Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-02
LOS ANGELES AS IT ISN'T

TOSH BILLINGS observation that 1t is bet
ter not to kno so menny things than to kno
- so menny things that amt so never had a
more direct application than to the Scranton Pal
Tribune Republican, whose issue of November Il
contains the most remarkable editorial description
this CITY has ever had and it has had good many.
The Scranton paper tells its readers that 1T might
be we'll to explain" and then it explains alter
this fashion 1--WE omit the unessentals):
The city seeks only those who have
plenty of money to spend.
"a promoter with project leading to
the establishment of an industry that would
be liable to attract the middle classes to the
city in any great numbers would receive
chilly welcome in Los Angeles.
1T is city of wealthy idlers.
"The people who have settled in Los An
eeles during the past decade will not be at
fected by any changes of government. Tariff
tinkering will not paralyze industries OF the
city.
"Everything in the line of living is high
in Los Angeles and everybody has the price.
"The people who supply the cash to run
the town made it somewhere else and they
have gone there to play.
"A few laboring people are necessary to
wait upon the wealthy tourists and perma-
nent settlers.
"The humble toiler in coarse working
garment does not cut much of figure.
Those who conduct the resort are press
agents without peers in the wide world"
To all of which this "resort" must first say
"Ouchp If the Scranton commentator had alb
sorbed his long-range information correctly Los
Angeles would be the most remarkable city OF
modern times and would be in fair way to back
ancient Babylon off the historical boards 1t ought
to be his ambition to see community OF 3l9 l90
in which $4,000 are wealthy iders and 1913 the
laborng people, and when he comes to crafty the
curiosity and sec the worlds largest collection of
fat-necks there is shock ready for him as great
as his own slap on our wrist.
He will find i'll a town that he says discourages
industry some 1850 manufacturing establishments
added employing $30000,0O0 of capital.
He will find harbor on which the people have
voted to spend ten millions of their own money to
promote trade and commerce. Its annual business
is now $65O000,000.
He will find the worlds greatest municipal
aqueduct building, at cost Of $23000OOO, for the
purpose largely of generating a vast amount of
hydroelectric power to attract and foster capital
invested in manufacturing and make more work
for the humble toiler in working gar
ments," who is already here by the thousands, and
in fact in the majority
est oil producing field in the world producing co.,
100000 barrels annually.
He will find here the western headquarters of
two of the great transcontinenta railway systems.
He will find wholesale trade with the south
west and Mexico of S300000000 annually.
He will find S200O0O00 being spent yearly for
buildings, the largest part of it for buildings to
provide for the growing business of the city.
If it is an offense to have in Our matchless eli
mate, in our twenty-five ever-bloomng parks, our
$3,500OOO good roads system, in our seaside re-
sorts and our beautiful hotels magnets that draw
of tourists and other thousands of we'll
to-do settlers we cannot hope to disarm the preu-
dice of our Pennsylvania critic. But must ask
him to pause and let this question have free course
through his mind and a candid answer at least to
himself:
What does he think keeps going the great en-
terprises that have briefly sketched in these
lines?