Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-29
GROWTH DEPENDS ON RESULT
OF ELECTION
QUESTION is UP TO VOTERS
Owens River Proposition Has Been
Studied by Experts, Who Have
Carefully Guarded the
Public Welfare

The water question is now up to the
people for a decision" declared Com
missioner ]. M. Elliott yesterday at the
meeting of the water board, over which
he was presiding in the absence Of
President Fay.
1--WE have done the best we can. We
have examined the proposition of bring
ing the water from the owens river val
ley into Los Angeles from all sides. We
considered 1t and discussed it from a
distance. Then we went to the valley
and looked over the ground in person.
We saw the water and drank of 1t and
had it analysed, M s ~
''Then experts were employed to ex-
anime the scheme. Some of these men
who looked the proposition over and
reported favorably on it are men of
national reputation as water engineers.
These men spent a great deal of time
examining the valley and the surround
ing country and rendered exhaustive
reports to us.
Famous Engineers Employed
"Then there were Typographical en-
gineers employed to survey a route over
which the water could be brought into
the city. These men were in charge Of
the head of the United States topo-
graphical bureau, man who is con-
sidered one of the finest Typographical
engineers in the world. He went over
every foot of the proposed route and
declares it to be perfectly feasible and
comparatively easy of construction.
again we were not satisfied, but
through the United States reclamation
service we secured the government
measurements and reports on all of the
streams in the valley. These reports
cover a period of fifteen years and are
considered absolutely correct.
when all Of the evidence had been
gathered and United States Engineer
]. b. Lippincott said to us that tie
owens river was the only source from
which Los Angeles could secure sufti-
cient water supply we placed the ques-
ton before the council, for we were
satisfied. The councilmen were satis-
fed. and they in turn have placed the
question before the people.
Citizens Should Vote
.'It is absolutely impossible to please
everybody. but the thinking citizens of
Los Angeles realize what magnificent
thing this is for the city and 1 believe
the bonds will carry by a large ma
jority, but it should be the duty of
every citizen to get out on election day
and vote for the bonds.
..Some people are objecting because
they say the bringing of this water into
the San Fernando valley will benefit
land holders in the valley. 1t is bound
to benefit them, as the city must then
give up the use of the waters Of the Los
Angeles river. This is no argument,
however, as the same thing would hap
pen If water was brought from the
Kern, Santa Clara or Mojave rivers. If
on account of such an argument, man
should vote against these bonds in order
to be consistent he would have to vote
against every proposition to increase
the water supply of the city and thus
prevent the growth of Los Angeles"
A petition from the w. @. T. U. ask
ing the city to furnish water free for
drinking fountains was laid over until
after the bond election, when the COM
mission will know whether there is to
be a water famine.