Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-29


The Los Angeles city council by
vote of to 1 yesterday afternoon gave
to e. w. Gilmore, his successors or
assigns the right for twenty-one years
to build, operate and maintain steam
railroad on the left bank of the Los
Angeles river bed.
This franchise, estimated by experts
to be worth 81, 900 900, was given away
notwithstanding Assistant City Attor-
ney Goudge's declaration that 1T was
not only the privilege but the duty of
the council to offer for sale the valu-
able right.
In the face of most determined oppo-
sition on the part of citizens and de-
spite the statements made by Gilmore
that he did not care whether the fran
chise was granted or not; against the
earnest advice of the assistant city at
torney, the council calmly surrendered
the peoples rights.
Citizens Warn the Council
Citizen after citizen, taxpayer after
taxpayer. had made their vigorous pro-
tests. They had told the council that
il this franchise grab was allowed to
go through there could be but one an
swer at the polls. They had intimated
that a sufficient number of the coun-
Gil members had been bought to put
through the ordinance and dared them
to vote for the franchise, thereby prov
ing these statements.
In the face of this vigorous opposi-
ton, would the council dare vote for
the franchise? they asked themselves.
The council would, and it did.
Councilman Blanchard of the Ninth
ward, Councilman Ford of the First
ward, Councilman Harmon of the Sec
ond ward, Councilman Hitler of the
Third ward. Councilman Houghton of
the Sixth ward, Councilman Healy of
the Eighth ward and Councilman Kern
of the Seventh ward voted for the
franchise.
Councilman Summerland of the
Fourth ward was acting as mayor and
had no vote.
Talk of Sell Out
The lobby was filled with a crowd of
prominent citizens, who usually are
free to express their opinions of ad-
verse legislation, but so audacious was
the act of the council in giving away
a million dollars worth of the citys
property that these men were dazed.
in of he IL
men who, after their vigorous pro-
tests, handed over this valuable fran
chse to a man who claimed he did
not care whether he got it or not ard
muttering. I'VE have been sold out
by those whom we elected to take care
of our interests" filed out ofthe coun-
Gil chamber and gathered in knots in
the corridors to discuss with bated
breath the action of the council.
Many of them could not realize that
the city had been betrayed by its rep
resentatives.
Among those who witnessed what
they called the betrayal by the coun-
ell were about twenty members of the
Municipal league, members of the
board of education and some of the
largest taxpayers in the city.
The session of the city council yes
terday afternoon had been scheduled
for o'clock but it was 3 o'clock be-
fore the eight councilmen, nervous and
apparently i'll at ease, filed into the
council room. They had spent the pre-
vious hour behind locked doors in the
council committee room deciding what
their action would be- The councilmen
had reason to have a set program, for
the lobby and council room were filled
and the crowd surged out in the cor
ridors trying to get a look at these
eight men whom they believed purposed
to sell out the city to e. W. Gilmore,
of whom they knew little, on his I'M
substantiated statement that he repre-
sented a big corporation of which they
knew nothing.
In all that crowd there was not one
friendly to the councils purpose, or if |
there was he did not make himself |
known But the council was law unto |
itself and ignored its guests. The coun- |
cilmen had been asked to give away |
s., 1000, 900 worth of city property and they |
could see no valid reason why they |
should not. That the city treasury is |
depleted and Los Angeles needs the |
apparently haesno weight with |
them. Mr.. Gilmore wanted 1t and they |
were determined to give it to him. He |
later stated that it was immaterial to
him whether they gave it to him or not,