Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-12
San Pedro Enthusiastic for
Consolidation
| RALLY DEVOLVES INTO RATlFI-
CATION OF VOTE
SPEAKERS REVIEW ADVANTAGES
OF FREE HARBOR
Chairman of the compagn Committee
Handles Vigorously Some of the
Arguments Advanced Against
Greater Los Angeles

I f there was any doubt in San Pedro
of the success of consolidation it
4 must have been dispelled by the
enthusiasm demonstrated at the closing
meeting of the campaign in the Audi
| torium theater of the harbor city last
night. At every opportunity presented
| by the speakers the audience showed
| by cheers and applause the earnest
/ feeling that union between Los An
g, geles and San Pedro for the building
of a magnificent harbor is PROPOSE
ton San Pedro will emphatically rati-
| fy today.
The meeting was, in fact, turned into
an advance ratification of the vote for
consolidation today.
! Dr. w. a. Weldon, chairman of the
| San PEDRO consolidation committee,
presided. On the table where the
speaker stood was the motto in large
| letters stand for the right" and that
was the sentiment of the meeting.
President Scott Speaks
Joseph Scott, the first speaker said
| that he was surprised to find on his
return to Los Angeles from an east
ern trip that it was definitely rumored
that laboring men were expected to be
| afraid to vote. about twenty years
ago." he said, 1--WE fellows who car
ried the hod felt that our consciences
were the only things we really mad.
Now, boys, don't let your employers
rob you of your consciences.
II have no quarrel with the men N'no
are fighting us in the open, who come
out sduarely for their opinions, but
there is another class of men, and l
am ashamed to think of them as being
IN this community. If it is fact that
there is a man low enough to deprive
II r,F 11ass hnRa1ICG
members of her family had the courage
TO vote according to their convictions,
such a man is not fit to be allowed to
retain the right of casting an Amer
lean ballot.
Points Opportunity
"Now is the time, if there are any
! such employers in San Pedro, to show
them that you are made of American
stuff"
"Our Mayor" was the introduction
Mr. Weldon gave for George AleXan-
der, and the man who will be mayor
of the consolidated city within ten days
was accorded tremendous lemonstra-
tion by the San Pedro citizens as the
official head of Los Angeles. The cheers
lasted so long that "Uncle George
nearly decided that the audience would
make all the talk, that was necessary.
Los Angeles has been true friend
. TO san IHuIO ever SlilNC 1 iiehNb iAsS'a
in the city, or for twenty-five years
he said. "What would the harbor be
now if ii wasn't for Los Angeles? You
would have had just what you had
twenty years ago, and that wasn't
much. The harbor would have been
over at Santa Monica; you would not
have had as many people as there are
In this hall tonight.
/ Los Angeles and her city officials
and her citizens mean to do everything
they have promised you. When has
there been q time when Los Angeles
hasn't been for San Pedro?
Yoke Thrown of
"The time has passed when Los An
geles will ever again wear the Southern
Pacific collar. So l ask you, fellow
citizens, don't miss the best chance
you ever had to be somebody"
Don't you think you will sleep
sounder tomorrow night" asked T. b.
/ Gibbon in his speech, IF you know
| that your harbor is forever free and
safe under the charter of Los Angeles
from the spoliation of these self-seek-
ing private interests"
! NIr. Gibbon prophesied that consoll-
dation will make a setting about the
harbor as Southern California's com
mercal gateway of the greatest city on
| the Pacific coast within ten years
time He contrasted the forces aligned
! on opposing sides of the consolidation
question, and showed how the Southern
Pacific had fought the development OF
San Pedro. on this line he cited seV-
eral out of many instances where the
Southern Pacific representatives had
| attacked san Pedro, such as the state
ment made at washington by the rail-
/ roads chief engineer, William Hood,
/ that San Pedro's harbor had no hold
irer Ground. the assertion of the railroad
officiaIs to congress that san Pedro
harbor was so unsafe that in time OF
storm ships were obliged TO hurry
around the point to anchor in the pro-
tecting safety of santa Monica pay.
Reviews Benefits
Mr Gibbon showed that half the
money sDent on the long wharf at san
+a Monica. had the Southern aPcitic
desired to improve the harbor, would
have been sufficient to dredge the chan
mel to az depth of thirty-five feet clear
| through into the inner harbor and TO
provide ample landing room for the
/ boats of the Pacific Mail, which the
/ Southern Pacific has never allowed 10
/ stop at the harbor. Instead of being
! friend of the harbor. as the opponents
1 of consolidation are arguing, the
! Southern Pacific has not even spent
/ dollar to deepen the harbor entrance.
The speaker called attention to the
/ limited time open to prepare for the
| flood of commerce certain TO come
| through the Panama canal, and char
acterized consolidation as the taking
/ counsel by neighbors of the best meth
| cd to open the natural gateway for
/ this commerce. He reviewed the addl-
tionaI benefits which will come to San
! Pedro with consolidation, lower gas,
! electric lights and water rates, ternin-