Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-06-18
THE PRETENDER

NTAYOR ALEXANDER'S states
N manIike move in blocking the
w game of the grabbing Southern
Pacific corporation at Fourth street.
between Central avenue and Alameda
street is applauded as well as APP
proved by all good citizens. The may
or is protecting public interests and
human life. Both from business and
humanitarian point of view his ac-
ton in forbidding the council to be-
tray the public to the corporation is
commendable and illustrates the Alex
ander grit in a way which is pleasing
to all who placed him in the RESPONSE
BILE office he holds. He is A MAN OF
BACKBONE.
The corporation gang is working with
determination worthy of better cause
in the effort to induce the council to
pass the Southern Pacific franchise or
dinance over the mayors veto, but the
councilmen who show preference for
interests" rather than public interest,
will find the people of Los Angeles are
WITH MAYOR ALEXANDER in this
controversy, and councilmen who OPP
pose the mayor and the people cannot
hope to escape the reckoning. They
will surely be called to account, mas
much as to work for the s. P. at this
juncture win be tantamount to aiding
and abetting that corporation in A
TRANSPARENT EFFORT TO OBJ
TAIN PROPERTY UNDER FALSE
PRETENSES.
1t is not the first time the Southern
Pacific company has played an adroit
game and awaited itself of temporary
circumstances in order to possess it
self of PERMANENT privileges, In San
Francisco the railroad corporation that
is now attempting to use the Elks'
visit as a blind from which to gun
for special favors and concessions made
similar use of the midwinter exposition
after the worlds fair at Chicago. An
attempt on the part of the S. p. to OBJ
tain long term franchises for emer-
gency tracks was defeated only by
constant vigilance and vigorous ac-
tivity on the part of good citizens and
honest newspapers.
Already, by making gross misrepre-
sensations, the Southern Pacific has
obtained from a foolish or corrupt
city council a piece Of property valued
at over 100000, the false pretense on
which the depot site was secured being
that it would SHORTLY CONSTRUCT
station in this city such as the i'm
portance of Los Angeles and the bust
ness of the Southern Pacific render
necessary.
The Herald repeats its question to
the members of the council:
Suppose, gentlemen, that in the
course of your business transactions
man had asked of you a great favor,
making you at the same time positive
promises as to what he would do in
consideration Of your granting his re-
quest. Suppose that on the faith of
these promises given you had granted
favor worth many thousand dollars
to the individual receiving it. Sup
pose this individual had defaulted in
carrying out his promises to you and
had made no effort whatever to deliver
the consideration which you were to
obtain for what you gave him. Sup
pose two years after making this de-
fault he had again come to you and
asked you to grant him another ia
vor. Would you grant such favor, al
though the request might be backed
up with the most positive showing of
it's business value to the person maxi
ing the request? Would you not, on
the contrary, say to the man:
No. you have deceived me. You have
defaulted on your promise. You have
shown that your word is unreliable.
You have failed to deliver the consider
alton which / was to receive for the
favor that 1 have already granted-a
favor worth thousands of dollars to
you. 1 shall grant you no more fa-
vors. 1 shall have nothing further to
do with you until you have put your
self in the position of an honest man
who respects his word by carrying out