Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-07
RENEW CONTEST
FOR FREE PORT
CONSOLI LIDATl0NISTS TURN TO
SAN PEDRO
Committees Continue Campaign to Sc.
cure Third City to Form Greater
Los AngeIes--FinaI Rally
Planned

The splendid success attained by the
consolidation forces in the Wilmington
election has made friends of the great
free harbor and Greater Los Angeles
confident that San Pedro will vote
overwhelmingly in favor of consolida-
ton at the election Thursday.
But the campaign is being carried on
with characteristic energy on the part
of the consolidation committees of Los
Angeles and San Pedro, and even
though flushed with victory achieved
in the first battle, no spirit of overcon-
f1dence is being shown anywhere in the
ranks of the friends of the measure.
In the San Pedro fight consultations
lists realize they will have determined
opposition on the part of the corpora
tions through agents in the harbor city
to contend against, and every move of
the opposition will be watched. At
headquarters in the Chamber of Com
merce building the report was received
yesterday from San Pedro that op-
ponents of the measure were urging
voters in the harbor city to vote
against consolidation. on the ground
that it would be wise to wait for two
years and see if Los Angeles kept the
promises made to Wilmington, and also
to see if consolidation proved a real
benefit to Wilmington.
Suicide to Wait
This advice was not received with
favor by the thinking classes of San
Pedro, who could see readily that If
San Pedro waited two years to come
into Los Angeles, Wilmington by that
time would be the seaport, with a deep
harbor and commerce that could never
be taken from it; that factories and
Industries located at the head of the
inner harbor would be located perma-
nently there, and that portion of the
ton
would be so far in advance of San Pc
dro that the latter could never regain
its prestige and would be completely
sidetracked in the march of progress
why, it would be absolutely sui
cidal for San Pedro to refuse to come
in now,", said a large property holder
of San Pedro yesterday. This man, by
ings before the Wilmington election
"San Pedro would be completely off
the commercial map if it failed to avail
| itself of the benefits of consolidation
since Wilmington has joined with Los
| Angeles. The inner harbor could be
developed in a few years, and all the
| shipping would go to that place, which
would mean that all of the business
would be centered there. San Pedro
would be left in the clutches of the cor
| porations, but with no business and
absolutely no commerce of Importance.
| The town would be simply WnlStllng
post for the steamers passing up to the
| real harbor. Wilmington has forty-two
streets extending to the bay, and now
that the town has voted to consolidate
with, Los Angeles, there is no danger
| of power ever being given to corpora
| tions to bottle up the harbor at that
place"
To Hold Final Rally
The sentiments of the speaker are
shared today by scores of men in San
Pedro who formerly thought that San
Pedro would refuse to consolidate with
Los Angeles. But the map of the bay
already has been changed, and the i'm
provements that will be made in the
| inner harbor as quickly as possible will
| make a port at Wilmington that the
world soon will know.
Arrangements are being perfected
| for the grand mass meeting and rally
at San Pedro next Tuesday night, when
! the consolidation forces will close their
campaign. This meeting will be the
largest of the entire campaign, and will
be attended by hundreds of voters in
San Pedro and many friends of con-
! snlidation in this city.