The herald., 1896-04-08
IS VERY MUCH IN danger
Legislating Against Our
Water Supply
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IS affected
An Innocent Bill Which Is
Now in Conference
A WIRE TO WASHINGTON
The Mayor TeIegraphs to White and
McLachIan
The San Gabriel Forestry Reservation Is
Affected
4 Furnishes the Water Supply Not Only for
A WIRE TO WASHINGTON
The Mayor Telegraphs to White and
McLachlau
The San Gabriel Forestry Reservation Is
e. Affected
h Furnishes the Water Supply Not Only for
Los Angeles but All Of the Towns Along
the Foothills Between Here and San Ber-
aardino The Negro in the Woodpiie

The present congress is not only seek
ing to thwart the people of this city in
the matter of a harbor for Southern
California, but unless the attempt is at
once checkmated not only this, but 9TH
er cities in this section, will lose forever
the title to their water supply.
The land bill in congress, which is
known as house report 7028 provides
among other things. for disintegrating
and restoring to public entry lands en-
braced within the forest reservations
established under the act of congress of
March 3, 1891.
The bill passed into the hands of a
conference committee composed of
members of the senate and house. and
that committee. having amended the
act in some particulars, reported to
both the senate and house recommend
ing the enactment of the following pro-
vision:
That any public lands embraced
within the limits of any forest reserva-
tion made under section "a of the act APP
proved March 3. 1891, which, after the
examination, shall be found better
adapted to agriculture than forest uses,
may be restored to the public domain
upon the recommendation of the secre-
tary of the interior with the approval
of the president, after sixty days pub
lie notice in two newspapers of general
circulation within the state where the
reservation is situated"
1t is an indisputable fact that the San
Gabriel forest reservation furnishes the
water supply for the city of Los Ange
les, as well as for all the towns along the
foothills between Los Angeles and San
Bernardino, and also for nearly all the
lands in the citrus belt, as well as the
lands in the San Fernando valley and
the lands along the foothills on the An.
telope side of the mountains.
If this reservation is disintegrated
and destroyed it will be impossible to
maintain large population in South
ern California.
The bill proposed by the conference
committee is fatally defective in sew
eral particulars; it provides for res
toration of the lands without any hear
ing being given to the interested cities
and lands irrigated from that source of
supply.
The publication of sixty days, which
is proposed to be made, is to be had in
two newspapers within the state, which
may be obscure sheets in San Francis
co. Sacramento, Redding or Humboldt,
or anywhere else. The notice is merely
q formal one, and does not authorize Il
hearing of any sort. The criterion to
determine whether the lands shall be
restored or motifs stated by lawyers who
have looked into the matter to be
wrong, because it is not the question as
to whether the lands are valuable for
over the most of this reservation, as it
is well known that the vegetation and
underground alone protect the snow
and rainfall. and act to conserve the
water supply SO that it can be used dur
ing the dry season, and not be wholly
precipitated upon the valley below in
winter; moreover, no account whatever
is taken of the pollution of the water
from devoting the watershed to sheep
and cattle raising.
This bill as drawn, if enacted into
law, will, it is stated. result in irrepar-
able injury to this part of the state, and
should be amended so as to provide
that the lands in this reservation
should not be restored or the reserva-
tion disintegrated in any way with
out giving to the city of Los Angeles,
and to all the public municipalities de-
irving water supply from such reserve
due notice of the proposed action and
an opportunity to be fully heard.
The mayor yesterday forwarded the
following telegram to Senator S. NJ.
White and to Congressman James Nc
Lachlan
Amend land bill II. r. seventy
twenty eight in conference before Nc
Rae and Dolph as follows: That the
San Gabriel forest reservation in Cal
ifornia shall not be affected by this act
without notice to the city of Los Ange-
les and all other cities and public cor
porations deriving their water supply
from said reservation and without first
giving them opportunity to be heard,
Sheep owners are said to be behind
the proposed law, the real object of
which is to turn over to themselves
certain very valuable lands for gra zing