The herald., 1898-01-26
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 80. 1898.
THE GAME AND THE CANDLE


hang himself. The Allied Villainies, in
making war upon the press of Los An
eeles sought to veil their real purpose
and prevent it from becoming known;
hut they are now showing their hand
very plainly.
1t was incomprehensible at first to
many people why the San Francisco Call
and Post, newspapers published 5OO
miles away, should suddenly take such
great interest in the affairs of this city,
but the reason is now very clear
1t will be recalled that a few weeks
ago the Democratic county central COM
mittee passed some very strong resolu-
tions against an element of bossism and
corruption in the Democratic party of
the state having its lair in San Fran
cisco and ramifications everywhere in
the commonwealth. Those resolutions
were a seathing rebuke to Raineyism
and Buckleyism and all that the term
implies. Ever since that time Los An
geles has been marked as victim by
the Democratic push" which now
seeks to cram itself down the throats of
the respectable Democracy and dictate
the policy of the party in San Francisco,
in Los Angeles and in the state gener-
ally.
Then came the exposure of the board
of education scandal and the magnifi-
cent work of the League for Better City
Government, assisted by the respectable
newspapers of this city. 1t was the Re
publican pull elements turn to get
scared. The Allied Villaines was the
natural sequence. The Democratic
push" and the Republican pull" quick
ly combined for their common defense.
1t could not be regarded as a local
issue, because the citadel of corruption
in San Francisco was also threatened.
The Los Angeles county Democratic
committee, in the name of respectable
democracy, had declared war on the
manpulators and the boodlers of both
parties. Thus it was that the services
of the organs of the Allied Villainies in
San Francisco, the Call and the Post,
were enlisted. This is the true reason
why Webb and the local push found it
necessary to go 500 miles away, not "to
obtain hearing for the other side" but
to find a newspaper willing to take up
the cause of the Allied Villainies.
1t will be found that the water con-
troversy is merely an issue among
issues, conveniently taken up to distract
attention from the real political situa-
tion and. incidentally. to furnish rich
pickings for the fighting Hessians. 1t
is plainly the plan of the schemers to
take all the credit of municipal owner
ship when it does come, and claim all the
prizes and patronage that will come
with it.
The schemers do not expect that the
water fight, though it be but a side issue
in their plans, will be an Improbable
contest; they expect to make it pay for
itself and, as usual, the people of Los
Angeles will be called upon to foot the
bill.
Sooner or later, and the sooner the bet
ter, under good government the city
will come into actual possession of it's
water system. 1t will be the largest and
most valuable piece of property that the
city will own. il will necessftate the
creation of several new offices, give en-
ployment to a considerable number of
men and involve the handling by the
city of large sums of money. In short.
the municipal ownership of the water
works system means that there will be a
large amount of patronage to dispense.
Who are going to control this patron
age? The Allied Nillainies will do it if
they carry out their plans.
The conspiracy is cunning and deep
laid, but it has been exposed in time
The decent people of California will do
the rest when the proper time comes.