Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-20
MAY NOT DEMOCRACY HOPE 7


ss.G ce=s taeir ballots for every azss,t
and friend Of the Southern Pacific
railroad, from governor down.
They did this knowingly and premedi-
tatedly, for never in the history Of this
state were the Vaccinations Of the
railroad machine so open, notorious and
disgraceful
Los Angeles Republicans, as a rule
voted er straight" without batting an
eye, and yet they knew, without a
shadow Of doubt, that in voting for the
Republican nominees for the legislature
they were sending to Sacramento a
delegation that would be compelled to
betray its trust and deliver over to the
corporations the dearest hopes and in
terests of this great city.
They knew, long in advance. that the
owens river enterprise and the prob
able annexation Of san Pedro would be
among the most important questions
that would be submitted to the general
assembly. They knew that in voting
the Republican ticket they were vot-
ing for the representatives of the very
agencies that are sleeplessly fighting
the public interests of Los Angeles.
In one or two noteworthy instances,
where the corporations were apprehen-
sive of the non-partisan strength. al.
legged Democrats were put up by the
Southern Pacific railroad and the Re-
publcans rallied to them, just the
same.
Today the people of Los Angeles are
reaping the consequences.
Honorable citizens who were sent to
Sacramento to present bills looking to
the merger with San Pedro have been
met with insults by the Southern Pa
ciic's assembly and driven out of the
state capital by the agents of the rail-
roads.
President s. a. Butler Of the CONSOLE
dation commission, himself a leading
Republican, paints this picture:
"As the matter stands we are helpless
I'm the power of the Southern Pacific.
What we are going 80 do about IL, !
don't know. We are all to blame for
this dcplOrnbIe condition. We sit idly
by while the railroad machine nOm-
mates men for office and then we can't
hurry too fnst 80 thc polls to vote for
them. l am dis=ustcd and am ashamed
of the predicamcnt the people of Cali
fOrnin are in
All yes! And The Herald warned
and pleaded with our people-to no
avail,
We have been driven by the Southern
Pacific railroad and its assembly to the
point of abandoning one of the great
est hopes of Los Angeles-the annexa-
ton of San Pedro
We have been driven by the Southern
Pacific railroad to accept an increased |
tax of 100000 year on the building of
our owens river water aqueduct by a !
law increasing the pay of day Jaborers
to that of skilled mechanics.
We are now in the shadow of a COM
ing law to put all harbors under a state
commission that will be appointed by
the Southern Pacific railroad
We are driven by the Southern Pa
rifc railroads assembly to help pay the
city of San Francisco a state appro-
priation of $3,OOOOOO for an alleged
worlds fair that may never happen.
And every enterprise in which Los
Angeles is interested has been or is to
be straneled at Sacramento, at the be- |
nest of the Southern Pacific railroad, !
which seeks to still further own and |
enslave this goodly land
We are even threatened with law
the city charter of Los An
geles until the corporations can es-
ablish all the tracks and franchises
hey want and cannot now receive
a measure of adequate COM
Even the Sacramento Union, Re
publican organ at the state capital,
the shame of the situation
n an editorial headed Make Cali
ornia Free:
For forty years California has been
political dependency OF The Southern
'nc!h" company. Ii iS 81 still. II
huuld not he so. and there Is no neccs-
ity for it's being sO. II is not neceS-
nry, even To the protection of the large
interests which the Southern Pacific
represents. that II should he
@. The thing needfuI is to give TO the