Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-06-11
The Her.,d,s Position.

Inc HERALD mas fault win recent state
ment of the Times that there Is one saloon in
Los Angeles for every 300 people. Our con
temporary says there Is only one for every 371
people--fgnring on a population OF 10000.
We calculated on the more modest basis of
65,000, but, granting that the HERALD is cor
rect, does II mean to assert that one saloon for
every 40 families is not too many? The
HKRsLD's = Intentions may be of the best, but IL
Is ra9tdly creating the impression that It is the
official organ of the saloon keepers and gam
blers.-IIimes.
The HERALD's position is and has been
simply this: 1t has had little to say on
this subject, excepting when it finds
exaggerated statements and false repre-
sentations of the moral condition of this
city going the rounds of the press all
over the State and Nation. The HERALD
feels that these outgivings are not calcu-
lated to impress people favorably, and to
encourage them to seek our gates as
place of residence. BY fair and per-
fectly candid statement OF the
situation as it seems to us, we
have endeavored to put our
city before the outside world in more
favorable light than that shed on her
by our esteemed contemporary and by its
Republican colleagues. We care moth
ing about the matter so far as our own
people are concerned; for even those who
aid and abet the Republican press of this
city in this Incorporate crusade, discount
all that is said on the subject. They
know it TO be gross exaggeration, and
they are well advised as to the reasons
for this p Icy.
We say we have little to say about this
matter, not because the HERALD is any
body's "oiiicial organ" That, it declines
to be, and scorns to be. The HERALD
conceives that its first duty is to the in
terests OF this city and section. 1t finds
the city in remarkably encouraging
condition morally for place of eighty
thousand people. The HERALD declines
to be made red flag or yellow flag 10
warn people away from here as from a
moral pestilence. That is the course the
HERALD is pursuing. 1t is simple; it is
consistent; it is right.
In another paragraph our neighbol
says:
Nothing has appeared in the Times stronger
than this senter ce from the Grand Jury's re
port: "Investigation shows glaring corruption
In the police force: thousands of collars arc
collected as hush money for gambling houses
and divided among persons unknown to tho
+, committee viii our estimable colleague, the
HERALD, assert that this is also an unfounded
} partisan statement, made for political effect?
In regard to the Grand Jury we say
and with all due respect to that body o.
distinguished gentlemen, that their re-
port has caused no end of laughter in this
community. While there are many things
in that report which are most admirable
there is also much that is unwise ant
incorrect.
AS to gambling the Grand Jury sci
forth distinctly where they got their in
formation. 1t was from the respected
President OF the Council, who sneezes
when the Times takes snuff Oh this sub
ject. If reports are correct,-a we be
lieve they are,-,he President of the
Council gets "pointers" on the game;
from one OF those vile and loathesomt
creatures who live Off Of the earnings o
fallen women. 1t is hardly possible
that the Times, the President o
the Council or the Grand Jury know o
their own knowledge anything abou
gam bling. We do not. We believe ther,
is good deal Of it going on here. There
always has been. AS there is Law
against it, that law should be enforced
We think the present Chief Of Police hai
done more in this direction than any O
his predecessors ever did. We be
lieve that when the inside history
of this business is known al
it will be, and when the part each mar
in the Police Commission has played il
it is made public, some OF those doughty
Quixotic knights OF purity who are max
ing such a hubbub about it will be
ashamed