Year: 1872



 To he Eiitor of &e Arizona Miner:

 Railroads.

 Here come again with "fcw remarks !" about railroads. The principal sensation, since the date of my last, has grown out of the somewhat serious consideration ot the railroad situation and its bearing upon the interests of this city and county. The busi- ness men of Los Angeles are not less remark able for their enterprise than for their strange infatuation for railroads, and this latter innu- ence, fear, they permit, at times: to carry them beyond the limits of discretion. mass meeting of our citizens was held on Saturday under the auspices of Gen. Banning and others, for the purpose of feeling the public pulse and ascertaining to what extent the railroad fever had laid hold on the pop ular vitals. The Ners publishes the result of the meeting, at length, from which you will readily perceive that, under the influence of crafty railroad men, the great mass of the Stanford. That the people have found the project of substituting the Central-instead of the more feasible road on the 35th or 32d parallel-is entirely owing to the manner in which the few control the many here. The orators of the meeting were au for the Cen tral yoke, and three-fourths of them were professional railroad men. In their speeches they strained every extreme ad captaRdum Uulgus and they were successful. Instance the speech of Gen. V. Howard: He would not give aid to a road from which he must expect a return 'at the end of ten years" Now it did appear that the 35th parallel road was not guilty of any outrage against oho fics term of ten years within which the road should be completed. But the General did not suggest the possibility of that road being completed in four or five years. But it was not necessary for the orators of the occasion to explain the why or the wherefore Of anything. The people assembled, ready to swallow anything of the railroad persua- sion which might be supplied by MT. Ban ring and few other interested gentlemen, although while they voted unanimously for the resolutions adopted, and cheered tue very name of Stanford, they cannot tell why the Central road should be extended here, and be subsidized in preference to the south crn routes or either of them. I expect, however, that before this matter is brought up for final decision, the people will have thought the matter over in their own way, and will be prepared to meet their fattcrers on an equal footing and repulsc their offers at the points of common sense.

 Public Speakers

 There is nobody who does not like to sit and listen to a good public speaker The man or woman who cannot appreciate eio- quencc--if any such there be-has no soul, and ought to improve the earliest opportunity of committing suicide. I can partly forgive the unlettered man who will enlist himself under the banner of an eloquent talker, even though his own interests should suffer by such devotion. There is no gift born to man which gives him a greater advantage above his fellow than the superior gift of gab." Los Angeles has a few of those good takers. She can double discount Arizona in the mat ter of public speakers. Governor Downey is an average speaker in point of fuency, and more than average in point of wit and com mon sense.

 spcct a very superior public speaker-elo- quent as any man eau wish to be, and pos- sessed, besides of q powerful voice, he is just the man to carry his point in any ordinary crowd. employs terms which are very frequently an ofciHiatOu tot 0u otulidi SetuCotou.

 E. D. Wilson is as fluent as a scared turkey, and would bewildcr any shorthand reporter in the country by his inordinate rapidity, but he lacks force.

 have not heard Ganahl spout" any. His forensic eloquence is said to be superior to that at the command of any other person in the State, and even on the "stump" he is said to have few compeers.

 Of General Mcdonnell it is said that he has the most discriminating mind in the State and is the ablest logican on the Pacific Coast.

 On the whole, Los Angeles lacks not talent to secure its prosperity and lasting pre-emi- hence.

 Personal.

 E. J. Cook is in town, but will start, in company with F. Ganahl, for San Francisco, on Wednesday, have kind of subtle sus- picion that MT. Cook will perfect matrino- nial enterprise before he again sets foot on the eastern shore of the Colorado-which is why remark that you should be thinking about the same matter in your '-old age"