The herald., 1897-08-21
SAN PEDRO'S
PROSPECTS
Senator White on the Nc
Kenna Opinion
| NO EXCUSE IS NOW LEFT
FOR GENERAL ALGER TO LINGER
LONGER
NO EXCUSE IS NOW LEFT
The Senator Thinks That San Diego's
Hard Feeling Has Been Little
Exaggerated

The exclusive announcement in The
Herald yesterday that Attorney Gen
eral McKenna had prepared an opinion
on the San Pedro harbor matter, in
which the present attitude of Secretary
of War Alger is declared to be untena-
BILE under the law and that the contract
for the breakwater mush be let, was read
with delight by those who have been
keeping up the fight for this improve
ment. Such an announcement had been
working for the harbor believed that
hardly any other construction could be
placed upan that part of the approprla-
ton bill which makes the funds for the
construc ton of the breakwater availa-
BILE.
When the opinion of the attorney gen.
eral is finally rendered there can be no
doubt but the war department, under
the direction of which the work will be
done, will at once proceed along the
lines provided for in the act. There will
of course, be some delay incident to the
letting of the contract, for in work Of
that magnitude there will be numerous
bidders on the different parts of the
work. The plans and specification for
the breakwater have been already pre-
pared, and are on file in the war DEPART
ment, so that all that will be necessary
will be for bidders to familiarize them
selves with these plans before making
their proposals.
The effort to secure at the next ses-
sion Of congress the appropriation neces-
sary for the improvement of the inner
harbor will be continued, and with the
coming opinion of the attorney general
IN favor of the legality of the break
water construction this effort is not ex-
pected to require as much labor as was
necessary to secure the present appro-
priation.
United States Senator S. M. White
who has been so prominently identified
with the peoples fight, expressed great
satisfaction at the expected action of the
attorney general, when seen last evening
after his return from San Diego.
IT trust" he said. ''that the report
regarding Judge McKenna's construc
ton of the provisions of the river and
harbor bill relating to San Pedro is ac-
ourate. 1 have so often given my opin-
l.
consider it necessary to discuss IT at
length. The Walker board located the
narbor at San Pedro, and this act was
made final. 1t also provided for a break
water, which every member. save Mr.
Morgan, considered would result in a
harbor of refuge and of commerce. The
fiimsy contention that because the Walk
er board took occasion to point out the
advantages of the contiguous inner har-
Dor and its fitness for improveme Mt
that therefore the work could not pro-
ceed unless not only the breakwater but
the inner harbor were contracted for
has never had either intelligence or
honesty behind it.
IF Judge McKenna has decided that
the breakwater should be built" con-
tinued the senator, land the improve
ment of the inner harbor left to the
consideration of congress, he has an
nounced the law as it is written, and
has taken position justifabe in every
regard.
LAS to the opposition OF San Diego to
the improvement Of San Pedro, 1 am
satisfied that the large majority of the
citizens of that city will be glad to well
come harbor improvements in Los Ange-
les county and elsewhere. They recog-
nize that other states are united upon ap-
preparation questions and outside of Call
ifornia there never is any objection
from local representatives to the expend-
iture of money for the making of avail
able harbors anywhere within the state.
So far as l am personally concerned I
have always done my best to increase
the San Diego appropriation, and have
been successful in so doing and shall con-
tinue on that line. San Diego can not be
made prosperous without benefiting Los
Angeles, nor can Los Angeles be injured
without harm to San Diego. If the peo-
pie of California want appropriations
or any other advantage, they must pull
together