Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-15
HARRoR OR NO HARBoR

Let not the main issue be lost sight
Of in considering the harbor question.
The basic point is not whether the
port cities shall go It alone" in ac-
quiring a harbor or WEATHER they shall
unite with Los Angeles.
The fundamental question is whether
there shall be a worlds harbor at all
on the frontage Of the port cities. The
whole question of enlarging port facili-
ties to the extent Of inviting the COM
merce Of the world is the real issue to
be determined by the consolidation
election to be held next month.
The federal government will proceed
no further in the work of such harbor
making in the event Of failure of the
consolidation project. Ample warning
to that effect has been given unofficial
ly by federal engineers and by the
chairman of the house committee on
rivers and harbors.
The government will make no more
for the purpose with
ont absolute assurance that the pro-
posed greater hnrbor will have for its
protection the prestige, influence and
power of the city Of Los Angeles.
The feebleness of San Pedro in its
effort to protect it's coast commerce
from interruption by strikers, as dem
onstratcd during several months of the
past year, convinced the federal au-
thorties that It would be futile to go
on with the harbor work under exist
ing conditions. Therefore it is as GER
tain as sunrise that congress will make
no further appropriations for the work
in case the substantial backing of Los
Angeles is not secured.
What would such failure mean to the
cities interested? To San Pedro 1t
would be a blight fatal to the promis-
ing start that city has made In pros
perity as a consequence of its probable
union with Los Angeles. Nothing but
that prospect can account for the great
of property values in San
Pedro within the last three or four
years.
1t is simply a discounting of the har-
Dor prospect that accounts for the
great increase of such values. Kill the
hope of further harbor development by
failure of consolidation and San Pedro
values will drop back to the
figures that ruled years ago.
Los Angeles has attained its present
without the advantage or
a worlds harbor and there is every rea-
son to believe that it's mighty growth
will continue, harbor or no harbor.
we all know that tre-
mendous additional impetus would be
given to the city's progress if the great
harbor project were consummated by
the plan of consolidation with the pres
ent port cities.
All these considerations now hinge
upon the decision San Pedro shall
whether it shall accept the jointure
with Los Angeles. This city will vote
almost unanimously in the affirmative
On that question. Every intelligent cit
iZen understands that the result of the
elections will determine the issue of
harbor or no harbor.
AS The Herald has remarked before,
it would be an insult to the intelligence
of the citizens of San Pedro to inti-
mate that they are so short-sighted as
not to see that practically the life or
death of their city is involved in the
question soon to be submitted to them.
There are strong interests in that city,
however. actuated solely by selfish pur-
poses that would gladly see the plan
Of union defeated even though it as
sured the death knell of progress.
Therefore all depends on the arous-
ing of the good citizenship of San Pc
dro to an appreciation of the vital con-
sequences to their interests that are
involved in the election on the consoli-
dation question.