Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-22
PROGRAM CONCEIVED
BY SAVAGE CARRIED
OUT TO BITTER END
ANTI-C0NS0LIpATI0N CROWD
MEETS LEGISLATORS
Lengthy Harangues Delivered by the
Senator and Mayor of Long Beach
Against Measures Now
Pending

Senator Savage'S prearranged pro-
gram was carried out to the letter yes
terday when the committee of legisla-
tors who were to inspect San Pedro
harbor were met at Wilmington by
Frank Karr, attorney for the Southern
Pacific, and Ed Mahar, the Banning
representative, and hustled aboard the
Banning tug Warrior. With Karr and
Mahar were M. Duffy, J. A. Weldt,
Charles Pearson and Charles Mason,
city officials.
After completing the circuit of the
haTbor the Warrior was brought up
alongside Of the Fifth street landing at
San Pedro, where the party was joined
by the official committee of the anti
consolidationists. Savage and his CO.
horts then escorted the legislators on
trip to Point Firmin, q; few miles dis
tant, in a car specially engaged by the
opponents of consolidation.
1t was easy to see that Savage hoped
to make a favorable impression on the
members of the committee for the pUr
pose of gaining their support against
the consolidation bill when it is brought
up in the legislature for final action.
He utilized every available minute ad-
vancing arguments in favor of the
cause he represents. Several of the
legislators on various occasions at
tempted to turn the conversation into
other channels, but Savage kept on.
Airs His oratory
After viewing the scenery around
Point Firmin the members of the COM
mittee were taken back to San Pedro,
where an elaborate spread had been
arranged in their honor. From this
spread the representative San PedranS
HerI4 fO7.
ton were barred. Nobody was invited
except known Observation-Disclosures
This dinner gave Savage another oppor-
tunity to exert his OratOrical ability,
and the legislators were compelled to
sit for three-quarterS of an hour and
listen to abuse of fellow townsmen VINO
had dared to stand up against the
Southern Pacific machine and the liquor
interests.
In the course of his harangue Savage
declared he had secured the pledged
support of twenty-five members of the
senate against the consolidation bill,
and expected to have no difficulty in
defeating it. Why he was putting up
this fight for the interests Savage failed
to explain, but from the expressions on
the faces of number of the legislators
it was plain to see that they did not be-
Heve he was doing it for naught.
1t was the consensus of opinion in
san Pedro last night that If the anti
consolidationists ever had been in a
position to dictate the result Of the fight
they had lost what little prestige they
had through their actions yesterday.
Public Opinion Reused
1t was generally held by those who
have been taking a disinterested stand
at the harbor city that the crudity
of Savage's operations will sound the
death knell of the anti-consolidatiOn
faction, and they believe he will find
it difficult to gain the support of any
of the members of the committee who
visited the city yesterday. One or two
members who might have felt favor
ably inclined toward him, it is claimed,
will now be afraid to support him in
his final fight against the conSolida-
tiOn, fearing to league themselves with
any move that has the taint of the
Southern Pacific machine about it.
At 8 o'clock in the afternoon the leg
islators left in a special car for Long
Beach. They had for company Mayor
Windham of Long Beach, who attend
ed the San Pedro dinner and declared
himself in an address in favor of the
defeat of the consolidation bill He
attended at the personal invitation of
Savage.
1t was apparent that in inviting the
mayor of Long Beach Savage reasoned
that a talk against consolidation by
an outsider would have considerable
weight with the legislators. The COM
mittee will visit Whittier today and
probably will return to Sacramento to-
morrow.