Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-19

act from congress giving the people
congressional authority.
"3. By organizing a state govern
ment under the law of 1853, known
as the Pico law.
Must Decide on Method
"At a state division convention held
in Los Angeles in 1881, this third plan
was adopted on a report OF commit
tee of lawyers, among whom were C.
e. Thorn. A. M. stephens, H. T. Haz-
ard, Anson Brunson and s. C. Hubbell,
of whom all named, except Judge
Brunson, are alive. Captain Thom
was a member of the legislature which
passed the Pico law.
This action was supplemented by
the board OF supervisors of San Diego
county, in 1898, calling for a joint su-
perVisoral convention of the southern
counties to complete the work of di-
vision under the Pico law, by author
iZing a vote for delegates to a consti-
tutional and nominating convention at
general election to be followed by
state organization and application to
congress. To this proposition River
side county alone agreed. The propo-
sition is on file with all the southern
/ boards except that of Imperial county,
/ which was created since. The Pico
law undoubtedly gives authority for
| this plan. It is not contrary TO any
law and is agreeable to the federal
constitution.
"The committee (Which will meet
today has no other duty than to call
a convention, according to its instruc-
tions, of delegates from the various
civic bodies of Los Angeles county. 1t
undoubtedly will be the main business
Of that convention to decide on which
plan to pursue but, whichever may
be adopted. it will be pushed with
vigor in the Los Angeles way to COM
pletion."
Club Goes on Record
Anxious to go on record in the mat
ter of the proposed division OF the
state, the Good Government club of
precinct No. 179 last night passed the
following resolutions:
Whereas, the state board of equali-
cation, through the acts and votes of
three members thereof, said members
representing the districts of central
and northern California, with an evil
dent spirit of sectional bias and con-
trary to all sense of justice In equity,
has fixed upon the fourteen counties
of the southern district an enormous
and arbitrary increase in the assessed
valuation of property therein, and be-
cause of such increase of valuation
(being $16S, 900, 900 increase in Los An
geles county alone, and forty to one
hundred per cent in other counties),
the fourteen southern counties COM
prising the southern district, are to be
burdened with a grossly unjust and
disproportionate share of the state tax
alton; therefore, be 1t
"Resolved, by the Good Government
club of precinct No. 179 of the city of
Los Angeles, that we protest against
the action of said board of equaliza-
tion as being flagrantly partial, a vio-
lation Of amity between sections con-
fiscatory and a corruption Of powers;
and, be it further
Equalizers' Action Condemned
Resolved, that this assault upon the
rights and property of the people Of
the southern portion of the state is
detrimental to the continued growth of
Southern California, and all of Cali
fornia, not only because Of the injus-
tice wrought specifically to the south
ern district, but also because of the
stigma attached to the whole state by
the reckless acts of three men empha-
sizing their tremendous power, from
whose abuse of some there is no ap-
peal; and, be it further
"Resolved, that we have no quarrel
with the people of the central and
northern part of the state, the major
ity of whom we believe to be fair
minded citizens who will discounte-
nance and condemn the vicious abuse
of power by the three men, who, un-
fortunately, represent them on the
state board of equalization, and have
brought disrepute upon the state of
California as a place to acquire prop
erty and pursue the business and vo-
cations of life: therefore, be it further
"Resolved, that the acts complained
of and existing are intolerable to a
self-respecting people, and we declare
the time has arrived when the state
of California should be divided into
two states"