Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-05

company, one of the Hartman lines,
acquired title to these lands by pur-
chase, and in order to block naViga-
tion through these inlets constructed a
dixie across the San Gabriel river so as
to prevent reaching the inner harbor
back of Long Beach, directly from the
ocean, and constructed low-pile VIA
duct or bridge acress the Cerritos
slough so as to prevent ingress or
egress between Wilmington bay and
the inner harbor of Long Beach. The
latter bridge has been lately removed
under an injunction issued by the
United States circuit court.
Covers All Lands
"This covers all of the land around
the Wilmington and San Pedro bays,
except those around the outer harbor
of San Pedro now protected by the gov
ernment breakwater. The Southern
Pacific company owns, through the Pa
cific Improvement company, the lands
on the west side from the breakwater
northerly for a distance of about one
mile, under a patent from the United
States and claims the right to wharf
out and fill in to the now naVigable
water by virtue of its ownership of the
upland as a railroad company.
"Of the remaining land of the San
Pedro bay, grant was made by the
city of Long Beach of about one mile
in length on the east side of the Pa
cific Wharf and Storage company for a
period of fifty years. This grant was
not made under the Broughton act, nor
| in conformity with it in. any respect,
nor was it governed In any way as 10
| it's width by the provisions of the polit-
ical code above mentioned, and appears
to be wholly void.
another grant was made on the west
| side of the city of San Pedro for fifty
years, about one mile in length, to H..
e. Huntington and others, and another
grant was made for a similar period on
the west side for half mile in length to
Lieutenant Miner and others. Neither
of these latter grants was under or in
compliance with the provisions of the
Broughton act, or of the provisions of
the political code as to the width of the
wharf. Nothing has been paid, either
| to the city of Long Beach or San Pedro,
for any of these franchises, and there
| is no provision in the grants for any
percentage of the earnings to be paid
to the cities, or either OF them, and
they all appear to be equally void.
Attorney General Must Act
Neither the city of San Pedro nor
the city of Long Beach, nor the county
| of Los Angeles, nor any individual, can
bring any suit or action to annul these
grants or franchises or test the right of
the claimants to hold them, because
the attorney general of this state is
alone authorized to bring such proceed
ings by actions in quo warranto.
Nothing remains Of the water front
of the Wilmington bay or San Pedro
bay not in the control of the railway
combine or it's allied interests.
"There is not public wharf between
the bay of San Francisco and the bay of
San Diego where ships from Panama or
coming around the Horn. can land
freight from Atlantic ports in competl-
! tion with the Southern Pacific, Salt
Lake or Santa Fe railroads
"And there will be no such wharf nor
any competition In such rates until
these illegal grants and seizures are
annulled by an attorney general OF the
state who represents the people. The
construction of the Panama canal can
not improve this situation.
No Action by Webb
Remember. my fellow citizens, that
Mr. Webb has been your attorney gem
eral for four years and has not made
( one single effort to redeem one foot Of
the land or a single franchise Illegally
granted and now used to the detriment
Of the whole OF California, but more
especially to Southern California. He is
familiar with the laws and their con-
struction by the supreme court OF this
state and he ought to know his duty In
the premises. IL Is for him to explain
tQfyou and to the voters of this state
lwhy he has not taken some step to