Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-19
REFUTE CIRCULARS OF
OPPONENTS To BONDS
City Officials Point Out the Weak
Spots in EIeventh-Hour
Attack

Circulars attacking the propose
nond issues were distributed fror
house to house in several districts o
the city yesterday. Seemingly the
had no effect; men who took the trou
bic to read them at all regarding tn
move as a huge Joke.
Friends of the bonds, however, fel
that even so palpable a canard shoul
not be permitted to pass unchallenge
and consequently City Attorney Lesli
r.. Hewitt and w. b. Mathews, attor
ney for the aqueduct commission, is
sued the following statement In rofr
tation:
An eleventh hour circular, pur-
porting to be Issued in the name of
an Improvement association In the
northern portion OF Boyle Heights,
and advising the voters TO oppose
the harbor and power bonds, was
circulated throughout the city yes
terday.
The very fact thut the distribu-
tion of this circular was delayed
until there would be no opportunity
for the people who might see II to
test the accuracy of the state
ments it contained, clearly shows
bad faith and a purpose to de-
ceive, on tho part Of those respon-
sible for its issuance. IL the pur-
pose of its authors was to en-
tighten the voters of the city on
the merits of the proposition to
authorize the issue of the harbor
and power bonds they would hard
ly have waited until the day before
the election to promulgate 1t, but
would have appealed to the voters
early in the campaign, which has
been going on for several weeks.
The circular is tissue of false
hood. In the first place, 1t seeks
to convey the idea that the power
companies are conspiring with the
city officials to have these harbor
and power bonds issued so as to
cripple the city's credit No one
with ability to think or read will
give credit for one moment to any
such assertion. The attitude of the
power companies with reference to
the development of power along
the line of the aqueduct Is, as is
generally known, that of opposi-
ton in self interest. To claim the
contrary is to seek to perpetrate
on the voters a huge joke, which
should not even amuse, much less
mislead, them.
Again, the circular makes the
point that the issuance of the power
and harbor bonds will operate to
prevent the completion of the aque-
duct by eXhausting the city's
credit. This also is a false state
ment. The city of Los Angeles has
at the present moment 4 margin
of about $12,000,000 bonding power
over and above all existing indebt-
edness to be created In construct
ing the aqueduct. In other words,
the addition Of the proposed indebt-
edness for the power and harbor
development to the present indebt-
edness of the city, plus all the
bonds yet to be issued for the COM
pletion of the aqueduct, would still
leave a margin IF several millions
of dollars of bonding power which
the city could use for other pur-
poses. These figures, moreover.
are based on last years valuation
of property within the old city
limits, amounting to $277,251, SIT.
Since the last assessment was made
the increase of property values in
the city has been enormous, as
everyone knows, and, besides, the
cities of San Pedro, Wilmington
and Hollywood, together with an
extensive area OF unincorporated
territory have been brought with
in the boundaries of Los Angeles.
All this means that the assessed
valuation of property in Greater
Los Angeles this year will prob
ably exceed 1910, 600. These fig
ures not only completely refute but
render absolutely ridiculous the as
sertion contained in the circular
that the issue of power and harbor
ponds will exceed tho bonding
power of the city.
LESLIE r. HEWITT,
City attorney.
w. B. MATTHEWS,
Attorney for aqucduct commission.