 abandon San Pedro
deep-water harbor and to construct such deep
sea harbor at Santa Monica now, therefore,
be il
ResoEped, That the people of Los Angeles, in
mass-meeting assembled, rejoicing in their
commercial freedom and determined to main
tain ii, reject with contempt Mr.. Hermann's
proposal as the price of their abandonment OF
San Pedro as the site for the construction of
the deep sea haoor for the southwest coast,
and they repudiate and disclaim any desire
upon their part for the construction of a har-
Dor at public expense at Santa Monica, for the
benefit of the Southern Pacific Company of
Kentucky, foreign corporation, or c. P.
Huntington.
Resolued further, That the attention of Con-
gress is called to the fact that no public re-
quest has ever been made by any authorized
representative of this people for any other
harbor than that which has been thrice unani-
mously favored by unpurchasable Off GERS of
the Government, acting in their official capa-
city, and after exhaustive and scientific COM
parison OF its claims with those of the rival
site at Santa Monica, recommended and urged
only by the private employees of the selfish and
greedy corporation whose grasp upon the
ocean front OF our sister city of Oakland has
blighted its fair commercial prospects and has
supplied to the people OF the southern por-
tion of the State an object lesson which causes
them to cling with resolute hand to the COM
mercial freedom which is now theirs.
1t is startling fact, and one that calls for
investigation. that a committee OF Congress
can be found which, disregarding all prece-
dent and against the expressed opinion of the
Governments own experts and in the absence
of any request by the portion of the public
most concerned, takes it upon itself to say that
unless the people of this district unite upon a
scheme whereby they shall accept small and
inadequate appropriation for an inner harbor
at the place selected for q deep sea harbor of
refuge and permit great appropriation to be
made for the construction OF such deep sea
harbor at the officially condemned site of a
private corporation, few miles distant, then
as a punishment for their contumely they
shall have nothing a all.
Resolved That, as our reply to this humiliat-
ing and insulting proposal we now call upon
the Senators from California when the House
bill shall reach the Senate, to use every en-
deavor to have the same so amended as to
make the full appropriation for the constrnc-
ton of the complete inner and outer harbors
at San Pedro, the Governments and the
peoples site, the necessity for which has been
admitted by the original action OF the House
committee, and Mr.. Huntington's Jealous
friends are thereby estopped so deny.
Resolued, furth er, that in case this Just and
reasonable request is denied, we then request
Senator'S White and Perkins to say on our be-
half that the free people of Southern California
prefer that the consummation of their hopes
and aspirations for harbor adequate to our
commerce and free to honest competition
shall be deferred, rather than that we should
by accepting so humiliating an offer, forfeit
not only our self-respect but at the same time
submit ourselves and our children to the
shameful vassalage under which our brethren
of the north have groaned for quarter of a
cen tury.
free harbor for free people at San Pedro
or none al all.
A vote of thanks to the San Francisco
CALL and Examiner and the Los Angeles
Times-Herald and Record, fo5 their fair
treatment of the harbor question and work
in behalf of the peoples harbor. was also
passed.
At Illinois Hall some 1000 people crowded
in, and an overflow meeting of about 1000
more was held outside. Great enthusiasm
prevailed. for large proportion of the
assemblage was made up Of excursions
that had been run in from Santa Monica
and the Caheunga Valley.
Judge S. G. HubbeIl, one of the wealthy
old citizens of Los Angeles. presided, and
on the platform were ex-senator L. J.
Rose, J. B. Lankershim, General A. B.
Campbell. H. q. Osborne, R. M. Widney
and others. Speeches were made by
Messrs. Hubbell, Widney, Campbe and
J. w. Mitchell, the tenor of them being
that Huntington and the Southern Pacific
were mot as black as they were being
painted; that Santa Monica was the nat
ural site for haIb for Los Angeles, as
the city was being extended in that di-
rection, and the two places would soon be
one. 1t was charged that the Government