The herald., 1897-03-09

One warm summer day. eight years
ago, a party consisting of half a dozen
United States senators. score of prom
fnent men of Los Angeles and San Diego,
and four or five newspaper men, went
down to visit San Pedro. They left the
train and walked some distance along
the bluff to point where a good view
was to be obtained. Then Senator Frye
of Maine, who was in front with Senator
Stanford and Representative Vandever'
suddenly halted, and taking in the whole
watery expanse, from Wilmington Ia
xoon to Point Firmin, in one swift glance,
said. "Well. is this San Pedro harbor
that have heard so much about? Where
is your shipping?"
1t happened that on that day no yes
sells of any size were visible. senator
Stanford explained that considerable
volume of business was transacted at
the port. and quoted a few figures.
Senator Frye interrupted him, petu-
lantly.
"This is no harbor," he said, land
never will be- 1t is useless to ask the
government to make appropriations for
such a place They won't throw money
away"
Two or three members Of the party
from San Diego. hearing this. drew a
little nearer, and several other senators
came up.
Senator Stanford seemed to be very
much annoyed. You are hard on u.s.
he said. Los Angeles is destined to be
great city, and must have some outlet
for her commerce"
"As to that" said the Maine man,
glibly, "if you want to build city here
In Southern California, it had better be
at San Diego, where a good harbor al
ready exists. Move your town down
there. You can never do anything with
this place"
The party. which was a large one, was
scattered for some distance along the
bluff, and 1 do not believe more than
ten or twelve persons heard Mr.. Frye's
remarkable utterance on that occasion.
I was one of those that heard it, and
serving at that time on The Herald as
u reporter, 1 narrated the conversation
to my chief on our return to the city.
He instructed me to write the affair
up. exactly as 1t had occurred, and then
proceeded to execute a war dance editor
tally on the form of the senator from
Maine.
The Express of that afternoon con-
tained an interview from Mr.. Frye, who
was visiting Senator Jones at Santa
Monica. in which he declared that The
Herald report was untrue, that he had
said nothing of the kind, and advising
that the "impudent reporter" be disci-
plined forthwith.
On a stright-out issue of veracity be-
tween a famous United States senator
and an unknown newspaper man, 1t
might have gone hard with the latter,
had it not happened that the next mail
from San Diego brought the dailies of
the same date with the Herald contain
ing the story just as we had published
II, the conversation scarcely varying
word Moreover, number of citizens
Of Los Angeles, who were present on the
occasion, hastened to come forward and
testify that 1 had told the truth in my
report and the senator was-well, mis-
taken
That was, as near as I can figure II,
the beginning of the fight against San
Pedro eight years ago. AS matter of
fact, the opposition did not begin with
Mr.. Huntington and the Southern Pa
cific company. 1t began with Senator
Frye, and as far as he is concerned, has
probably not yet closed. We are urged
by the scriptures to love our enemies.
According to that plan, Mr.. Frye is en-
titled to the undying affection of every
resident of Isos Angeles and the sur
rounding country.
The Maine senator was at that time a
member of the committee on commerce,
and think its chairman. In the session
Of 1889, when the question of an appro-
priation for our harbor came up again,
he declared his belief that San Pedro
was not the proper location. irrespective
of the fact that the matter had twice be-
fore been decided by the government en-
gineers; and he proposed that a special
commission be appointed to look the
ground over anew.
That was the commission of 1890 of
which, Benyaurd and Mendall were
members. 1t reported in favor Of San
Pedro and gave cogent reasons there
for.
I remember several harbor meetings
held about that time, at which it was
assumed by everyone that the contro-
versey wac now over, and we were all
to work together for San Pedro. 1t was
on the strength of this report and the
seeming unanimlty of sentiment that
the Terminal built into San Pedro and
the Santa Fe made preparations to gain
q footing there.
About that time the presidency Of the
Southern Pacific passed from Mr.. Stan
ford to Mr.. Huntington, and certain ma
terial changes took place in the policy
of the road. The long wharf was con-
structed at Santa Monica-a splendid
and daring piece of enterprise-woIk
was renewed on the coast line, and the
entire system was permeated with new
blood and. fresh activity. In spite of the
fact that'Air. Huntington is one of the