Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-10-18
THE NEW CHARTER.
The TOilers of the City Oppose

The TOilers of the City Oppose
1t.
EDITORS Misunderstanding you for
the stand taken against the proposed
new Charter, beg you to consider and
with you, your many readers, the follow
ing additional, vital objections to that
instrument, on the part Of the working
men Of our good city: The centraliza-
ton of power by giving only nine
representatives, for about ninety
thousands inhabitants, while the old
Charter gave us fifteen Councilmen for
fifteen thousand, is grave objection OF
omission and commission in reducing our
representation in the Council, from one
in one thousand, down to one Council
man only, for ten thousand and you
know that as our population will very
soon double up in number, it will then
give us only one representative in the
Council for twenty thousand souls, and
there is 10 excuse for this vast reduction,
for any common Council chamber
could just as we'll accommodate
eighteen men as nine for legislators,
for all classes and all interests in this
city, as to limit it to nine men, five, six
or seven of which are made actual die
latols on the start, by having an unlim-
tied power on licenses, and over all the
executive departments of this city; even
over the veto of the Mayor and all ques-
tions coming up, including finance.
And how about license? 1t gives power
for Council to tax by license "all occu-
pations." Only think, Mr.. Editor, this
not only takes you in, but every printer,
reporter and operator of your office of
any other kind; and if they do not in
clude every man and woman of call
occupations" the entire license system
falls to the ground, for the law of the
State allows no discrimination, and it
will take in the women as well as every
the incipient millionaire, who has no
occupation, but lives on his money, is
the only person, man or woman, that
can escape this unprecedented, this
monstrous, this unheard of license!
Are we ready for all this depletion Of
the power of the people; to limit the
power Of such a minority representation
that are actually enjoined and instructed,
to become tyrannical cabal on the very
start of their omnipotent reign? And
are not the people as well qualified to
elect their own Chief OF Police, Health
Officer, and other heads of departments !;
as are these few. with their irresponsible
committees, so far removed from the peo-
pie, and only acting as an aggregation Of
power for that little Council?
And why was the clause of the old
Charter left out, that prevented the
Chinese from working on city contracts !;
and then so much pains taken to empha-
size, that all work for city shall be by
contract, and that to the lowest bidder !?
Suppose the law of the State to be ex-
plicit on this point; would it deface the
new Charter to reiterate this law and
confirm and assure it to the working
men without having to litigate with the
Council or with contractors on such a
law, after it has been violated and after
the contractor has his pay, and it shall
weaken the working element by throw
ing them out of work, and make the re-
covery Of the money to the city impos-
sible?
And have right to state by authority
that can any time can be given,
that the ministerial virtue and morality,
mixed to-be select, non-partisan ticket
for the city election, are ready to push
thro' this oppressive and one-side Char
ter, so as to heal all the past violation OF
good law, and make this city another
Eden, ''Demi Paradise" even if it has to
be done at the expense of the working
mems and woman's rights; and the vio-
lation of all fairness, in the division OF
the city into its new, one-sided wards,
designated in the Charter. A morality
to be promoted and perpetuated by deny
ing and violating the rights of the work.
ing classes, and grinding them down in
the dust, by the competition this Charter
enforCes upon them with Chinese labor :?
We shall see!
The working element is rising now to
stay, in this city and woe to the tyrants
that it shall grind into powder, if it takes
all summer and dry winter or
two! It has foundation now
that it never had before, in the city,
State and Nation; in it's trades unions.
and it's gallant Knights, composed of
the fathers, mothers, brothers and sis
ters of the people, of the builders of the
Nation without whose right hands and
patriotic hearts it would long since have
gone down in secession, anarchy, dis
grace and darkness. And this element
must be, will be and shall be heard and
felt in the close hereafter!
We will give you morality and good
laws, and we will help you enforce them,
but you must not despise us, and you
shall not conquer nor suppress us, gentle
men of the bar, of the other bar, or of
the pulpit!
We will thank you to give us this much
space, kind editor, for the Central Labor
Conference of the K. of Land Labor
Unions. JESSE II. BUTLER, President.
Los Angeles, October 16, 1888.
lit is regretted that the above letter