Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-19
TREND OF HOMESEEKERS

"Is it not about time to investigate
seriously why eastern people prefer
Southern California to this section?'
That query comes from the Stockton
Record. 1t speaks generally for the
famous San Joaquin valley, of which
| Stockton is the commercial center, and
especially for the city of Stockton
which is one of the biggest and most
prosperous cities in the northern half
of the state.
In allusion to the coming of eastern
homeseekers to California the Record
says: ga conservative estimate of the
number of tourists who have entered
California since the first of the year is
10000. A large percentage of these peo-
pie came as homeseekers and probably
have settled in favored sections" Then
the Record follows with the question::
How many of these 10000 people have
come to Stockton and San Joaquin and
settled, or even looked in?"
Accepting the conclusion that South
ern California gets even more than
"the lions share" of homeseekers, the
of such preference. 1t finds plausible
solution in part, but one that falls far
short of a satisfying explanation as
viewed from the southern end of the
state.
Here are the Stockton Records find
ing and deduction: I'm Riverside, Red
lands, Pasadena, Long Beach, Pomona
and various other cities there are no
saloons, and yet all these cities are
prosperity personif1ed" And from that
situation in the southland this applica-
ton is drawn: when Stockton gets it's
eyes open to the fact that the better
class of eastern people will not come to
community that is saloon-ridden, then
may Stockton become the city that it
should be-"
1t is true that the saloon prohibition
feature of town or city is alluring to
many homeseekers. but it is not, by
any means, as potential as the Record
seems to imagine. In all the prohibi-
tion cities named by the Record there
is wide diversity of opinion on the
question whether prohibition is bene-
fetal or detrimental to the material in
terests of community. A modified
saloon system has been tried in said
cities, with apparently good results, as
compared with the efforts at absolute
prohibition.
Los Angeles is the mightiest magnet
for the attraction of homeseekers, yet
this city has 200 saloons and some
dozens of wholesale liquor stores. When
the issue of abolishing the saloons
came to a vote, not long ago, about
two-thirds of the voters decided against
prohibition. During the canvass pre-
ceding the election the fact was de-
veloped that the business elements of
the city and the progressive interests
generally were decidedly opposed to
prohibition, on the ground that 1t would
be highly injurious to the prosperity of
the city.
If our Stockton contemporary should
go to the bottom of it's inquiry, ''Why
eastern people prefer Southern Califor-
nia," 1t would find the true solution in
these features First, the most de-
lightful climate on earth, making life
truly worth living; second, the most
charming outlook Of lofty mountains,
luxuriant valleys and boundless ocean
that can be seen anywhere in the
United States; third, the bonhomie OF
our southland people-genial, generous
big-hearted, whole-souled, and at the
same time alert progressive and hus-
tling to characteristic degree.
And for further particulars all curl
Gus dwellers in the northland are cor
daily invited to inquire within