Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-03
WILMINGTON is
FOR ANNEXATION
CITIZENS EAGER TO DO WHAT
IS BEST, SAYS N. F. BREEN
AWAIT PROPER TIME FOR UNIT
ING WITH Los ANGELES
Leading Residents Of Nearby City
say They VIII Be Ready.
Views on Harbor
Affairs

"Within ten years all the section
along the beach between the bascule
arawbridge at Point Firmin will be in
side the limits of Los Angeles" said
N. f. Breen, trustee of Wilmington,
Yesterday. Mr.. Breen is regarded In
Wilmington as one of its most sub
stantial citizens and is as well quail
fed to voice the sentiment of the town
as any other resident. He was spoken
of by a fellow townsman as the one
man whom everybody swore by"
when the proper time comes" said
Mr.. Breen, there will be no trouble
about consolidation of Wilmington and
Los Angeles. Ali that Wilmington
asks for is for Los Angeles to get in
shane to accomplish things. We feel
that there has been general mis-
understanding about this. IL we
should disincorporate now Los Angeles
could not take us in and even If that
were possible Los Angeles could not at
this time construct and own wharves.
"I,os Angeles needs to secure legisla-
ton and charter amendments which
will put her in shape to receive a beach
ward. That is the next step. When 1t
is accomplished and you can come to
us with a definite proposition, backed
I'D with the ability to consolidate, l
am sure there will be no hesitation.
Wilmington Not AIoof
'"There seems to be in Los Angeles
general opinion that Wilmington is
sitting off aloof in an Independent and
surly attitude. That is not So we
want to co-operate; we realize that all
must work together, and that the har-
Dor question is not a thing for any
one interest or set of people. We know
that Los Angeles is the big business
center. On the other side we are down
here on the channel Neither can bring
the best results by standing alone. We
should all be willing and ought to work
together. It is something that involves
ali of Southern California.
Another thing in which we have not
been understood is the talk in some
of the papers that we are going to
give away everything down here and
tie up what opportunities we have to
special interests. Nothing of the sort.
We are not going to give anything
away. The fact that we shall open
bids October -, in connection with our
bond issue of 100000, simply means
that Wilmington intends to undertake
that much work in harbor improve
ment. The result will all be public;
the privileges will be municipality
owned. No private graft has any con-
troll over any part of it.
Wilmington wants t. do something.
We want to go ahead. and now is the
time to do j.; Don't you realize that
the Panama canal will be built in
few years, and there viii! be a big COM
merce coming this way? If we are
ready to take care of it we can hold it
here; if we are not prepared to handle
it, it will go by to San Francisco, and
some will not stop on this coast at all
if it cannot stop here. Ocean COM
merce that gets in the habit of stop
ping at one place likes to cling to that
port-if turned awaJ it is hard to pull
back. There is the big opportunity.
If we miss it we can never seize 1t
again and the time to get ready is
mighty short.
Eager to Get Busy
"Now, when / say that Wilmington
wants to be doing something-and you
will find that is the feeling of every
body in town. don't mean that we
want to go at 1t hastily or throw away
our opportunity by Jumping it off. Will
will not do anything like this.
What we may do is but little compared
with the whole proposition, but it will
fit in all right. Every little will help,
too, for, as Capt. Fries says, the time
to act is pretty short.
"As I say, and l think others here
will tell you the same, when Los An
geles is ready 1 am sure an election
in Wilmington will carry consolidation,
and in due time all this section will be
a part of Los Angeles, and we will
have down here a big shipping, ware
housing and manufacturing section of
one of the biggest cities in the coun-
try. Let 1t come. 1t will take time
we realize that-but let Los Angeles
get ready and you will find us ready,
too"
Mr.. Breen's view is shared by other
citizens of Wilmington.
81 think you will find the general
feeling Is not against consolidation
with Los Angeles" said F. S. Cary, |
cashier of the Bank of Wilmington. II
believe Wilmington will eventually be
a ward of Los Angeles, but before that
comes about the necessary steps must
be taken to permit Los Angeles to take
US in. She is not in position to do
that now, so the first steps must neces-
sarily be taken by Los Angeles. When
those are accomplished, then it is time
for Wilmington to move. After Los
Angeles does her part I am sure that
you will not be worrying about Will
mington."
Wilmington Ready
Other citizens concurred with those
views. 1t was pointed out by repre-
sentative business men in Wilmington
that disincorporation now, which they
believe good many Los Angeles vot-
ers favor on the part of Wilmington,
would but place the town at the mercy
IF the surrounding municipalities, and,
as one man pArased 1t, 1--WE have had
so many pokes and jabs from all sides
hat we are going to hang onto our
arms" But the general opinion was
hat when Los Angeles can make a
,lear-cut annexation proposition Will
nington will not play the hog"
The open opposition to a broad |
scheme OF harbor improvement seems |
% be limited now to two sources. One |
If these is Senator w. H. Savage. The |
,ther is a beach newspaper man who |
spends half his time writing screeds
against Los Angeles for a beach paper |
md the other half in preparing articles |
or Los Angeles daily booming har-
'or consolidation. He is not taken
by his fellow townsmen.
"Savage's scheme? That's easy."
aid San Pedro business man. "He
wants to be fixed when the legislature
ONES on SO that when all this move
nent for a fine harbor comes up and
sos Angeles asks for the proper legis-
ation-why, then, Savage wants to be
BILE to say, You had a meeting down
here; your. business men got together
nd passed ON what they wanted. 1t
5asn't anything like that. Here, I've