Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-01
REAL FIGURES
GIVEN VOTERS
If Annexation Is Defeated All the Benz
efits VIII Go to Railroads and
None to People, Says
Fleming

The consolidation campaign commit
tee of Los Angeles mailed the follow
ing letter, signed by Chairman A. p
Fleming, yesterday to every qualified
voter in Wilmington:
"You are a voter and perhaps a tax
payer, and of course you are interest
ed in the welfare of Wilmington;
therefore be on your guard. Consider
carefully the arguments used to get
you to vote against consolidation with
Los Angeles.
1.-The very latest scheme is the state
ment by the would-be controllers OF
Wilmington that the map Of San Pc
dro harbor was gotten out by the Los
Angeles consolidation committee. This
is not true. John T. Gaffey of the San
Pedro consolidation committee is re-
sponsible for it, and it is purely and
simply an educational move upon the
part of the board of trade of San Pc
dro. These statements are made for
the purpose of exciting your Jealousy
and envy toward your neighbor city
and to instill in your minds distrust
as to the pledges made you by the con-
solidation committee of Los Angeles
and approved by the city council and
all leading civic organizations and all
of the leading newspapers. No pledge
was ever made in better faith, nor was
any pledge ever better supported, and
every promise in the report of this
committee will be fulfilled to the let
ter.
1.-The parties making these state
ments do not believe them, but they
hope to deceive you and get possession
of your city government so they can
control the improvements you ara
making and reap all of the advantages
of the expenditure of the 100000 for
which you mortgaged your homes. The
corporations propose to make you pay
a heavy tax and they to reap the BEN
eft.
"San Pedro, under corporation rule.
is absolutely without any improved
harbor frontage.
The government has expended
on the harbor about .......,.S4, 500, 900. 90
The city receives from the cor
porations for the privilege of
building wharyes and collect
ing tolls ..................,.. $4,000
Which IS the entire amount
received by the city for use
of the harbor
wharves ,.,.,,.......,....,..... s1SIa5o.oo
Upon this investment they col
lected from the public. .,...., 637,6S1. so
Deduct for handling lumber.... 153,9S6G7
Leaving net to the corporations $48S, S95 %
Now, while the city gets ......, S4,l2o 90
.Tbe corporations get .......... 4S3,S9593
''You are told your harbor improve
ment is worth $500OO per year. 1t
ought to be, but if the corporations
succeed in deceiving you so that you
vote against consolidation they will
lease this frontage the same as they
have at San Pedro, and at the rate
they pay there the city will receive $50
per year for term of fifty years, and
at the same rate charged by San Pc
dro for license authorizing them to
collect wharf fees and dockage under
the rule of the corporations, Whining
ton would receive an annual income of
SOL 55 for her St00, 900 investment.
Look out for the man crying stop
theft He Is only trying to detract
your attention from the real issue.
"Vote for consolidation, and receive
all of the rights and benefits now ac-
corded to the citizens of the greatest
and best governed city in the United
States"