Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-01

CHARLES MASON, city clerk of
the San Pedro board OF trustees,
" has so far effectually blocked tne
..o,,nt IN dispose of the only pubic
49,. frontage now free on the east
side Of the channel through a htty-year
lease at $50 a year by refusing aDso-
intefv to sign the lease. Although JOIN
~ Gaffev and others interested prop-
ablv will begin legal proceedings "
nrevent contamination Of the lease az
a precautionary measure, ana CIty az,
torney Hewitt Of Los Angeles soy s,,n
his oninion such lease is clearly hs
gal fhe possibility of rushing II
through and thereby gaining Inaiil
point which lawyers consider uausSi
ous In any event. is prevented ~py t'ne
stand of Mr.. Mason. -, ;,
II am not going to sign the lease,
he said yesterday. "San PEDRO peopie
have been coming to me ana uIsiiis =
me not to. and / am convinced that 1t
is against the best interests OF tne ei'S'
80 / will not sign 1t.
This is aside from the matter Vi
consolidation. l. have been opposed
personally to consolidation with LOS
Angeles. and am now, for that matter'
buf In any event 1 could not see my
way clear to signing the lease. l. nave
not notified the trustees otnclaLy oI
s.
meeting. SO i suppose they will do
nothing until then. But II TINS tease
goes through it will be without my
signature"
Praise for Mason
San Pedro citizens kept City ClerN
Mason busy yesterday appealing TO MN
to step in the breach, as they reahZed
that his action could have great infiu-
ence on the future of the lease. ana, an
fact, the whole waterfront and wnarl-
age question in the next thirty Gays.
A. p. Fleming. secretary of the harbor
commission, and Willis H. Booth, pres
ident of the Los Angeles chamber OF
commerce, went to San PEDRO yester-
day afternoon to urge Mr.. Mason TO
refuse to sign the lease, but learned
that he had already made up his mlnd.
"There is a man with the right
stuff" said Mr.. Booth. "He can have
anv kind of assistance he may want
from Los Angeles to back MIN up.
There was a time when II took cour-
age to stand out and do the right
thing. and San Pedro ought to be
proud of him. Give Mr.. Mason full
credit for what he is doing"
Secretary Fleming concurred in this.
"I admire backbone at the right time"
said he, "and San Pedro Is getting a
good sample of it in her city clerk"
San Pedro citizens warmly commend
ed MIR. Mason for his stand. Their
opinion was the stronger through
tenser feeling on the Tease grab
brought about by an encounter yester-
day morning between leaders on OPP
nosite sides of the consolidation move
ment in San Pedro. An argument be-
tween E. d. Seward, secretary of the
san Pedro consolidation committee and
Trustee f. d. Foot in front of the lat
ter's office on Beacon street, near
sixth. started an incipient riot in which
Mr.. Foot was rather roughly handled
by consolidationists who quickly gath
cred.
Foot Strikes Seward
at is absolutely impossible to please
the people of San Pedro" said Foot
in the course of the argument
"You might try resigning," said
Seward The retort provoked more
heated contention, which was followed
by a blow from Foot. Others took
hand, and in the mixup Foot received
a severely bruised shin and hard blow
on the back of the neck Seward
emerged with a black and blue spot on
his left shoulder. and e. T. Troxler's
hand was so severely sprained that he
was assisted home. Seventy comba-
tants were engaged in the affair, which
was finally smoothed out by the police.
Trustee Root went home, and two
other members of the board are said to
have retired from the business section
until the atmosphere was cleared. The
police were called together at o'clock
yesterday afternoon for notification
that there was danger of violence from
the fishermen when they returned and
found what the lease meant to them.
and this gave rise to a rumor that fight
ing had broken out again. Although a
number of fishermen met In groups on
the street last night and excitedly dis