Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-09
PLOT TO DEFEAT
FREE 1ARBOR
CONTINUED from Page One,

cast their ballots against consolidation
be worked out
With their usual tactic of working
secretly, the enemies of Greater Los
Angeles have dispatched TO San Fran
cisco a trusty representative to lay the
whole situation before w. F. Herrin
of the Southern Pacific company. That
this conference will take place today
is an open secret on the streets of San
Pedro. Who is the man intrusted to
inform Mr.. Herrin of the desperate
condition of the cooperative allies can
not be learned, but the consolidation
leaders realize taAat a man fully ac-
quainted with the situation has been
dispatched to consult with the South
ern Pacific chief.
Fear Influence of Money
No one doubts for a minute the re-
suit of Thursdays election If only the
honest opinions and views of the Vo-
ters impelled them to cast their ball
lots. Everyone in san Pedro recOg
nizes the inestimable benefits to be
derived from consolidation, though a
few, mainly from business reasons
and their connection with greedy cor
porations, are bitterly opposed to the
merger. If left to themselves, San
Pedro voters would cast a vote Thurs
day that would compare we'll with the
Overwhelming vote cast in Los Angeles
Wednesday, August 4. 1t is the un-
derhand work of the corporation and
their representatives that the consol-
idation leaders have to fear.
At the San Francisco conference the
enemies of the free harbor will en-
deavor to formulate a desperate plan
to defeat the known will of the voters
What this plan will be is probably un,
known to the corporations even, and
the consolidation leaders are totally
unprepared for the attack. They are
ready TO meet, as they have met In the
past, every honest and legitimate ar
gument against consolidation, and have
proven to every fair minded voter that
consolidation is not only desirable, but
absolutely necessary to the future
prosperity of San Pedro, and they have
answered every objection made by the
opponents, so it Is only underhand or
illegitimate attacks that are feared.
In the face of the storm of protests
that followed the recent attempts Of
the corporations to seize valuable fran
Chjses at San Pedro, it is considered
unlikely that the corporations would
descend to illegal methods to turn the
result of the election, but it is known
that the enemies of consolidation are
desperate and desperate methods will
b awaited.
Fight Sure to Be Warm
Edward Mahar superintendent of the
Banning company, has said publicly
that there are not more than 375 con-
solidatiOn votes in San Pedro. If the
enemies Of a free harbor have deluded
thmselyes by taking those figures as
a basis for their fight, it may be that
they will content themselves with an
open. abOveboard fight against consol-
idation, hoping to win in the count Of
the ballots by using their influence on
the Wo --ingmen to induce them,
through fear Of loss Of position or of
reduced wages, TO vote against the
plan to join San Pedro with the already
merged cities of Los Angeles and VIII
minGton
one dodge has already been tried on
laborlng men, one that was tried in
Wilmington with results already
known. Enthusiastic cOnsolidationists
are warned not to bet on the result of
the election, as their votes will be
challenged and their voices in the cleo
ton, which means so much to them
silenced by the willy enemy.
The flags for the san Pedro election
will be distributed to teams, automo-
biles, stores and boats in the bay
sometime tomorrow. The closing days
of the campaign promise to be very
warm for both sides of the great ques-
tion. As to whether the opposition
will get from cover in a day or so, or
depend on "infuence" at the eleventh
hour, remains to be seen.