The herald., 1897-06-22
A MISTAKEN CRITIC

A MISTAKEN CRITIC
The San Francisco Post affects to be
lieve that the construction Of deep se.
harbor Off the coast Of Los Angeles i
becoming every day more doubtful, an,
the people of the whole county are be
coming "disgusted" with the contro
versy. 1t closes an editorial on the sub
ject with the following remarkable
statement:
A business man Of San Diego says
very sensible thing when he declares
that If harbor is built at San Pedro
it will cost several millions to fortify
it. This raises the question of the de-
STABILITY, from a strategic standpoint,
of creating more harbors. This astute
business man also declares that the
harbor can only benefit one or two
counties.
Other critics show that the harbor is
not being constructed in the interest
of the commerce Of the nation, but for
the purpose of enhancing the values
of real estate in the city of Los Angeles.
They declare that the claim that the
artificial harbor off the coast of Los
Angeles will be an outlet for the trade
of the territory lying east and north
of that point is untenable because a
harbor for such outlet already exists
at San Diego.
The people Of the state of California
have encouraged the construction of
the harbor at Los Angeles. They have
been more than willing that that city
should become in sense a seaport
town; but they are rapidly becoming
disgusted with the whole situation,
and with the subsistence of supporting
sentiment in this state, opinion in its
favor throughout the nation will die.
The struggle between Santa Monica
and San Pedro possesses the malignant
capacity of killing both and nothing
more.
There Is "fool" logic for you! Sup
pose that, forty or forty-five years ago
or when 1t was desired to improve the
harbor at San Francisco, some idiot
should have opposed such improvement
on the ground that the work and ths
growth of the city might arouse the
greed of some foreign power and neces
state large expenditure for military
and naval Notifications? The Post ed
itor might have made such objection,
but no intelligent person would do 80.
The commerce and growth of every
American city is entitled to the protec-
tion and the facilities called for by the
existing and probable conditions. The
proper policy is to encourage rather
than stifle the progress of city or state.
i, a1y ,t;o
and the government has no right to
discriminate against a community or a
section on the ground of contingent ex-
pense.
The second objection with respect tc
the price of real estate in Los Angeles
is equally absurd. Suppose that the port
of San Francisco should be transferred
to the bay of Monterey in order to pre-
vent any possible further advance in the
price of San Francisco real estate? And
why should the people of Los Angeles
be compelled to go nearly 100 miles fol
water outlet when its natural outlet i:
at San Pedro, only twenty miles away
good nature when it assumes to speak
for the people of the United States. II
any one is really "disgusted" with TIL,
harbor controversy, he need not hole
the people of Los Angeles responsible
but should place the blame where it be-
longs, upon the shoulders of the Repub-
lican administration at Washington.
The people of Los Angeles will no
abandon the fight, because they are ir
the right. They are not so pusillani
nous nor SO timid as to cry quits when 6
mistaken opponent cries "booh," moi
when boss monopolist cracks his whip
The people of Southern California
need a harbor of refuge and commerce
at San Pedro. The congress of th'
United States has recognized the neet
and appropriated the money for its con
struction. 1t selected the location aftei
the most careful consideration, and tht
most thorough investigation by compe
tent experts. President Mckinley ant
Secretary Alger, at the behest of c. p
Huntington, and to cancel in part tn,
debt their party owes to him by reason
of his contributions to its campaigs
funds, have hung up the appropriation
upon a senseless pretext.
The Post nightly mistakes the tenn
per of the people of Southern California
when it adopts the tactics of disgust