Los Angeles herald., 1908-02-18
CITED FOR
CONTEMPT
JUDGE SEEKS TO BRING Ell
CENTRIC TO TERMS
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SENDS
STRANGE MESSAGE
Letter Sent to Protest Against Courts
Injunction Considered an Insult
and an Attempt to Man.
age Case

As the result of a telegram to United
States Circuit Judge DIN Wellborn
from the Ell Centre chamber of COM
mercc, a missive considered not only
insulting but an attempt to dictate
the course to be taken by the court,
warrants are to be issued by United
States District Attorney Oscar B. Law
Ter for the arrest of J. Stanley Brown.
president, and r. G. Havens, secre-
tary. of the Ell Centre body.
The telegram protested against the
injunction issued by Judge Wellborn
against the California Development
company, preventing the company
from diverting the Imperial canal
waters from the original waterway.
District Attorney Lawier says that
there is no limit practically to the
sentence which a United States district
judge may impose upon one adjudged
guilty of contempt of such a tribunal.
General surprise is felt at the action
of the Ell Centre chamber of COM
merce. even their attorneys, Judge
John S. Chapman and e. A. Meserve,
rising to their feet to inform the court
that they were ignorant of this fragrant
act on the part of their clients.
Judge Wellborn excused them from
blame in the matter. also saying that
he did not believe that the telegram
expressed the sentiments of the off,
Gals of the development company; but
adding that he could not overlook such
a gross breach of court etiquette.
This order to which the telegram
from Ell Centre takes exception, was
issued against the California Develop
ment company in the action brought
by the New Liverpool Salt company.
The order was not complied with until
last Tuesday. after the officers of the
delinquent company had been cited for
contempt, when the effect was that
the water to the canal supplying water
to the Holton Power company was
shut off, with the result, 1t is said, of
cutting off power and light from i-Ye
cities.
In school house lighted. with can
die, the Ell Centre chamber of COM
merce met and adopted resolutions in
which occurred such phrases as ,"Aii
your injunctions win not dry up the
Salton sea- S"Your honor was misin-
formed as to conditions and protest.
ing against being subjected to such
needless hardships, that a club may be
placed in the hands of one private
corporation for the coercion of an
other.''
These were telegraphed to Judge
Wellborn, who read them out in court
SLOWLY anu tuSn TcqucSlCu OtoliiSt ~
torney Lawler to issue the warrants
for the arrest of the president and
secretary of the organization guilty of
sending such a missive to the court.
The contempt hearing OF Epes RAN
dolph and H. t. Cory, president and
general manager Of the California De-
velopment company, has been contin-
ued for three weeks. and the interpre-
tatfon of the injunction will be con-
tinued later, when steps will be taken
by Judge Wellborn, 1t is expected, to
relieve the unfortunate conditions OF
many towns in the Imperial valley. 1t
is said a stretch of territory twelve
miles long and as many wide was
without light or Irrigation as a result
Of the Injunction, while 10000 tons of
ice were melting and a population OF