Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-23

held by the former state executive, re-
| ceived as rapt attention as that ac-
corded Mr.. Pardee. Lawyerlike, Mr..
Short gave his views with all the vigor
his forceful, if not sarcastic mind and
| tongue could express. Also he said
nice. things about the chamber of COM
merce and gave it and it's members
deserved credit as being the chief in
strumentality through which has been
achieved the wonderful growth and de-
velopment of Los Angeles.
"The bills pending before congress"
he said, constitute the most eXtraor-
binary collection of geological freaks
ever exhibited to the American people.
1--WE have been told tina, this cru
sade for the exercise of centralized
power by the federal government is a
crusade in the interests Of the people
and represents popular government |
say this is the most extraordinary mis-
statement that was ever scattered
broadcast in any country The powers
now exercised by the people of dozen
states, of hundreds of free chartered
cities, instead of being exercised by
the people themselves in their own
way, is to be asserted and exercised
with no restraint of law and limited
by his own discretion by one man.
Yet we are told that this is self gov
ernment and in the interests of the
people"
In closing the attorney urged the
life and acts of Washington, who pos
sessed the opportunity to take to him
self autocratic powers, and did not, as
fit example for we of today to pat
tern after.
The retiring president. Willis II.
Booth, in his valedictory address,
spoke eioquently on the subjects most
dear to the hearts of Los Angeles peo-
ple-the harbor, the aqueduct, fortifl-
cations, development. etc, and said:
zone year ago tonight the directors,
to whom YOU had intrusted the eXecu-
tive responsibilities of this organiza-
tion, undertook their work, promising
you, and through you to this fair city
of ours, the best that they had of time,
strength and ability. Tonight they
render an account of that stewardship.
They have had a busy year, but l Will
be as brief as possible.
1.-THE hopes of last year are the real
tiles of today, and Los Angeles is on
the map as a great seaboard city.
Many strong men, working in different
spheres to a common end, and sup
ported by a loyal citizenship, accom-
pIished our city's ambition. All praise
and glory to them. But the work is
only just begun. We must keep our
pledge and vote the harbor bonds, but
we must be true to the city. Public
policy demands that those purely self
ish interests which would even now
tie the hands of our great harbor
commission and our city administration
by endeavoring to exact promises as to
the details of the harbor improvements,
long before it is possible for our exec
utive bodies to be in possession of all
of the facts, must be utterly dlscred-
tied.
1.-THE appropriations which the rivers
and harbors bill, now before congress,
will carry will enable the engineer to
complete the gap between the break
water and the mainland and dredge
the channel to thirty feet of depth up
to and including the turning basin.
This will enable us to accommodate
any ship that sails the Pacific, and our
maritime commerce will increase great
ly at once.
"Our great aqueduct is making won
derful progress, but we are approach
ing an important situation. The de-
yelopment of the power is an abso-