Imperial Valley press and the Imperial press., 1906-08-18


 peared III the Imperial Standard of August 10th, the day after the fire consumed the ice plant at this place. We reproduce it in full, so that our readers may have a chance to see 1t in its entirety and form their own conclusions regarding it:
 MAY BE BENEFICIAL
 "The destruction of the ice and ':cold storage plant at Fl Centro junction last evening brings loss to it's owners which may be compensated for indi- rectly and which may prove of great benefit to the valley in perpetuitY. Z.
 Ut Is now conceded by most of those interested that serious mistake was made in attempting to kill Imperial by the building of a rival town close at hand. The men admit that they under estimated the fighting qualities Of the people Of Imperial, and they are appar- ently we'll satisfied that the scheme for Killing Imperial and building anew on us ruins is hopeless.
 The ice and cold storage plant burn eu last evening was designed as the cnlei lnstrumentality in the killing o1 imperial. As such it naturally aroused the resentment of the people of this city who organized mutual ice company, "lth the result of cutting prices, devel- oplng bitter antagonism and destroying any profit there might be in the ice making business of the valley.
 The antagonism which has developed mas led to needless waste of energy, and It Is believe the destruction issof the plant will simplify matters greatly.
 This plant is included in the prop erty which is in process of transfer to a new corporation, of which G. A. Par kyns IS to ba manager. This transfer also includes the Holtville railroad, Sthe trains of which will be operated with Imperial as one of the termini.
 "lt is certain that the ice and cold storage plant will be rebuilt, and there IS reason to believe that it will be built at Imperial, the natural distributing point of the valley.
 "Built at Imperial, there will be all the advantages of transportation and of being where the demand for cold storage is greatest. Built here it must be conducive to good will and harmon ious activity among the people of the valley.
 'What the plant brings in the way of conflict and discord when used to tear down the business of other people is al- ready demonstrated, and it is not to be expected that men coming to this valley with view to build up values every where will lose sight of the opportunity for promoting harmony by building the plant where it ought to have been built before, at the point where the demand for ice and cold storage is now and al- ways must be greatest.
 The above reads more like a defense of the people of Imperial for burning the ice plant than anything else. It breathes throughout the spirit ot a most venomous and unworthy spite. From reading 1t one might be led to infer that the Standard be- lieves the people of Imperial are lot of firebugs ready to burn down and destroy any enterprise established anywhere in the Val ley except at that town. This we most strenuously deny. We lived among the people of Imperial for several years and know them to be both loyal and honorable. While they are badly handicapped in their efforts to make their town the metropolis of the Valley they are above such pettiness and ie31O11Sv as tha Standard attrih