The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-11-09

he read the paper thoroughly. and on
page thirteen, concealed among the
classified advertisements, he discovered
this item:
"The seismographs registered a slight
earth shock In the vicinity of San Fran
cisco last night. No damage was
DONE
This story Is told apropos Of some
one who Is talking out loud In that
beautiful city Of Los Angeles. 1t ap'
pears that, in IN unguarded moment,
an editor asked the question: - what
is the matter with Los Angelesf" LII
he had not put that query no ono OUT
side Of California would have guessed
that it was possible for anything at all
ever to be the matter with Los Angeles.
If you shiver during a shower in Los
Angeles and thoughtlessly remark that
it is cold, tho lady on the front porch
with lips that arc blue will scornIully
reply. "I think it is very comfort
able. - Then you get hot at once, but
Won preservc discreet silence as you
observe other Angelinos edging their
chairs toward you from remote corners
of the porch, their eyes cleaning gent
| ly but firmly
But to return to our editor VINO Dc
came careless with his question MARKS
| To tho editor Of the Los Angeles hec-
ord, Mr.. Edmund Norton, makes 70
ply In part as follows;
| ,,. u..,on. .~Vhat n the
matter with Los Angeles?' Is almost as
| Important as that Of PLATE: mat 10
| truth2' -ho
Do the people really want TO know wha'
| Is the natter ~,.r
| The chief thing that is the matter with
| Los Angeles, the thing that is at INC
| bottom OF 80 per cent or all the I.st oliier
croolSedness, which are out ,n sgaip'JI'ns as
| Angeles Is theiland gambling Monte IaI 10
| OF tho United States. Everything ina
| is done in this city in n CIVIC way -
done with the purpose OF boosting INC
| It's civic bodies chambers OF commerce
| Improvement clubs, M. and NJ associa-
| tions, realty boards and even some OF
the churches, are using their efforts ms as
| Misunderstanding scores OF millions lor
the land gamblers of the san terh9nuo
valley-the municipal highway 10 the har ,
Dor, the intended free harbor itself, good
! government leagues, "ciy!c pride, and
acIty beautifuP' people are ell boosting
and 'cappIng' for the land gamblers
Not all consciously perhaps but never
| theess they are doing IT.
This city is-and has been for years
drunk. rotten drunk. on land gam6llng
But the morning Is coming and the DARK
brown taste is showing. the herce mead
ache VIII manifest nnd-as In other
forms OF drunkenness-the lower brain
will suffer worst and longest-the man
at the bottom, the unprotected mem
1 FlNfN arT
trying to cure the pain by pistol, poison
| gas. drowning. rope and locomotive
wheel. The majority OF these suicides
are social murders and every one OF US
| to just such an extent as we uphold this
rotten land gambling-ls responsible foI
tho facts In tho other Monte Carlo
the European one-when o man or woman
suicides, We hear Of II by cable and II
| furnishes a fine subject for sermon
on this slde-even in Los Angeles some
| times and splendid philippics. fulminat-
Ing to overflow with invective against
gambling-on the other side OF the wa
the land gambling deacon In tho front
pew smiles and smiles and then con-
| tributes some OF his income from his
Sandy Flat speculation TO raise the min
| ister's salary. After which he makes q
| speech and writes an article against the
wlckedness OF throwing dice at the cigar
stands for smokes.
These are not words-they are facts
| have studied this city many years.
| know OF what speak. I can bring the
| proofs TO any who are sober enough tc
want them. For six or seven years I have
| been presenting them TO clubs, civic bodies
| city councils and press. with no small
results. The sneer OF the cynlc the ridl-
cule OF the fool and the rebuff OF the
| thoughtless have been among my re-
| wards-also some social ostrac cism and
an occasional sideswipe Of the stilettc
| from n literary hunky. But I am not q
pessimist. Hiram Johnson and the peo.
pie behind him have opened the way fol
real popular rule In this state and city,
And more Of the same We sympa
thize with the editor who invited that
attack. Perhaps there is something tc
the charge that Los Angeles is a land
gambling Monte Carlo, but we do not
believe that this is any excuse for as
cribing all the sins in the calendar tc
the poor real estate agent or specula
tor. The language of the writer is in
temperate beyond the most liberal canor
Of plain speech, and is, of course, tc
be censured; but, nevertheless, the Joke
is on Los Angeles and its proficient
army OF careful concealers.