The herald., 1898-09-18

SuDScWDerS Is very dlHlcult to understand
and while it may mean that they ultimately
intend to pay something. 1t does not appear
SO on its face, and 1t has placed this COM
mittee in position of being called upon to
make a statement In advance of closing up
the accounts which no other committee of
thirty has ever BEEN called upon to do.
In order to arrive at some basis Of settle
ment, your executive committee placed the
necessary amount to be paid by subscribers
at 70 per cent Of the subscription This was
based upon the fact that the expenses in
CURED and in closing would amount to
about $4,000. and that while the total sub
scription was about $14,6OO a number of
the subscriptions were made with the I'M
derstanding that they should mot be
available unless a total subscrip-
tom of at least $4,000 should be reached
This total sum was in sight, and would un-
doubtedly have been reached before the
beginning OF La Fiesta, but on deciding to
postpone two weeks previous to holding La
Fiesta, 1t was not reached, and these SUBJ
scniptions consequently could not be con-
s.dered available, and so reduced the avail
able amount about $4,000, ON which the 10
per cent was called for in order to- meet all
bills.
1t Is a source of qualification to this execu-
tive committee to report that all bills,
with but one exception, have been promptly
paid, and this exception is a case where an
adjudication of the amount has not been
finally reached.
(Note.-The committee Of thirty SUISSE
quently rejected the above-mentiope ed
claim.)
The committee met as a whole on June
3, 1897, and elected the following officers:
w. Z. Patterson, president; X. w. Prid-
ham, first vice president; d. w. Kirkland,
second vice president; F. w. Wood third
vice president; H. J. Fleishman, treasurer;
C. S. Walton, secretary.
Later in the year President w. c. Pat
terson and Third Vice President F. w.
Wood resigned on account of the impossi-
biEty OF giving sufficient time to the work;
whereupon w. NJ. Garland was elected
president and Hancock Banning third vice
president.
The property of La Fiesta turned over to
your committee consisted of the sum of
$l4SSo IN cash, the tribunes valued at $3C0O
and miscellaneous articles, such as wagons
street decorations. etc. valued at $3511 So
making total valuation of $66GO rs
Work was Immediately started with
view to securing sufficient subscribers to
warrant the holding of fiesta in 1898, and
while subscriptions were made literally by
great many people, there was a large
number who were disposed to delay max
ing their subscriptions until date too late
to make them available for La Fiesta.
1898.
In view of the fact that this committee
could not go ahead blindly making its ar
engagements and spending money without
some assurance that The necessary sum to
be raised could be secured on Feb. 7, 1898.
the executive committee found the situa-
ton to be so grave that they determined to
ana dld unfavorably report to your COM
mite upon the proposition of holding a
fiesta in 1898. The Southern Pacific and
santa re Railroad companies having ut
terlv refused to support the movement IN
any way, and the moral effect of the refusal
OF these great corporations having pro-
duced most depressing effect upon the
efforts Of the committee to secure sub
scriptions in other directions your COM
mittee recommended that all efforts to hold
a fiesta in 1898 be abandoned. and on Fe1,
committee to abandon the same, and the
executive committee was empowered nv
resolution to take the necessary steps to
close up the business affairs of La Fiesta.
1898. At this time the estimated expenses
were about $500. for which sum the affairs
Of La Fiesta could have been closed up.
AS soon as this action was taken by your
committee a general protest was made
n inst esnfI l..
ana those who realized that the holding of
Fiesta was important both to the bust
ness interests as well as the reputation
abroad of Los Angeles, and subscriptions
and promises of aid poured in upon the
committee to such an extent that on Feb
ruary 10 you reconsidered this action and
instructed this committee to proceed with
the work of La Fiesta, 1898, which 1t ac-
cordingly did.
A careful canvass Of all possible sub
scribers of this city was made and many
who had previously refused to subscribe
sent In their subscriptions, until about $14-
600 was signed up for, out of the $4,000
which had been decided urton as being
necessary to raise in order to give sue
cessful Fiesta. Some of the subscriptions
were made conditionally, but, as the ex-
ecutive committee felt perfectly able at
the time to fulfill all the conditions i'm
posed, and also in view of the fact that the
raising of the last $140O, or large portion
Of the same, had been promised by inter-
ested members of the committee of thirty,
the executive committee was thereupon
directed to go ahead with the work.
On April 10 the committee of thirty, real
izing that long and serious war was about
to be undertaken by the people Of the
United States, and not being able to fore
see the glorious victory of the battle of
Manila, which took place about the date
upon which La Fiesta would have begun,
and feeling that the public mind would not
be in harmony with the idea of a celebra-
ton, which, by precedent, partook In name
and somewhat in character Of a Spanish
celebration, determined that it would be in
appropriate and inadvisable to hold Fies-
ia of the usual character under the condi-
lions then existing, and while 1t was sug-
gested to your committee that the 'celebra-
ton be turned into one of patriotism, it de-
veloped to be the sense of your committee
that, in view of the uncertainties of war,
it would be better taste to postpone the
whole affair indefinitely, and steps to that
end were Immediately taken. The exec
utive committee had, up to that time, au-
thorized the subcommittee, by authority
of Yourselves to prosecute their work Wig