Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-11-15
ELECTION OF CITY OFFICERS.
Review of Jesse Butler.

EDITOR HERALD: Owing to my
extreme modesty took no part in
the debate on the subject submitted
to the meeting held in the County
Court room on Wednesday evening.
am not n lawyer, but L take a
great interest in our climate and L
assure you that 1 am heavily taxed
to live here; therefore, L trust that
since lost my opportunity to make
q brilliant speech on Wednesday
evening, you will allow me to blow
my bugle through the HERALD.
In the first place, the names of
many of those who called the meet
ing would not, on first appearance,
lead one to think that Butlerism
would be the result. But the SUBJ
ject considered and the tactics
which Butler and his little gang
employed to suppress intelligent
discussion, made it very apparent
that the old sore inflicted on Butler
when he was defeated for President
of the Council, was the handspring
of the movement. 1 am not partic-
ularly interested in the mode of
electing our city officials, but my
contempt for Butlerism provokes
me to remind Jesse's very few and
much deluded disciples that, were
it not for Buffers stupidity and
queer proclivities, the present City
Charter would protect the interests
of workingmen in q much greater
degree than it does. AT the time
the Charter was being revised a
proposition was made at one of the
Workingmen's meetings to have q
committee appointed to wait on the
parties revising the Charter and
insist on clause prohibiting the
contract system. The PROPOSE
tion was carried in opposi'
tion to Butler and Page, but Page,
who was Chairman, appointed
Butler and two Others less qualified
and when the Charter Com mittee
met, Butler alone limped into a cor
ner of their room and began to
bark on the Chinese and their en-
ployment on public works. He was
then informed that their employ
ment on public works was already
prohibited by city ordinance, and
the citizens who were OH the Char
ter. Committee being anxious tol
concede all the Workingmen asked
for, the substance of the ordinance
was inserted in the Charter. But
not one word did Butler say about
the contract system until the Char
ter was approved by the State Leg
islature and he became a member
of the Council. After that l will
leave it to others to imagine what
could provoke his wild opposition
to the contract system, even to the
extent of committing forgery. 1t is
not for me TO say whether he was
either a fool or q knave, or both,
but certain L am that on every
measure calculated to benefit the
workingmen he would tag some RI
diculous thing that would either
defeat its passage or prevent its eX-
ecution.
The manner of electing all our
city officials, particularly Chief of
Police. City Surveyor and Zanjero,
was fully considered before the
adoption of the present Charter,
but Butler, (Dam) contractor
Stephenson and the fellow with the
Republican sore throat may have
been viewing things from another
standpoint at that time.
The argument in favor of elect
ing our city officials as at present
is much stronger now than when
the Charter was adopted and the
city should not revise her Charter
to satisfy small faction of disap.
pointed politicians, organised with
passwords, grips and ugly grimaces.
They heed no arguments. Their
motives must be induced by either
spoils or revenge. n.