The herald., 1896-02-29
Merchants Association
Listens to Speeches
VERY LEARNED DISCUSSION
q. ]. Griffiths Reads an Inter-
esting Paper
T. W. BROTHERTON ALSO SPEAKS
Some Appropriate Remarks by Abbot
Kinney
T. W. BROTHERT0N ALSO SPEAKS
Lines Along Which Reform In Local Gov
ernment Can Be Reached
Some Very Able Suggestions in Direction of
Change in the Methods OF AS
sessment and Taxation.
The Talks

Municipal reform was the very impor
tant subject that received discussion las
evening at the meeting of the Merchants
association, which was held i'll the Assem-
bly, rooms of the chamber of commerce.
1t was an interesting and profitable top
ic, for certainly none is more timely.
N Herman w. Frank, in calling the NEE
ing to order shortly after s p. M, al
nounced that the subject which had bea
selected was the one of taxation. MI
Frank said that as business men they Al
realized that 1t was of vital importaIc'
that taxation should be justly handed
He then introduced G. j. Griffith, seceta
~ of the Citizens league, who had pre-
pared brief paper upon the topic nde
debate.
Mr.. Griffith was received with appAue'
He spoke as follows:
G. ]. GRIFFITH'S SPEECH
Mr.. President and gentlemen u the
Merchants association.-The taxryers OF
this community are confronted b con-
dition of public affairs which imtratively
demands their attention. 1t reques no ar
XuIll6ut OE COAtODtiOll W CotooAiG !
of this statement. 1t is already itaolisheei
and is patent to everybody. one us
putes that our taxes are too eavy; tna1
the public service is inefficientnd lrcom-
petent; that the systems i Voeue are
complex and cumbersome 40 costly IN
operation; that horde of eopie Is EN-
ployed to perform duties tina under petter
systems, could be done mrn more sats-
factorily by q smaller nuper at greatly
reduced cost, and that all ETts OF the puo,
lie service are encumbereS hampereu ana
annoyed by numberlessln slnconvenlences
and extravagances. 1t isot 10 the PROOF
of the existence of the evils that we
should direct our attentiA, but instead to
the solution of the prciem OF their cor
rection.
1t is useless to attems any Improvement
under existing laws. Inc only posslnie
means by which to efct change for the
better ia to revise II laws under which
local Governments a, conducted, particu-
IarIv the city charte and this is no easy
fasE. 1t cannot beaccomplished by any
hanhazard r,oyemit, but only by thor
oueh understandinof the subject by the
movers and an aged plan OF acton, care
fully arranged az auJus'eu peiore co,ii'
mencing work "a 9nem zen systelHatica1aS ne Mitisans
ieaane. assistedby other organizations,
tried this work ome two years ago, but
the cor,n,;ttea wing the matter in charge
did not hold ,teadfastly to the funda-
mental ideas hich they believed in, in.
stating on the adoption or nothing, so in
the end somef them presented the absurd
spectacle Of opposing the adoption OF
thev had iemselves been instrument
tai 0f cirse the effort resulted in
Sa;i,ra evi though one of the best coun-
oils th;s III ever had lent its assistance to
the woek
,7srsss TO AMEND THE CHATTER
belye that it is useless to try to re.
model q charter as long as the council is
con,nosd of men elected on party lines.
do notIlean by this to impugn the motives
nor te,ast a doubt upon the honesty of
anv an or set of men. What / do mean
ia at I believe that in order fol
a IAN to obtain party nom
inaon for the council, and after that
to be elected, he is compelled tc
ME concessions and promises to poll
tians that positively prevent him from
flthering or favoring any proposition thai
I'll reduce the patronage or weaken the
over of those same politicians on whom
o depends for his nomination, and, in 9
considerable measure, for his election. l
believe that these circumstances will ef-
prevent the adoption of any
measures that will tend to improve cur
public affairs. / therefore believe thai it
is the duty of the rieht-meaning citizens of
Los Angeles to do two things. The first of
these duties is to elect a mayor and coun-
Gil regardless of party lines and affiliations,
pledged to bring about amendments to the
charter that will prevent extravaganza,
waste, inefficiency and corruption in
the future, even if the city government
should again fall into bad hands. IL view
of the fact that no amendments 10 the
charter can be made operative in time to
make any changes in the city government
during the two-year term which COM
mences next January, it is inevitable that
the present system must endure tor an
other term after the expiration of The cur
rent one. The proper thing to do low is to
take action that will enable us to bring
about change after the next term, To do
this it is not necessary to give ATTENTION to
all the city offices at the election 1eXt fall,
but to concentrate every energy on getting
mayor and a council who c,n be de-
pended upon to favor and try % effect a
radical reform, as these are tte only Of
ficials who have a voice as officials in this
matter.
The second duty is an improvement in
the city's organic law after success has at
tended the effort to elect officials who are
pledged to a reconstruction.
In this matter of charter amendment
there is wide field for improvement. The
great trouble with our present. charter
and this is also true of many other city
constitutions-is the indiscrninate mixing
of executive and egislativefunctions. The
comforting of executive dutes and powers
on bodies purely legislativi in their nature
and organization is one o. the most fruit
full sources of confusion aid inetf1ciency in
public matters, and is te foundation on
which the structure of pfronage is erect
ed. 1t prevents and pre1udes the definite
location of responsibility, both for sins of
commission in extravaganza and corrup-
ton and of omission in ne neglect of en-
forcing existing laws ard rules.
A MODEL CITY GOVERNMENT
There can be no bettr model for city
government than thu government of the
United States, whicl has stood the test
nearly a century anda quarter. Under the
constitution the thre branches of govern
ment, legislative, jidicial and executive,
are carefully separsed ,one from the others,
and tbeir RESPECTIVE duties are clearly de-
fined, each department having jurisdiction
over affairs Of anature pertaining to it's
respective functids, and independent of
the others. In tb hands OF the president
is placed the full executive power of this
great nation, and cry rare indeed have been
the incidents WIRE that power has been
misused. II It iSafe for the nation to trust
such vast powetn its chief executive, it 10
not plainly az sfe to trust the business OF