Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-17

Milton K. Young chairman of the
Democratic county committee and a
member of the law committee of the
consolidation commission, has taken
hand in the controversy that is going
on between Gvernor Pardee and the
members of the commission regarding
the refusal of the states executive to
include provision for a constitutional
amendment in his call for an extra ses-
sion of the legislature. Mr.. Young is
the author of the now somewhat fam
Gus Young amendment about which
there has been so much discussion, and
behind which some of the members of
the Los Angeles county delegation to
the Legislature for a time tried to hide
in their efforts to justify their position
in refusing to urge the governor to
grant the request of the consolidation
commission. He clearly sets forth the
reason for drafting this amendment
after the one presented by Mr.. Haas,
another member of the law committee,
had been adopted and denies in the
most positive terms that there was the
slightest intention on the part of any
member of the law committee or any
body else to make it a coercive meas
ure.
Empowered to Revise
Mr.. Young points out that the legis-
lature was empowered to revise any
amendment which came before it in
any way it saw fit or to reject it en-
tirely. Furthermore, it could submit
new amendments, and of course it was
clearly within the province of the con-
solidation commission to present new
amendments after the Legislature met
1T is not to be supposed says Mr..
Young, that the legislature would en-
act any measure that would force cities
to come into the proposed consolidation
against their will" The Young amend
ment' would have been supplemented
by legislation which would have pro-
tected the several committees against
anything in the nature of coercion. Mr..
Young's reply to the governors state
ment in this subject is as follows:
Makes Explanation
"Anent the discussion which has been
in progress for some days regarding the
action or reversible back action of
Governor Pardee upon the inclusion in
the call for the special session Of the
legislature of constitutional provisions
which would have made possible con-
solidation of city and county govern
ments and making Los Angeles a sea-
port city, much has been said about a
proposed amendment drafted by me,
commonly styled the Young amend
ment' and as to whether the same was
the official or unofficial proposed
amendment of the commission. In
what follows shall endeaVor to clarity
the atmosphere concerning the amend
ment credited to me.
Constitution in Way
solidation commission a law committee
was appointed Of five members consist
ing of Judge H. C.. Dillon, chairman,
Oscar Mueller John G.. Mott, Walter
f. Haas and myself. One of the first
questions discussed was the extent of
territory that a new consolidated
municipality should embrace and opin-
ions varied as to its size, from that of
the territory consisting of Los Angeles,
San Pedro and intervening territory to
the whole area of the county itself, but
latterly the prevailing opinion was that
the new municipality should not in
clude much more territory than is
comprised in the communities cluster
ing around the city of Los Angeles and
requiring the waters of the Owens
river. There would have been no diff
Guilty in our proceeding under present
constitutional provisions for the con-
sOlidat1on as soon as the legislature or
1907 could have enacted necessary laws
providing for elections to effect
consolidation were it not for the fact
that under the present law two cities
holding freeholders charters cannot SO
unite.
Would Include Pasadena
"The commission. supposing that Pas
adena would desire to avail herself of
the benefits of consolidation and the
waters of the Owens river. took into
her interests and did not
wish to proceed along the lines which
would exclude her But for the consid-
Grafton of Pasadena, we could have pro-
ceeded rapidly, so that consolidation
would have been effected with Los An
geles. San Pedro and other cities not
holding freeholders' charters at the
time of the meeting of the legislature in
1907. The law committee was directed
to prepare constitutional amendments
Pasadena to join In the con-
and much time was spent by
the members of this committee i'm an
examination OF the laws OF the state
from the time OF the consolidation of
the city and county of San Francisco
IL. fQEE IN tho l,,raaataf with tl,a ,o.,,Ik