Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-12

with his condition is not healthy
thing to establish or develop.
People are beginning to under
stand now that you cannot rob the
common people of their land and
the products of the land, by what
ever process, without retribution
swift and sure accompanying such
an act. We are told now by the
historians that it was not merely
the religious instinct which sent the
Puritans across the ocean, but it
was rather their objection to being
deprived of equitable land rights in
England which caused their feeling
of unrest to be insufferable and pre-
cipitated their voyage to a new
world
Punishment Is Certain
This may be true of other nations.
1t is not untrue so far as the race
from which 1 sprang is concerned.
And, therefore, whatever be the sys-
tem-be it monarchical, feudal, po-
litical or commercial--whic under
takes to throttle the industries Of
the common people, and deprive
them of the legitimate profits
of their exertions, 1t will ulti-
mately precipitate it's own pun
ishment. We here in Califor-
mia never understood, for in
stance, what a ripe, rich and lus-
Cious fruit the lemon was until the
traffic managers of the transcon-
tinental railroads exhibited upon
the tariff sheets their opinion of its
flavor, even before the saplings for
the coming year were put into the
ground.
The growth of this city has been
stupendous; from $4,000 in 1890 to
Iii he col
census and other reliable data sure
. ly indicate. And so consolidation
became the watchword of Los An
geles. It was a hard and stubborn
fight, inch by inch, against all man.
ner of obstacles. Los Angeles citi-
zens determined that they would
have an outlet for this great throb-
bling and bustling community, and
in spite of numerous difficulties
they passed through the state legis-
lature a bill empowering the cities
of San Pedro and Wilmington to
consolidate with the city of Los
Angeles. That bill was signed by
Governor Gillett, an honored guest
at this table, an act among many
others for which he is entitled to
our sincere gratitude.
Campaign Was Vigorous
Then the campaign for consolida-
ton was carried on vigorously in
both seaport towns. There was no
question as to what Los Angeles
thought of consolidation. The while
efforts were concentrated down
along the harbor lines TO offset the
efforts to delude the people into sup
posing that their interests could be
benefited by a continuation of the
system that was then in vogue.
When the votes were counted, the
city of Los Angeles recorded its APP
proVal by an enormous affirmative
vote at the rate of 100 to 1-some-
thing unparalleled in the history of
this city, which has a reputation of
pulling together a little bit more
unanimously than its neighbors.
San Pedro carried by vote of to
1, and Wilmington by a very safe
margin. And so we became as one.
The two smaller communities
need have no anxiety as to the
treatment they will receive from
their older fellow citizens. 1t may
be charged, and probably viii be
asserted vehemently in some neigh
borhoods, that there is no natural
harbor in San Pedro, and it would
be foolish to waste money except
IN comparatively moderate sums on
ports of second ana tnlrd classes.
ana that public sentiment would
favor only the highest developme 1t
of the great ports. If that Wer
the spirit whirll animated Los An
gees, we wou! sill. be a pue3'o To-
day, with the sheep pastures cross
ing the cattle trails and the va
ouero and sheep herder the most
Industrious citizens in the com
mln.ty; but Los Angeles early
ierrnnd that While nature, with It's
Wonderful climate, had been gen
or ~ IN many respects, in oth"r
deva.ls it was extremely nigga"dly'
Gave Aid to Nature
Accordingly, when the water sup
ply of Los Angeles threatened to
curtail its development entirely,
strong and willing hands reached
out over desert and mountain into
the heart of the Sierra Nevadas
and wrested from Mount Whitney
the waters that, inside of the noxt
four years will come gushing and
rushing down the Owens river
aaueduct, a project which we can
safely assert, as a municipal in
Vestment is comparatively on
level with the project of the Pana-
ma canal as a national enterprise.
The spirit which will bring the
waters across the desert is the
spirit that will make out of the
shortcomings of nature harbo: