davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Imperial Valley press., 1938-04-24

up-tO-date farm buildings
The single road that ran thru
Ei Centro has been supplemented
by miles of streets, paved and un-
paved The desert trails that cross
ed Imperial county have been turn
ed into modern high-speed high
ways.
From an assessed valuation at
the time Of incorporation hardly
worth mentioning, El Centro has
grown to its present valuation of
IL millions. From an assessed vail
uation in 1907 Of less than four
millions, Imperial county has
grown to a valuation in 1888 of
SO millions.
BY trial and error, along a tedi-
Gus path, the cities and the coun-
ty felt their way through those 80
years. Crops were tried and aban-
doned and other crops were tried.
business houses were started and
few of them were abandoned. Year
by year Imperial Valley found out
what it could grow-and today it
llOl(lS lldllOlldl Iillk dlllollB OliC
richest agricultural areas of the
world.
So Imperial Valley pauses on
the brink of the first 80 + ears to
look-not backward, but forward
to greater development.
That Developments, already as
sured. will see hundreds of thous-
ands of additional acres under ir-
rigation, creating a vast eXpanse of
farm land from the San Diego
mountains to the Arizona state
line. Through the almost complet-
ed All American canal. the inland
empires water supply is assured
for all time. Through Boulder
Dam, it remains free from the men
ace of flood and drought.
The fabulous claims of the pio-
neers have come true. The vision
airy claims of their followers are
coming true now.
! Imperial Valley looks forward.
Imperial Valley press., 1938-04-24
Three Cities
incorporated
80 Yrs. Ago
FL Centric, CalexicC and
Brawley BallOted
On Same Day

Thirty years ago Arpll 10
three Imperial Valley COM
munities emerged from ado
lescence to become cities.
They were El Centro,
Brawley and CaleXico.
Little less than year be-
fore Ell Centro had been
made county seat. The COM
munity took on a mans job
before it reached its majority.
Seven days before the three in
corporations were made a matter
of record at Sacramento, voters in
the three communities balloted
separately to make each town
body polite or corporate formed
and authorized by law to all as
single person.
There were ia votes cast in Ell
Centre April 6. 1908, but the elec-
ton boards were watchful Eighty
"yes" votes were counted; II voted
nc. The rest were thrown out.
On the same day Brawley voted
34 to % for incorporation, and
Calexico voted 80 to 7.
Two months and four days later,
June 20, 1903. Holtville joined the
procession by a vote of Sc to A.
Ten days later her incorporation
was certified at Sacramento.
Other Incorporation
The fever of incorporation was
dormant then until April 16, 1919,
when Calipatria balloted to be-
come a corporate body. and then
again until June g. 1884, when a
bitter municipal fight at Westmor-
land-after one unsuccessful try
resulted in a 95 to 85 vote for in
corporation.
Imperial Valleys remaining in
co:pCrated town. Imperial, was the
mother city. Four years before
Brawley and CaleXico thought OF
incorporation, and before there
was such a town as Fl Centro, I'm
perial had voted 80 to 7 to be-
come a city, complete with city
trustees, sanitary systams-such as
they were-and municipal taxes.
Imperial was incorporated July 16
1904.
Met Requirements
To incorporate. city must have
a population of 500. Ell Centre,
Brawley and CaleXico each boast
ed more than that in 1908. A petit
ton must be signed by 25 per cent
of the landholders. All three Went
over in that respect, too
The Ell Centro incorporation his
tory is more or less typical of the
other two towns. Ell Centros petit
ton was presented. passed on and
approved by the board of super
visors Feb. 5, 1903. In March the
board gave notice of election. In
April the election was held.
From the beginning there was
not much doubt that the vote
would be favorable. Only in Braw-
ley was a campaign waged against
incorporation-and there it failed.
Imperial Valley press., 1938-04-24
RidiieuIe Changes
Citys Name

Ell Centre owes its present
name to newspaper ridicule. Its
first name was Cabarker, after
a RedlandS friend of w. +. Holt,
c. A. Barker. Because news
paper editor i'll Imperial dubbed
the place "Carbuncle", the
name was changed To III Centre,
the centcS.
Imperial Valley press., 1938-04-24

often TOO readytO fght at the drop OF nat AS co
sequence corporate not unscarred But through
its history the history of 30 years in Imperial
county.
From hamlet of little more than 500 when an ncor-
poraton taken 80 years Ell Centro has
to city of 10000 From spraWlng community of scat
tered homes and ranches, Imperial county has to
thriving agricultural empire OF 10000.
The three brick buildings that Ell Centre in those
first days have given away hundreds of business build
ngs homes and public offices The few adobe and straw
farm houses that dotted Imperial county have been
placed thousands of modern dwellings, surrounded by
Imperial Valley press., 1938-04-24
YEARS OF GROWTH
A Salute 70 Pioneers

pioneers this anniversary issue would
possible dedicated Without them there would be no Imperial
Valley Brawe CaXc Without them there would be
livelihood in Imperial Valley
gallant Valley everything
easy their victory the for it. No
bCdy story part it.
then. to the
Evening star., 1938-12-18
Capital Rehousng Promises Economy Taxpayers Deprecated
Initial Plans
Provide for
1,3OOHones
Price Limitation Is
Chief Problem
In Purchases

OF the housing is bad or Indifferent.
The arrests in the area, in 1888,
represented 2069 per cent of the
total for all precincts. The records
of Gallinger Hospital showed 20 per
cent OF the patients from the area;
33 per cent of the tuberculosis Hos
pital patients. In similar and even
larger proportions the percentage Of
costs for the various services showed
to disadvantage.
Summarizing, the statistics showed
that 81 ,483,145 out of appropriations
OF $6,542 1892 was spent for various
District services in the precinct, or
28!4 per cent. But these figures ac-
count not for l cent of public ap-
preparations for education, fire pro-
lection, public health, inspections
and other kinds of services. Official
records so kept as to break down
the costs of these services were not
in all instances available However,
the report concludes that 20 per
cent OF the s7,278,674 appropriated
for such services was spent in the
area. That would be $l,454,734.
Revenue derived from real estate
tax IN the area was s1,834,O48. The
revenues exceeded expenditures for
charity, crime and correction-the
known public expenditures - bv
only S35O,903.99. Indications are
That 20 per cent of other appro-
priations were spent in the pre-
clnct; but if the amount were ONLY
10 per cent the precincts share
would be s727 ,867. THAT is a highly
conservative estimate" the report
stated.
These figures leave out of con-
slderation absolutely no proportion
ate expenditure for public educa-
tlon, highways and recreation. These
three items in the 1888 budget re-
quired allotments of S17,O84.8O8. It
may, therefore, be stated with rea-
sonable accuracy, the report points
out, that the Districts annual bill
Tor bad housing in the precinct is
no less than s50O,0OO.
One of the great handicaps to
the A. D. A. in preparing to deal
"NsAA 'eoAAAAAS VIII SOlIlpleh housing
problem is the absence of an office
OF municipal information. Such an
once, requiring only small staff.
could furnish at short notice all the
required statistics bearing on all
the activities of the District gov
ernment. Included should be sta
tlstlcs kept up to date on the con-
dition of all housing, property val
ues, rentals and such items as could
be broken down for any immediate
project in mind.
The lack of easily available and
up-to-the-minute information of this
kind greatly hampered the A. D. A.
in preparing the mass of informa-
ton required in its application for
the first housing loan.
1t would be boon, indeed, to
any District Committee in Congress.
Evening star., 1938-12-18

Of change. He started out to be a
quick-shooting king of a broccoli
racket, but limitations In the vege-
table field turned him into pickle
baron whose position was threat
ened by the discovery of a cham
,pagne pickle in the Kentucky hills.
Here the authors ran into hill billy
music and the villain became once
and for all simple business mag
nate who writes Miss Lonely
Hearts" column on the side.
Thus the final draft of the show
sets the stage in Goth century New
York with a prologue showing the
purchase Of Manhattan Island from
the Indians. The original deed to
the island is uncovered and Uncle
Sam tries to collect back taxes from
1924. The Supreme Court declares
the taxes null and void, whereupon
AL the New Workers. Of ancient line
Evening star., 1938-12-18

GUS variety. They cite, for instance,
the time tenor in the cast pur-
loined taxicab shortly before cur
tain time and rode madly all over
the big city in which they were
playing, with the police and fran
tic business manager in hot pursuit.
A member of last years cast is
said completely to have won over
the engineer of their train last year
when he crawled into the engine cab
as they crossed the Appalachians
and serenaded the mans wife as
they passed his little home.
All this, together with the fact
that the club travels more than
5000 miles, visiting more than Is
big cities of the Eastern and Central
portion Of the country, conspired to
make the group well known to
everybody except . taxi driver In
Louisville, KY, who thinks the boys
Evening star., 1938-12-18

age, who had heatedly been deny
ing ownership of the documents, be-
gin a courtroom battle to get them
back. And within it all, of course,
is interviewer boy-meets-girl
theme.
AS an old lady in Kansas City
commented after last years show,
well, it's all very complex, but
weren't those boys cute?"
Incidentally, it should be pointed
out that because of the jubilee ma
ture of the production, a number of
the musical high lights from past
shows have been included. Some
of these are. Love and Dime"
EAST of the Sun and West of the
Moon" Living on Love" and Ships
That Pass in the Night"
Many Princetonians aver that
some Of tho Triangle Clubs best en-
tertainment Is Of the extemporane-
Evening star., 1938-12-18

are from Princeton, KY.
Members of the. club have been
guests of Presidents Theodore
Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson at the
White House and have even per-
formed before royalty. A jazz band
from the 1923-24 production,
brakes Drum" toured Europe and
played before King Alfonso of Spain.
The profits from the 1905-06 show,
"Tobasco Land" went to the relief
of sufferers in the San Francisco
earthquake.
Booth Harrington, '93, was respon-
sible for the name Triangle Club"
as member of the Princeton Dra-
matte Association, founded in 1888.
Annually since then the Triangle
has presented a show, with the sin
gle exception of 1918. At that time
many members Of the club were in
France and, according to the late
Evening star., 1938-12-18

ton and provisions of low-rent
housing.
Such a program will provide con-
tinuous work over many years be-
cause we cannot demolish all the
slums at once, but will have to do
the work gradually. Moreover, such
a program would be a great eco
nomic value by helping to stabilize
the building industry, providing
work of demolition and construction
that may be accelerated in slack
times"
That is along the lines of thinking
that prompts Secretary Harold l..
Ickes to advocate a small but con-
tinuous public works program that
can be lacked up in periods of de-
preston and slackened in better
times.
In the long run, the actual cost of
the slum program could be trans
ferred from a subsidy on rotten
housing. 1t wouldn't cost any more
to use the extra money spent on
meeting the cost of these blghted
areas as interest on capital to pro-
duce good housing conditions and
better environment.
In the central area of the city
heretofore cited, the $500,0 900 cost to
the taxpayers would provide housing
capital of sl60, 100000 at 3 per cent
But, of course, Mr.. Ihlder points out,
the fallacy of that is that no mat
ter how an area is changed for the
better, there will be still some crime
some disease, some poverty and
other attendant evils.
A safer way to state it is to say
that the cost of servicing this area
is equivalent to the interest on at
least $8O000,0OO of capital.
The study of this particular area
the old second precinct district-was
made by James Ring, now admin
istrative assistant of the A. D. A.
for the Public Utilities Commission
in reporting to Congress on rent
and housing conditions" 1t was
based in part on the real inventory
made in 1929 and on available mu-
nicipal statistics.
The area in question is one of the
Oldest in the city, spotted with good
housing and good business sections
The population is principally colored
1t contains 46 inhabited alleys. Most
Evening star., 1938-12-18

vate capital a further incentive to
build in the rundown sections of
the city and to restore dilapidated
housing to good condition.
At a recent meeting of local build
ers, Mr.. Ihlder said: The A. D. A.
will be glad if you can run us out
of business" Meanwhile, until pri-
vate capital provides an adequate
supply of decent housing at reason
ably low rentals for families in the
lowest income group, Government
must do the job.
Rotten housing today is at fever
height in Washington due to over
crowding," says Mr.. Ihlder.
when over-crowding in slum
dwellings has been overcome by hav-
ing an adequate supply of housing,
then there should be carried on a
balanced program of slum reclama-
Evening star., 1938-12-18

work means dollar saving and ulti-
mate economic advantage to both
the Federal Government and the
District of Columbia"
Studies of slum liabilities in such
cities as New York, Chicago, Cleve-
land, Philadelphia, and in the
smaller cities of the South and
West, are revelations in the loss
Of revenues and excessive costs of
servicing. Prepared by unsenti-
mental economists, these reports
seldom mention vice or disability.
unusually associated with such
studies in the past.
Instead" said a housing official,
they speak in terms of taxes. as
sessments, loans, receipts, losses,
profits and charges
Chicago in one year paid out
$3,200,000 to provide services for
blighted residential area. This
amount included the cost of schools,
police and fire protection, public
health, courts. prisons and all the
other services city provides. Three
years after the taxes we're due to
pay for these services $685. 900 had
been collected Cost of the area
to the taxpayers was five times the
income.
In Brooklyn, N. Y, the IL city
blocks cleared for the williamsburg
housing project had been a white
elephant on the hands of the city
government, eating up in municipal
services many times in excess of
the taxes collected
Philadelphia housing officials
made a study of blighted area
Of As acres with similar results.
They reported: "On the basis of
incomplete studies, the As acres of
slums show a maximum tax return,
if all are paid, of $67,329, and
minimum load of government costs
of 1886, 300, or net loss of $685.
470. That is, these As acres con-
sumo annually the tax returns from
more than $10,O0O,000 worth of other
city real estate. What must be the
cost for the larger areas of slums
in Philadelphia"
Birmingham, Ala, hit a terrific
wallop by the depression years, has
% distinct blighted areas covering
BIT city blocks. Twelve of these
Evening star., 1938-12-18

areas are occupied by colored fami-
lies and cover SAL blocks.
"On the basis of 1000 comparable
blocks" a report stated, "the city
spends about S2,500,OO0 annually, or
nearly one-half of its budget to
operate about 20 per cent on an
area basis" The per capita ex-
penditure in nine of the slum
blocks studied exceeds $50, exclusive
of schools, while the per capita ex-
penditure for the entire city at the
time was $1914.
One might run on indefinitely to
cite reports demonstrating the ex-
tent to which areas of slurns and
high frequency in crime, delin-
quency and disease enter into the
picture of municipal costs. Natur-
ally, the relief load is high in these
areas, as it is in Washington, but
Evening star., 1938-12-18

elsewhere, the equivalent demoh-
ton" clause in U. S. H. A. contracts
requires the elimination or at least
the repair of a slum unit.
The United States Housing Act
is tied in with the need of reliev-
ing unemployment in the building
trades. Estimates have been made
giving assurances that the initial
four housing projects in Washing
ton will employ 1,500 workmen.
There is no doubt that the full
amount of the program during the
next year or two will have a bene-
fetal effect on the local building
trades.
The new program is not a chal-
lenge for private builders to con-
struct decent, low-priced homes in
Washington. On the contrary, Mr..
Ihlder believes it should furnish pri-
Evening star., 1938-12-18

it is unfair to lay all this on bad
housing. On the contrary, fami-
lies of depleted incomes. on the way
to needing relief, naturally gravi-
tate to areas of bad housing to
take advantage of lower rents.
But the constantly mounting evi-
dence on economic costs is clearly
enough on the debit side of the
average city ledger. 1t leaves little
doubt as to the advisability of re-
habilitating slums for financial, If
for no other reasons.
All the slum areas in Washington
cannot be wiped out overnight, in
year, or maybe a score of years.
Due partly to the immediate costs
of demolition and rehousing there
must and should be gradual ap-
proach. For every new dwelling
erected under the program here and
Evening star., 1938-12-18
Princeton Thespians
Visit 16 Cities
for Holidays
By John Thomson.

In three Pullmans and a baggage
car, the famed Princeton Triangle
Club will roll into Washington
Wednesday accompanied by a
golden anniversary stage production
and a long list of social engage
mentS.
The play on the occasion of the
50th anniversary of the organization
is "One Over Lightly" which battle
scared veterans of some of the
clubs past visits hope will describe
it's general treatment of the Capital.
The show, to be presented here
Wednesday at $3.50 pm. at the
Belasco Theater, is high light
ed by intricate dance steps on roller
skates mastered by chorus of
husky athletes at the expense of
thuds, crashes and curses on the
stage at Prlnceton's McCarter The
ater.
A slight thread of scientific in
tellectualism has also been inserted
by Robert H. McClung, co-author
McClung, a biology senior who Is
writing a thesis on the caddis fly,
eventually succeeded in incorporat-
ing in the lines of the production an
essay on the "tri-sexual amoeba."
It was his frustrated desire to be
the curator of ZOO that led to the
setting of one of the most romantic
scenes in the play in the Central
Park Zoo.
Considerable labor pains and
number of false alarms attended the
birth of this years production, ac-
cording to reports from the organi-
zation.
First ideas of McClung, A. H. Leh-
mann, jr., '39, and R. r. Uhl, '89, the
authors, for the setting included
South Sea island with grass -skirted
maidens and brown skinned tar
zans, but practical difficulties neces-
STATED change of climate to near
er but less colorful Manhattan
Island.
The villain also was the subject
Evening star., 1938-12-18
TRIANGLE CLUB SHOW CELEBRATING GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY
Presidents and Kings
Have Seen Former
Productions

