Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-12
DEPOT MISSING

I" HERE is the new railway station
w that was to occupy that por-
ton of Fifth street from the
east line of Central avenue to the en-
trance of the Arcade depot and to take
up also the place occupied by the old
Arcade? Where is this magnificent new
depot that was to be a credit to Los
Angeles. to California and the south-
west? Brave words were uttered by
representatives of the Southern Pacific
when FOUR YEARS AGO they came
before the council and begged for a
depot site. Many readers remember
these brave words The newspapers at
the time reported the promises made by
the Southern Pacific. Judge Mckinley
in behalf of the Hartman corporation
said It proposed to erect station that
would be simply MAGNIFICENT and
a credit to Los Angeles. No one can
pretend the present structure is a cred
it to Los Angeles. When the train of
the sanguiue tourist rolls into it, his
heart sinks so rapidly that when he
lands in Los Angeles 1t is sloshing
around in one of his boots. He has to
get far, far away from the melancholy
sordld, depressing influences Of the Ar
cade depot before he chirks up and
thinks that after all California is not
the Arcade depot, and is not owned by
Hartman.
When the Hartman influence wears
off the tourist begins to be sociable and
afable, and TO appreciate the unrivaled
exceIences of the n-Harrimanized part
of Los Angeles.
But present conditions at the Arcade
are decidedly dampenlng, and are there
fore decidedly detrimental to Los An
geles, which should not advertise in
glowing terms in all the eastern maya
zines, and then welcome the coming
guest with a nervous chill produced by
the Noah's Ark-ade depot.
Ever since the council-which at that
time itself was we'll Harrimanized-
granted the request of the Southern
Pacific and upon its promises and rep
resentation GAVE AWAY, DELIV-
Erred UP, HANDED OVER, MADE A
PRESENT OF, land worth hundreds Of
thousands of dollars, the city of Los
Angeles has been waiting for the ma
terialization of the Southern Pacific
dreams, for the fulfillment of the South
ern Pacific promises, for the keeping of
the Southern Pacific pledge of honor.
But since the city must wait. 1t is
we'll it should not wait in silence.
Mayor Alexander's action in breaking
the silence with a review of the situa-
ton, followed by some sharp interro-
cation points, is highly popular He
has done exactly what citizens of Los
Angeles wished to have done. Since the
whole city en- masse could not jack up
the Southern Pacific, the mayor, as the
representative of the city, has done
this work and has done 1t well. And
the council has ably followed his
lead by taking steps to ask Mr.. Harri-
man what he is going to do about it."
If we were suffering from a Harri-
manized council, at the exact point of
the transfer of the mayors message to
the city's deliberative body there would
have been room for despair. But
since the council represents the peo-
pie of Los Angeles it will take meas
ures to compel the Southern Pacific to
keep it's promises to Los Angeles, and if
it should prove reluctant or unwilling
to keep these promises, then it is surely
a self-evident proposition that the bar
gain or agreement by which the Harri-
man interest obtained control of the
Fifth street property becomes null and
void, and the city without delay must
resume possession of the property out
of the temporary possession of which il
was cozened by Hartman and his allies
in a late unlamented council.
The Southern Pacifc's free occupa'
ton of valuable city property repre-
sents nothing more-and nothing less
than railroad domination in city poll
tics, and the day of railway domination
is over. If the Southern Pacific does
not mean to keep its promise, then II
must restore to the city the Fifth street