Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-04
VIGILANCE PRICE
OF FREE HARBOR
OUITCLAIMS AND QUARRELS
OUT OF PLACE
CORPORATION MAGNANlMITY
WITH A STRING
Hearing at Wilmington June 10 Will
Be Attended by Best Think
ers on the Great
Problem

According to the temper of the peo-
pie of Wilmington, as expressed at d
meeting of the committee in charge or
the arrangements for the harbor hear
ing last night, the fight against the
acceptance of quitclaims from any of
the owners of abutting tide lands will
be fought, if necessary, with a special
delegation from the city to the secre-
tary of war at Washington
Neither will the commercial organi-
cations permit themselves to be in
veigled into a disagreement on eS-
traneous matters in connection with
the harbor lines in order that APP
proval might be withheld by the secre-
tary.
In fact, If reports from Wilmington
are correct, the free harbor forces are
providing for possible deaths, resigna-
tions and every other form of mum
dane alterations.
The suggestion that differences
among the commercial organizations
may prevent the harbor is regarded
as more of an S. p. wish than anything
else Harbor defenders at Long Beach,
Wilmington, San Pedro and Los An
geles fail to see how any irreconcila-
BILE differences may arise unless they
are stimulated by corporation work.
ers If such differences arise they Will
be in conflict with the unanimous ap-
proval already given to Captain Fries
plans sent to Washington with tnac
unanimous approval last December. 80
far as can be ascertained, the COM
mercial organizations are still unanf-
mously behind Captain Fries and the
tentative lines to be established.
Already notifications of these plans
have been suggested. They are all re-
garded as mere matters of choice and
do not promise any break in the union
of interests.
The Main Thing
The main thing to be kept in mind in
the harbor fight is not so much the
inches and feet of the harbor lines, but
the prevention of any acceptance OF
uuitclaim deeds from any one to the
water surface involved. Under lts
right of eminent domain in determin-
ing the navigability of harbors that
| department through it's engineering
corps, has included hundreds of acres
of tide lands. In addition other nun
dreds are to be reclaimed by filling. In
all about 1900 acres of land are 10 pe
made useful for the people without the
| consent of any alleged tide land own
err These 1900 acres will furnish near
| Iv TWENTY-FIVE miles of water frontage
| by the construction of proper slips.
This will give the inner harbor I'M
mense capacity.
| And that is the whole bone of con-
| tention. The Southern Pacific and 9TH
or interests do not care a fig for the
general lines of the harbor, but they
hope, by having the government ac-
| cept their quitclaims to the wafer
surface, to prejudice the right or the
people to the lands included above hign
water. And that Is the contention tnat
must not be lost sight Of
The magnanimity of the S. P. does
not include its lands above high tide.
1t knows it can have no claim TO tne
water area or channels, but 1t hopes TO
retain the frontage and thus control
the harbor.
Effect Of QuitcIaims
The effect of the quitclaims would
he TO really estop the state or Caii1or-
MIA from wrestling them from the cor
porations. 1t would be practically an
adjudication by the war department ol
the limits of navigation under the ex-
ceptions in the two ranch grants, ana
its mower to determine all such ques-
tions generally, and would be an OBJ
stacle in the way of getting courts to
review.
The courts. it is held, would say:
"Of course these lands are not neces-
sary for navigation, because the gov
ernment, in accepting the quitclaims,
has declared they were not.
The attorney general of California
might hold to the same opinion ana
deny the right of the people or any
party at interest to use the name or
the state to wrest possession of the
harbor front from the corporations.
In other words, acceptance of the
ouitclaims only gives the enemies of
a free harbor an enlarged standing In
court in defending their alleged pat
ents to the tide lands in question.
Hearing in Two Weeks
The harbor hearing will be June is,
and the commercial organizations of
this city and the beach towns are max
ing ready for it. Little deviation from
the tentative lines is expected. No de-
Walton. in the opinion of most per-
sons conversant with the situation.
would jeopardize the legal status. But
most of the fighters for the free harbor
are cautions and do not intend to be
ambushed. Consequently the hearing
will be attended by most of the great
est thinkers on the harbor problem.
Wilmington is making special ar
rangements for the hearing and will
extend social courtesies as we'll as 9TH
ers. A committee is now at work on
~ faIn xxyf1 hn