Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-27
THE MAYORS REPLY.
He Defends Himself Against Mr.. Rees's
Attack.

Attack.
Mayor Hazard will today send vou-
minous communication to the council,
in reply to the charges made two weeks
ago by Councilman Rees. The mayor
takes Mr.. Rees's speech and replies to it
in detail. Some extracts from the docu-
ment are as follows:
In beginning he [Mr. Reesl says
"Since the last meeting OF the council
have carefully examined the message of
Mayor Hazard, which was read to us
last Monday, and must admit If
the statements therein were true the
members of this body should hang their
heads in shame" will ask Mr.. Rees
to be kind enough to point to a single
sentence of that message that is not
true, or if true would cause any men,
ber to hang his head in shame.
These are the statements made in the
message and not solitary one of which
he attempts to refute. Let us read:
SIN September, 1890, when the mayor
was member of the park commission,
he and others approved the demand OF
F. w. Chase for $95S .S5 for labor which
had been done at the instigation OF the
mayor and other park commissioners"
l.
mission in September, 1890, and had not
Been for long time, and in my COM
munication to the council OF September
Is, 1890, to which Mr.. Rees refers and
from which he quotes. showing that he
read that communication and must
therefore know the contents thereof,
state in so many words that "the board
OF park commissioners having organized
under the state law, of which board |
am not a member" He says that "on
September, 1890, the mayor and other
members OF the park commission ap-
, proved the demand of Mr.. Chase" | did
nothing OF the kind. was not a MEM
ber OF the board and had no control
over their actions.
am further charged with the viola
tion of the spirit and terms of the ordi-
nance establishing the emergency fund
in obtaining from that fund the sum of
$25, to assist in paying my expenses IN
going to Sacramento in the interest OF
the city, the objection being that Mayor
Hazard should have presented the bill
for expenses in the usual way, and not
establish such dangerous precedent for
other weak mortals to follow. l don't
think there is any danger of weak NOR
tails like Mr.. Rees following the prece-
dents made by me at that time, because
the $25 which l obtained of the city
was small part of the money paid out
on that trip. l paid the Southern Pa
ciic railroad
Return tickets for myself and wife. $ GO GO
Hotel bill. Golden Eagle, days 80 48 90
Incidentals on trip, including meals,
porter, hacks, etc., and incidentals- Is 90
Total 1888 90
The mayor than cites number of in
stances where he paid his official expen-
ses out of his own pocket, and tells the
story Of how he won the case OF De
Groot vs. the city.
The mayor concludes as follows:
If there ever was anything in regard
| to these Lockwood claims that / have
desired to suppress from any one, l have
never known 1t. My action in regard
thereto must be conclusive refutation
thereof. And if the charge made in that
report, which was adopted by your hon
orable body, is true that / withheld i'm
portant information from the city attor-
ney. freely confess that am unworthy
to occupy the position to which the
people OF the city have elected me, and
| ask that the report be returned to the
committee, and that be informed OF the
information | withheld.
That | may satisfy your honorable
body that its untrue, | submit in all
candor that am entitled to mod!fca-
/ ton OF that report or the Investigation
which suggest, and l hope your ideas
OF fairness will grant it.
The subject matter of his abuse OF me
is my veto message of the McLain de-
mand, and in no place in it has he the
manhood to copy solitary sentence in
that message. | have answered every
charge made against me as fully as the
circumstances will permit, and l can say
frankly that my conscience justifies me
in what have done in that behalf. /
concede to him the right to criticise,
but in the future hope that the truth
will constitute an essential element in
whatever he may have to say OF me.
Respectfully,
HENRY I. HAZARD, Mayor.
November %, 1891.