May 24, 1958
By Keith Thursby
Times staff writer
A day after saying Los Angeles could lose the Dodgers if voters don’t back a plan to build a stadium in Chavez Ravine, National League President Warren Giles turned politician. He played both sides of the fence.
Giles insisted to a Times reporter that he wasn’t threatening Los Angeles or making an ultimatum when he suggested that a defeat of Prop. B in the June 3 election would mean National League owners would work to find the Dodgers a new city. Preferably one that wanted to build a new stadium.
"All I am doing is stating the facts," Giles told The Times’ Frank Finch. "I am not presumptuous enough to indicate how the citizens of Los Angeles should vote."
Of course not.
In the same story, Giles said there would be no difficulty in finding a new city for the Dodgers to call home. He wouldn’t get specific, but the story mentioned Minneapolis, Houston and Toronto as prospects.
Meanwhile, the issue seemed to bring out the best in two of Los Angeles’ best quotes, Mayor Norris Poulson and City Councilman Patrick McGee.
"Los Angeles would be the laughingstock of the nation if we went back on our word," said Poulson. And in the other corner, here’s McGee: "Giles’ threat is an insult to the intelligence of the people of the city of Los Angeles."
