The herald., 1897-04-17
Another Harbor Friend


To the Editor OF the Los Angeles Her
aid: Considering the fact thht the
press of Los Angeles is by accident
the accident of unprejudiced common
sense, fair judgment and honest inter-
est in the prosperity of Southern Califor-
mia, 1 take it's by accident one
sided on our harbor question:" and fur
ther, considering the fact that the letter
Of our "Harbor Friend" is a curiosity
in the scientific world, in that two sides
of 1t can be seen at once with equal
clearness. I ask a little space in which
to express a few thoughts
First let us pause to congratulate our
"Harber Friends" wife--if he ever be-
came dissatisfied enough with gloomy
bachelordom to seek a wife-and his
mother and his sisters. Just think what
a peaceful, happy place his home must
be when the head of the family is al
ways contented with everything that 10
offered. The pie crust may be too long.
the biscuit dough too short and the
dumplings serious minded. but still sweet
serenity reigns DER all. We should judge
the content to be of such soft quality
that the whole family is soothed under
its influence, and that even the long
grass in the front yard feels 1t as well
as the weeds at the back Of the lot. Yes.
his practice probably gives him the right
to preach to the public to endeavor to
make it contented with that which Is
portioned out to 1t. But the trouble is
that the public is not so meek as our
good friend. We are not so talented.
either. Why, not one in hundred OF
US could compose such a soothing, fell
citous, artistic example of diplomatic
composition as that which appeared in
Mondays Herald. The only reason 1t
doesn't work is that most of us have pass
ed the teething age and have no use for
soothing syrups. In fact, most of us
have gotten so far along in life that we
have begun to lisp questions. And they
have not all been answered yet, either.
For instance, one that still puzzles us Is
this: What right has our secretary Of
war, the brave gentleman who ran away
and was too considerate of his family's
feelings to go back to fight another
day-by what authority does he con-
slider any report on the relative merits
Of the two proposed harbor sites other
than that OF the officially appointed
VI dbit dAd 4daiAht0
engineers, and by so doing bring to a
halt all government action in the mat
ter of construction for the time being:
If any one will kindly point out
worthy precedent and explain the states
manship of this proceeding we shall be
greatly obliged. In connection with this
is question in our minds as to how long
President Mckinley will retain in his
cabinet a member who, for what looks
to be some private concern of his own,
continues to thwart the will of the peo-
Pile and of the United States senate as
expressed through their authorized COM
mission.
The only circumstance" in the matter
that should be beyond the control of
an honest, right-seeking. interested pub
lie is the lay of land and depth of water
at the proposed harbor sites. Just what
circumstances shall be placed beyond
it's control depends upon some mems
oonsciences and the purses of some
others.
Perhaps 1t is a very nice thing to be
able to back down gracefully, but men
with a good amount of American spunk
are not ready yet awhile to plow up
soft place in their heads for their prin-
ciples on this subject to fall in. And we
trust that Slere is no more danger of
"cavein" on the part of the Los Angeles
press than there is of heavy freight
cars" being "side tracked" upon the new
Main street line, and thus impeding traf-
fic to the university out in the southwest
part of town. That is place, by the way.
where brains and principles are culti-
waited together. 1t seems to me that all
we want to settle this harbor question
once and for all is judicious mixture
of the two on the part Of all actively con-
cerned.
Perhaps if we knew good bit abo"'
building-stone and had been engaged
at a fat salary to buy up quarries in
Southern California, we might think diff
ferently, but not having come into close
enough contact with stone quarries to
have the density of that material trans
ferred to our heads. we think about this
harbor question just the way we always
did, and we consider ourself
ALSO A HARBOR FRIEND.
Long Beach, April l.