Los Angeles herald., 1905-11-18
ADVANCE GUARD
BACK FROM OWENS
MEMBERS OF COUNCIL WILL
RETURN TODAY
Every One In the Junketing Party Is
Given a Nickname Which Will
Not Be Lost For Many
Days to Come
BY Wilfred c. Lewis

The advance guard of the junketing
committee of the council returned to
Los Angeles today when the special
representatives of two of the news
papers stepped off the owl train from
San Francisco yesterday morning, and
took a long breath of Southern Cali
fornia air, untainted by the alkali dust
of the desert which they had been
breathing for ten days. Councilmen
Hitler and Houghton Minute Clerk
Wilde, ex-Mayor Fred Eaton and the
other representatives of the press Will
return on the "OwP' this morning ard
the other members of the party will
take their own time.
Thursday afternoon the party held a
little gathering in the palm room of
the Palace hotel at San Francisco, and
told again to each other the incidents
of fun and folly that had characterized
the entire trip from the time the party
left Los Angeles Tuesday evening, No
vember Z, and all agreed that had the
entire country been searched over a
more congenial crowd could not have
been gathered. 1t was by no means all
frolic and had 1t not been for the
good fellowship of every member of the
party it might have been much more
difficult to bear up under the hardships
that were necessary incidents to the
trip. But every one of the crowd did
what he could to make the journey a
pleasant one and to this fact more than
any other every one who was so for
tunate as to make the trip will remem-
Der it as long as he lives.
Nicknames for Party
Some of the members of the party
have acquired nicknames during the
trip that may stick to them for the
rest of their lives. Minute Clerk Wilde
is known as the Roll call artist" and
when things seemed about to drag at
any period some one was sure to say,
Call the roll Charley" and the "br-
r-r-r-r-r-r-spt' was sure to raise
laugh every time. Councilman Smith
gained the affectionate title of Uncle
George" from the younger members of
the party. Houghton will hereafter be
known as "Slivers," but If any one says
"SIats" to Councilman Ford the SER
vices of an undertaken may be re-
quired. All titles were dropped where
nicknames were not acquired and 1t
was ED" Kern sid" Hitler, Fired"
Eaton and Barney" Healy to every
one.
This overlooking Of the little form
alities was probably one of the best
things that could have been done, as 1t
was in direct accord with the spirit Of
the residents or the valley, VINO are TOO
open hearted and open handed to care
for trivial formalitles. Had every
member of the party been on his dig
nifty 1t is doubtful If the sentiment Of
good feeling, which the party left at
every stopping place, would have re-
suited. AS 1t was they found enemies
in several places and left friends.
All the bitterness against Los An
geles' water supply scheme was easily
traced to a few in the different COM
munities who had circulated false re-
ports for their own personal ends. The
impression prevailed that Los Angeles
was going to take all the water out of
the valley, buy up the few ranches and
holdings that were necessary for this
purpose and practically conficate every
other piece Of property. But when they
were told that this city intended to do
nothing of the kind and that all the
property that was purchased would be
at all 1t was worth and more and that
the city was practically through with
buying lands, enemies became friends.