Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-05-15
CITY OF Los ANGELES
lContinued from first pace

hear some of you say: How can
they tax the people heavy enough to
keep up such heavy expenses, what
are their resources?" | will say
that that question | have worked on
one year to solve. I'll admit that /
am like the man from Missouri, /
had to be shown. l took a trip down
in one of the valleys on an alfalfa
ranch to see how they raised alfalfa,
and found them raising 10 to II tons
to the acre, and it was worth on the
ground $1,000 per ton. l find that
man can on 40 acres support a
dairy of so cows. They run in con-
nection with the dairy about 100
hogs to use the milk, and the two to-
gether will net rancher $4,000 an
nually. Then we turn to the lima
bean raisers and get out among them,
and find them worth anywhere from
100000 to millionaires also the
raising of the sugar beet is a good
paying crop. l had the pleasure of
seeing the bill for a mans crop of
oranges, over $1,000 per acre; vege-
tables are high and pay well. Just
now | know of man who has 80
acres of onions that will net him not
less than 81, 900 per acre. Some of
them go as far as New York. About
through shipping now, and the ranch
er is getting the same ground ready
for a crop of corn, two crops in one
year. Is it any wonder that we see
such wealth on every hand, in the
country as well as the city. | had
the pleasure to hear a banker from
the same state that l am from speak
ing before the city club say that if
it were not for the eastern men COM
ing here from such states as Iowa
sitter they had made their wealth and
spending it here, building up these
great enterprises, and developing the
country it would still be dessert,
with nothing but small village To-
Gated on lit. The only thing that he
gave them credit for was that they
had the best climate in the world,
and he was only to glad to be here
and be able to enjoy it. How little
he knew of the true condition Of
things. l wish that the same man
could have been to the Iowa state
picnic held annually on the 22nd day
of February, and met as we did over
10000 Iowa people, ana a happier
bunch l have never been among.
We were at the Minnesota state
picnic Feb. 18th, which is also held
annually. There was but a small
gathering, perhaps six thousand.
There are but few here from that
state, and we meet but a few in our
travels. 1t seems as if the people
in general have dread of that state.
nesota, he is about as much of a cur
iosity as the monkeys in the eyes OF
the children at the zoo.
But / must mention the agricultur-
al park before close, and the per-
son that comes to this city and does
not visi. it misses one of the great
sights to be seen here. There is a
nice mile race track, and it is sight
every morning to see the horses out
in training. Horses from all over
the United States are here to spend
the winter, and they seem to enjoy
it as much as their drivers. But
that is not what | intended to tell
you about. In this park there is a
sunken garden of five acres in a
square, and facing this garden on
either side are four buildings, one
built by the government, one by the
state, one by the county, and one by
the city. / measured one of them
and it was over seven hundred feet
long, and if each were struggling for
a prize, it seems as if there was not
one thing left out that would have
added any beauty. ! am al loss to
say which is the most beautiful. And
as | was looking at them the thought
ran through my mind, where on
earth but in the west would they
to build such costly build
ngs, and | can't help but think of
what my banker friend from Iowa
3aid, and how sadly he was mistaken,
20 think that the money the tourists
eft built up this and ether similar
artistic as we'll as useful buildings.
And there is another story that
have often heard, and that is that
here is no natural scenery here.
Nothing could be farther from the
ruth than this. / will net try to
argue the case, but will tell you of
lust a trip or two that interested us
beyond words of pen. Only short
1'me ago, we decided to go to Cata-
ina Island. We took car to San
Pedro, then a boat for the island.
Ne got nicely started, perhaps ten
niles out. when some of the pas
'engers said: What is that?" And
here to our right, about forty rods
away, we saw a great dark looking |
object lying on the water; some one
iaid that is a whale. And just then !
he spouted. We begged the captain |
If the boat TO change his course and
BRING us UP closer to it so we could |
get a good look, which he did. In |
our eyes it seemed as large as the !
elephant does to the boy at the first
,ircus, and we were ready to swear |
hat it was one hundred feet long, |
)ut the captain thought between six
" and eighty. We had nice trip |
he rest Of the way. We spent the
balance of the day riding in glass
,ottomed boats, looking down in the |
itep, blue waters, seeing the many |
lifferent fishes and shells, all sight |
worth seeing. Roaming around on /
he mountains of the island, until 1t |
vas time to go TO the boat that was
O carry us back home. On our trip !
Jack the water was rough, and there |
we're many on board who were feed
ne the fishes from their hearty din
Ter all the way across. We had seen
he ocean, the valley, and we were
lot satisfied until we had taken