The herald., 1896-03-31
JUGGLING WITH DISTANCES.

JUGGLING WITH DISTANCES.
In carrying out its promise to inform its
readers as to the character of the state
ments submitted by Mr.. Huntington and
his hired engineers before the house COM
mittee on rivers and harbors, and upon
which it is depended to rob the people of
Southern California of their rights, THE
HERALD will take up the first statement
with reference to Mr.. Huntington's harbor,
contained in Mr.. Corthell's printed adj
dress to the committee, he says: "Los
Angeles is only about twelve miles from
Port Los Angeles where it is proposed 10
build the breakwater and make the pro-
tected harbor." Was ever more out.
rageous falsehood, involving as it does the
rights of people, permitted to 60 un-
challenged? In an address which he de-
livered before the senate committee on
commerce, when the chamber of COM
merce representatives. were present in
Washington, in 1894, this same engineer
stated that the distance between Los
Angeles and Santa Monica was twelve and
one-fourth miles. This former statement
is true when the measurement is taken
!
Diary line of the corporation of the city of
Los Angeles and the boundary line OF the
corporation of the city of Santa Monica,
but we all know that the business
center of Los Angeles to which freight is
carried is about four miles from that point
on the boundary line of the city nearest to
Santa Monica, and we know that the
| Southern Pacific wharf at Port Los Ange-
les is nearly four miles from that part of
the boundary line of Santa Monica nearest
the city of Los Angeles. But the distance
| which counts in the matter of railway
transportation is not the distance in line
| between two points, but the length and
grades of the railroad track over which
| freight and passengers are transported
from one given point to another.
We have before us at this moment
document entitled "Southern Pacific Com
pany Pacific System), Time Table No. %,
for the Los Angeles Division, to Take Eff
feet Wednesday, Jan. 10, 1895, at am;
for the Government and Information of
Employees Only. and Not Intended for the
Use of the Public" This time table is now
| in force over the Pacific system of the
Southern Pacific company.
that company in running trains and oper-
ating the road. By the distances shown
upon it this company makes it's freight and
fare charges, and the distances between
each station on the lines of its Pacific sys-
tenn are shown to fractions of hundredths
of miles.
The statements of distances made in this
time table by the Southern Pacific should
be reliable. Let us see how they compare
with that of Mr.. Huntington's engineer.
On page appears the statement: "Dis-
tance from Port Los Angeles to Los Ange-
les, 2O.40 miles,
On page appears: "Distance from Los
Angeles to San Pedro, %. 10 miles,
So Mr.. Huntngton's engineering expert
appears to have been little more than 40
per cent out of the way in matter of the
distance between two points a fraction
over twenty miles apart. The pity of the
matter is, though, that no one was present
to refute, in the name of the people here,
this transparent falsehood by which paid
falsifier and his employer were filching the
money of the government and destroying
the rights of the people. Had our repre-
sentative in congress been present when
the mendacious statement was made, his
general knowledge of the matter would
have enabled him to contradict it, But as
he was absent then he will again have
the opportunity to explain this. and
many other statements equally false,
when this motion comes up in the house,
and THE HERALD will undertake to see
that he is furnished with one of these
Southern Pacific time tables, which,
though issued "for the government and
information of employees only" may yet,
in the hands of an honest representative
of the people, be used, possibly. "for the
information of congress- And, while
calling the attention of congress to the fact
that The difference in distance between
this city aud the peoples harbor on one
hand and Mr.. Huntington's on the other is
only 1.7O miles in favor of the latter, as
shown by this time table, our representa-
tive may. with perfect truth, go further
and state that the grades be-
tween this city and San Pedro are 30
much more favorable than between here
and Port Los Angeles, that an engine on
| the former route has about 20 per cent
more efficiency in moving goods than on
the latter.
And for proof of this latter we cite him
to every practical railroad man in Los An
geles, save only those who may have the
same reason for suppressing 40 per cent of
| the truth that moved Mr.. CorthelI. The
+. foregoing false statement is one of the
| maryland no worse than the others-for
which Mr.. Huntington and his creatures
made themselves responsible upon the
sem, occasion. To the others THE HER.
AID will advert later.
Timely Warning
The Los Angeles HERALD warns the
Democrats of that county to be sure and
send delegation to the state convention
that will refuse to recognize Buckley's
delegates. should he send q delegation