The herald., 1897-07-03
~D1sINrEREsrED" MR.. A1arR


that Mr.. Alger has said that he il en-
tirely disinterested in the harbor mat
ter. How refreshingly bland because
how far from the truth! 1t il well
known that the relations that have ex-
listed between him and Mr.. Huntington
and Mr.. Huntington's railroad COM
pany have been close for years. They
naturally would be IL the men had ever
met, for they are of similar natures.
The lack of Official position in later
years. has alone prevented the secretary
from being as conspicuous a champion
Of monopoly interests as is Senator
Frye. The secretary is we understand,
In doubt-in doubt as Senator Frye was
when reports upon San Pedro harbor
sent to the commerce committee not to
his liking were suppressed, and docu-
ments were issued by clever connivance
for the purpose of establishing and per-
petuating his doubts. Fortunately, the
hles Of this paper show the secretarys
feelings at time when none other than
IN intimate of Mr.. Huntington had any
doubt as to where the harbor should be
located.
In the month Of March, 1894, the hon.
orable secretary. then private citizen,
visited Southern California In his spe-
cial car. as the guest OF the Southern
Pacific company. While here he in
spected the Southern Pacific's Santa
Monica wharf, which was just then be-
ginning to be pushed by its promoter
Mr.. Huntington, as rival to San Pc
dro, which for hundred years had been
the harbor Of Los Angeles. Mr.. Alger
was interviewed upon that occasion,
while at Santa Monica observing the
pier, and to reporter of this paper made
the following statement, as his contri-
button to the cause of Mr. Huntington's s
proposed harbor: Mature has given
this place 70 per cent of all the natural
requirements of a harbor, and I think
the best thing man or the government can
do IL to furnish what little that is want
ing to make it the perfect harbor which
1t should be-"
Continuing upon the subject, in its re-
lations to the commerce Of Los Angeles,
Mr.. Alger said:s"Yes, you want one har-
Dor now and you want it badly. After
you get one you will find that there will
be plenty Of money to build the second,
but by fighting you will find yourselves
without any"
The people of Los Angeles will remem-
ber that 1t was about this time, early in
1894, when Mr.. Huntington made his
famous declaration to the president and
secretary and directors of the chamber
Of commerce, as follows: II don't know
that can ever get an appropriation for
santa Monica, but know d-n we'll that
place"
The secretary-then Mr.. Alger. in pri-
wate life-was evidently ION to-" the
program which had that early in the
nght been outlined. The people of Los
Angeles have since that time heard tier
ated and reiterated the threat, "You had
better take Santa Monica; it is all you
can get. You may prevent US getting
anything there. but we will never allow
you to get anything for San Pedro"
Probably Mr.. Alger, at the time when
he covertly endorsed Mr.. Huntington's
threat in his advice to the people of Los
Angeles above quoted, hardly presumed
that he would ever be in position to
render to Mr.. Huntington. such assist
ance in carrying out that threat as his
position as secretary of war in President
McKinley's cabinet has permitted him 20
afford by setting aside law of congress
and refusing to carry on work which it
II his ofElcial duty to promote as rapidly
~ possible.
Mr.. Alger not interested! Can . leop-
ard change his spots? Has the friend
skip then existing. which induced Mr..
Alstr to become 20 active champion
Of Nr. Huntington's harbor. cooled in
tbs l1est? On the contrary. Il It not !
N t1a .dJ sll as VI ", isI ~ 'i * t "a