Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-31
KILL THE RAILWAY ORDINANCE

KILL THE RAILWAY ORDINANCE
Whether Mr.. Huntington is or is not
interested in the ordinance granting a
right of way along the Los Angeles
river bed is not now a material or
pertinent fact. Mr.. Huntington, act
ing in the open, will receive the kind
liest treatment at the hands of this
city. Mr. Huntington, or anyone else,
acting with a dark lantern, must take
the consequences.
The only luminous and at present i'm
portant fact is that the city council has
undertaken to give away, without a
whisper of remuneration, a proposed
franchise for steam railroad, and the
ordinance pretending to convey such
property must be defeated.
That is the only question now before
the city.
Kill the ordinance first and then let
the people take a long breath and see
where they are.
City Attorney Goudge notified the
city council on the night the ordinance
was passed that the council had no
power to, in any manner, dispose Of the
Los Angeles river bed or any portion
of 1t. His opinion is that under the
water rights accruing to Los Angeles
from the pueblo days and since con-
firmed by various courts, the river bed
belongs forever to the people of this
city and their rights are inalienable.
This being true, no franchise or even
right of way can be granted in the
river bed to any person for any purpose
other than the conservation of water
for the people of Los Angeles.
1t is said by other attorneys that
possibly a leaseho1d right of way
might be granted by the water COM
mission or the board of public works,
but City Attorney Goudge is not pre-
pared to agree with even that conces-
sion.
The whole question is legal one, in
volving rights of the people that have
been recklessly imperiled by the city
council in defiance Of warnings by the
torneys support the city's law officer in
his position that the proposed or
dance would be invalid even If it
should be again passed.
Hence there is nothing further that
can be done except a veto of the
ordinance by the mayor and a final
filing of the whole proposition.
Then, when the atmosphere shall
have cleared, it will be time enough |
for Mr.. Huntington to come forward |
say what he wants and offer a fair |
remuneration for it. Rights of way are
essential to his further development of
the splendid electric railway system he
has established in Los Angeles, and the
millions he has invested here in good |
faith are deserving of the most encour-
aging treatment. The people are
unanimous in their desire to assist Mr.
in the development of Los
But no dark-lantern or gum
shoe methods will be tolerated.
The whole city will welcome the COM
ing of Mr.. Gould and his Western
Pacific railroad, but Mr.. Gould must |
come in by the front way and make his
fairly and openly, as he
promises to do.
That's the California way Of doing |
business, and Los Angeles will be Justly |
indignant at any course that may tend
to deceive and defraud the people of
their rights.
Los Angeles wants more steam rail-
roads, more electric lines and more
suburban roads. In the past it has
proven it's good faith in these directions
by giving largely and bountifully to
those who build transportation lines.
Los Angeles is still generous in this
direction and always ready to do the
fair thing. But let no man again try
to hoodwink the people of this city.
They will not submit to unjust and
unfair treatment.
Now let Mayor McAleer at once veto
the pending proposition and end the
Then we can begin at
he beginning and know what the rail-
way magnates want and what the peo-
pie are willing to give them for a fair
ton