The Washington herald., 1908-05-30
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

Special Correspondence The Washington Herald.
Los Angeles. Cal. May 1.-THE Los
Angeles Country Club IS getting ready 10
move It is the only country club in
America which Is migratory by habit. It
has moved before and II will move again.
because Il has 70 move 20 keep In the
country. Years ago. when the club was
first organized, Il went away out into
the rural districts. and established itself.
BY and by the city Of Los Angeles fol-
lowed It. and It was a country club in
name only SO the club cut up its
grounds into city lots. sold them for
fortune, and went miles away out into
the country. But the city Of Los Angeles
pursued It, The country club Is sur
rounded by paved streets and houses
regularly planted on 1o0-foot lots. II Is
no more in the country than the Madison
Square OF Manhattan. 1t is preparing to
sell out again. for greater fortune this
time and II will pitch its tent some
where five or six miles away from the
city
But the club is hopeless It has aban-
doned all idea OF a permanent home. It
knows II can find no rest from its wan
dering. Said the club, speaking through
one Of its members: 1--WE will try to find
place next time where we can stay for
eight OF ten years. We can't hope for
more, because If we went beyond the
city limits OF Los Angeles of 1920, we
would have to get so far away that il
would take nearly all day 10 90 and
come from tile club"
Country clubs live a precarious life in
this part Of the world. There is no OBJ
lection 10 clubs. but the descriptive
adjective country is like a red rag
10 a bull when waved in the face Of
city that doubles its population every
five or six years. Another country club
in Los Angeles whose members actually
want 10 play polo and golf, has under
taken the most elaborate precautions 70
prevent the city from swallowing it
whole. 1t has established itself in a deep
ravine which is protected on the city
side by a high mountain. The trolley
line will approach II on the outside OF
ing, country destroying trolley will be
permitted TO invade the sacred precincts.
By no means. The members Of the club
VIII alight from trolley cars in the face
Of a blank and forbidding cliff. They
win glance furtively about 70 see if
Frank Virgins OF any other agent OF
city extending chamber OF commerce is
about. II the coast Is clear, the club
member will dart quickly into q half
concealed opening IN the cliff II Is the
tunnel through the mountain which leads
10 the country club II is a private tun-
mel, 10 be used by members only. Even
so robust and all devOur!ng a city as
Los Angeles will hf 20 10 look alive If
II ever succeeds in a1turing this we'll
fortified country club
Nuestra Sonora Ia Reina de Los Ange-
les, as this city was called when Il was
a Spanish pueblo. is not an enemy Of the
good people who play golf and tennis.
But II is the implacable foe Of rural ter
ritory. II pounces upon farms and
orchards and transforms them into city
wards. IN carrying on this warfare
against the rural territory surrounding IL.
Los Angeles has grown more rapidly
than any other American city OF i'm
pOrtance. II has kept its growth up
steadily, and It intends TO keep It go
ing.
Los Angeles was hundred years old in
1850 It then boasted a population OF
n.O0O people. Five years later came the
new railroad which gave II transcontl-
mental transportation facilities. Apparent
| ly the first thing the railroad brought
was a regiment OF real estate agents and
a boom. Like the other town boorns OF
the SOS, things went too far and toe
| high. There was a great imitation and
then the bubble burst. But even after
the boom had collapsed. Los Angeles still
| had $1,000 people. which means that its
population was multiplied by five in five
years. The real estate agents were left
here when the bottom fell out Of the
boom. It was resolved that the good
work that had been done should not
/ perish.
/ SO IL came about that on the ruins OF
the boom was born the chamber of COM
merce. The men who went into that
organization proclaimed the doctrine OF
/ boost. They furthermore declared that
he who does not boost is an enemy 10 TIC
/ city. That was twenty years ago. The
/ chamber Of commerce has an infiuencC
greater than any other single organiza-
ton OF its kind in any American city
/ Boosting is the essence Of the life work
/ OF every Angeleno. A knecker Is not
permitted to live in the town This is
not q fanciful Characterization, II Is a
literal fact, that a resident Of Los An
geles who begins 10 knock" on the towr
/ is 50 completely ostracized that he must
J choose between exile and becoming {
pariah among his own people. The rec.
ord Of men who have been fired from
good jobs at the public request because
OF the heinous guilt OF '1znocking" is Z
/ long one in Los Angeles.
In the ten years between 1880 and 10
the city doubled in population-that is
| It reached the hundred thousand clas
with a few thousand 70 spare, accordin,
/ to the Federal census. Tho school censu,
\ taken this month shows a population o.
/ S04.00O-having tTipled in eight years. Fou
years ago a real estate agent put up
/ number of wooden for sale signs OF
/ vacant lots. On each was the bold In
/ scription: LOS Angeles, Population 200.
/ 900 in 1910" Some Of the signs are still
/ IN existence. but the painter has run
/ line through the 10000" and has painte,
beneath It $4,000" Few cities realiz
/ the ambitions of real estate agents a!
presented on for sale" signs within th'
! limit Of time fixed. Los Angeles has mad,
| even the optimism Of a real estate MAJ
seem like the conservative estimates O.
a property holder talking business witt
/ the assessor.
There may be those who viii say tha
/ the school census Is not good authority
/ Even II the enumeratOrs have Overstep-
/ ped the bounds a little bit. the United
! States Census Office has declared that The
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