Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-09
ANNEXATIONIST
POLICY URGED
ON ALL VOTERS
CIRCULAR ISSUED CONTAINS
STRONG APPEAL
NECESSITY OF ALLIANCE WITH
GREAT CENTER EMPHASIZED
Corporations Accused of Trying to
Influence Result by Misrepresenta-
tlons as to Burdens That
Will Be Assumed
Ispecial to The Herald.l

greater metropolis, ana 10 lIlS emu Aelo
issued another circular on the subject
which is entitled Grave and Impor-
tant Issues" Every voter in the city
is today furnished with a copy OF the
circular and many have expressed
themselves as being convinced, as
never before, that the future of the
great harbor is now in the hands of
the voters of this city. They feel that
any wrong step at this time may tor-
ever block the improvement that ought
to come to this, the "HarDor OF the
Great Southwest"
The circular issued today handles
the subject in logical way and starts
out with an appeal 10 the reason OF
the voter:
you are now confronted with one
OF the gravest and most important is
sues that you have ever been called
upon to consider. That issue is Whetp-
er you will continue as you have III
the past to be merely a place Where
lumber and a limited amount of freight
is transferred from vessel to car or
from car to vessel as the case may be,
or whether you will take your place
alongside of the principal ports of the
world as a wholesale and manufactur-
ing CENTER supporting a population OF
hundreds of thousands of people.
ITO become such a manufacturing
and wholesale center il. is necessary to
do more than has been done III the
past. A. few thousand people in San
Pedro cannot do much toward making
this a great commercial port. A rev
hundred thousand people OF Los An
geles county, all working in harmony,
can do a great deal. 1t is up to you
to say whether you will seek such CO.
operation or not 1t Is this end that
the consolidation committee has in
view.
Property is usually valuable from
the point of view taken by the pros
pectiVe investor. If the man win
money to invest is looking around 1t
would seem that he would be more
likely to drop some of it here II he
knew that the government, civic prlde
and enterprise of Americas most mod
ern city were behind 1t, than II ne
merely knew that a few people, more
or less under the domination of the
powerful corporations, were struggling
for an existence. If he knew that the
wharves were in a fair way to come
under municipal ownership and con-
troll, where all transcontinental lines
might approach on equal terms with all
others, he would see that this may
and probably will, in the not distant
future become the great distributing
point of the interior, which is now SO
productive and which has, as matter
Of fact, only just fairly begun TO de-
yelop."
FRIES RuoTSSS lHOtSd
Reference is made to the able ad-
dress of Capt. A. A. Fries to the FRIDAY
Morning club in Los Angeles on Mo-
yember s, at which time the speaker
charged the Southern Pacific and it's
allied corporations with using every
scheme known to lawyers and politl-
clans in an endeavor to control the
entire harbor, even going so lar as 10
want the government military reserVa-
tion because 1t has 1400 feet of water
frontage.
The statements of the government
engineer, who is an authority on all
harbor matters, are quoted at length,
including his statements showing the
relative cost of transportation of mer-
chandise for a merchant in Yuma who
ships by way of San Francisco as COM
pared to shipping by way of San Pedro.
'For," said the captain If he wants
to ship goods by water from Panama
or Mexico and send them to Arizona
beyond Yuma it win cost him 81 per
ton more to ship by way of San Pedro
than If he shipped them through San
Francisco and back by the Southern
Pacific railroad-and those 450 miles
are aSlittle hilly in spots"
Captain Fries called attention to the
discrimination of 81 per ton against
San Pedro as compared with san
Diego, San Francisco Portland and
Seattle thereby discouraging the
Southern California dealer because he
cannot compete with other localities.
The remedy as outlined by Captain
Fries, is, first ito extend Los Angeles
TO the water front by annexation or
g consolidation with San Pedro, Will
mington or Long Beach, or with all of
them. and by the erection and MAIN
tenance of municipal wharves.'
The circular speaks of Captain Fries
as urging agitation for a law per-
mitting consolidation of towns and
cities regardless of what charter they
u may have, but goes on to say that,
Il with the Southern Pacific in control
of the legislature and the boasts made
4 by some members of the legislature
= that they can and will block the pas
sage of every bill of that nature that
may be introduced, it is certain that
no action will be taken to give San
Pedro relief.
Corporations Accused
There is only one course to follow,
therefore, and that is to support the
present move being made to release a
portion of the city from the 1urisdic-
fion OF San Pedro, so that 1t may con-
solidate with Los Angeles and leave
the rest free to consolidate later on.
The committee charges the corpora
tions with trying TO influence the voter
Nv having its minions give out the
talk that the remaining portion win be
held for all the bonded indebtedness OF
the whole city, ana says lndl DliS eau
be refuted by reference to the law,
which distinctly states that he ex-
cluded territory must pay its proportion
OF all the Indebtedness Of the city prior
to exclusion.
The claim that San Pedro will have
10 paw a portion Of the debt of Los
Angeles for the owens river water
system is also denied and charged to
the same source as the other misstate-
n1ent of fact
The further advantages to be gained
nv consolidation with Los Angeles are
enumerated In the circular, and include
her terminal rates, which San Pedro
could never obtain, and a lower gas,
water Insurance and tax rate.
The appeal to the voter closes with
this paragraph: IF you think this IS
worth while, get out and work and
talk. FOR consolidation. We do not
need to wait and take chances on the
california legislature. We can do all
that Is necessary with the laws we
have now, and all for the normal ex-
nense Of holding two or three cleo
lions. Citizens Of San Pedro, It is up
n vou. II Is your move. Move straight
ahead and you win not regret It. II