president of the university, John
Grier Hibben, war made for more
serious thoughts and efforts
Socially, the club is in much de-
mand. The members make excel
lent stays at debut dances and pro-
vide a few new faces in the COM
munity social whirls of their stop
ping places. The management re-
ports an average of three social
events at each port of call before
the crew returns to the campus to
recuperate.
This years production cost is esti-
mated at nearly $4,000, with $4,000
more set aside for railroad expenses
and another $4,000 for other ex-
penses of the journey.
It's friends like to think the Tri-
angle has influenced the professional
stage. They claim, for instance, that
in addition to supplying the movies
and legitimate theater with grad
uate talent, the 1913-14 production
of 'The Pursuit of Priscilla" set a
precedent for a series of plays deal
ing with houses situated on State
lines, as in Frank Bacon's Light
nin'." They also suggest that the
1856 performance of What q
Relief" ushered IN a series of satires
on the political administration.
To the movies the organization
has given Dick Foran, "a; James
Stewart, 80, and Phillips Holmes, 80.
Bretaigne Windust, 90; Joshua Lo-
gan, 81; Norris Houghton, 81; Jose
Ferrer, '33, and Charles Amt. 90,
have passed on to the legitimate
stage. Booth Harrington, Edward
H. Coffey, 20, and F. Scott Fitz-
gerald, IT, have represented the
club in the literary field.
AS the last preparations are being
made by the Princeton Club of
Washington by David Lawrence,
well-known columnist alumnus, and
by Miss Nancy Letter, prominent
member Of Washington society, to
provide the social engagements for
the members, the Triangle Club gets
ready to give the District the "Once
Over Lightly"
Evening star., 1938-12-18
Proctor
Continued From Page CAY

haps the largest which had been
brought together in our city up to
that time, except it may be at the
inauguration of Mr.. Jefferson.
"The Decatur Funeral
"The body of the commodore was
laid in the Barlow vault near the
south end of Kalorama. Its location
was between old Boundary street
(now Florida avenue) and Rock
Creek, and was about $50 feet west
of the street and 100 yards north
of the junction of the creek and road,
in fine grove of original forest
trees, in which I had passed many
a pleasant hour.
"I am not now sure, but I think
the funeral took place on Sunday,
and the whole population of Wash
ington, Georgetown and the adja-
cent country seemed to have poured
itself out to witness the ceremony"
The McLeans and Beales were
neighbors in Jackson place, WASH
ington Mclean residing at No. IA,
where he died December s, 1890. The
house had recently been occupied by
Gen. Anderson, and is still recalled
as the Schuyler Colfax house. 1t
was built by DR.. Ewen of the Navy
and at various times occupied by
three Secretaries of the Navy: Smith
Thompson, Sam L. Southard and
Levi D. Woodbury.. M. lie Comte de
Menou, Charge d'Affaires of France,
1922, and Sir Charles Vaughn, Min
lister of Great Britain, also resided
here. John C. Spences, >Secretary
of the Treasury; Vice President Col
fax and William c. Rives of Virginia,
grandfather of Amelia Rives, the
novelist. made their home here. 1t
was here, also, that Gen. Dan Sickles
resided when he mortally wounded
Philip Barton Key, whom he sus-
pected of flirting with his wife.
After John r. Mclean was mar
ried, october 7, 1884, he went on
wedding trip, from which he re-
turned to Washington the following
December. Following this he spent
season at the Gen. Beale residence,
after which he purchased the ia
nous Hamilton Fish house at 1900
I street, and 1t was here, on january
3, 1889, that he and his wife gave
children's fancy ball at their newly
acquired home, and party given on
Christmas Day for the young people
was a custom for many years there
after.
OF course the house was greatly
improved and enlarged and beauti-
fled, until it is, as we see it today,
hardly comparable at all to what
the old Hamilton Fish mansion
looked like. However, even before
this, 1t had been the palatial home
Of Gen. Edwin D. Morgan, a Sen
ator from New York, also a major
general in the Union Army during
the Civil War. A written account
says, in referring to one of the many
social functions held at his residence
during the period 1t was occupied
by Secretary Fish:
Mrs. Fish was attired as became
this scene, her years and her COM
plexion-in rich black silk, heavily
trimmed with lace, high cut, and
touched with pearls at the throat,
ears and wrists. was interested in
seeing how, without effort, she dis
posed of the long silken train of
her dress, which was always formid-
able and yet never got in the way;
it followed her will as perfectly as
the servant in monogram buttons,
and the dress of a novitiate flunkey,
who sounded the names and titles
at the drawing room door"
Evening star., 1938-12-18

haps the largest which had been
brought together in our city up to
that time, except it may be at the
Inauguration of Mr.. jefferson.