Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-19
EoR THn COMMON PEOPLE

posed for places on the county ticket
A number of the names chosen are
printed In today's Herald, and q , pub.
lie may be BILE to Judge somewhat
from these names the kind and char
acter of nominees that will be pre-
sented to the Democratic county con-
vention for Endorsement at tomorrow
session.
Non-partisanship in local affairs is a
principle of government which early
met with The Heralds approval. 1t ls
today the foundation stone of municipal
progress without It our American
cities had become corrupt beyond
description, the easy prey of trusts and
ranchlse-grabbing corporations. Par
tisan politics in city and county affairs
Is wholly responsible for the wretched
disagreement that has characterized
all the cities and counties of the coun-
try and brought down the anathemas
and contempt of all good citizens.
Recently movements have been in
augurated everywhere to eliminate par
tisanship in local government, so that
all citizens may I'VE direct voice in
the selection of their officials and not
be limited in their choice to the political
parties to --hich they belong This
movement has reached Los Angeles
city and county, where 1t should receive
a heartier welcome than anywhere else.
For here In Los Angeles we are strug-
CLING to build a clean, model city that
shall be the wonder of the world. Our
progress has been rcpid until lately
when the vampire of party politics has
seized upon the vitals of our glorious
municipality, our magnificent county,
and is sucking its life blood through
the spoils and gratis of public office.
Time to stop! Time to heed the pro-
tests of the people against machine par
Southern Pacific railroad and other
giant corporations that are robbing the
people of their birthrights that par
tisanship in local government will cease
and that hereafter Los Angeles county
and city will select her own officials,
regardless of political parties and in
spite of all the corporation influences
that can be brought to bear.
The leaders of the non-partisan move
rnent, with their committee of 100 we'll
known citizens, will have ready for
presentation at tomorrow's Democratic
county convention ticket that should
find Endorsement az the hands of the
convention. The ticket is composed of
Democrats and Republicans, selected
not so much with a view to their
political affilia tions as their fitness for
public service.
Whether they were,all Democrats or
all Republicans would not matter for
there should be only one question: Are
they the men the people want to serve
them? Careful consideration of their
capacity fitness and positions with re-
spect to able, clean and popular gov
ernment has satisfied the non-partisan
committees that the right men have
been chosen, and as such their indorse
rnent by the Democratic convention will
be asked.
The people are sick of trying to fight
the greed of franchise gra bbing corpo-
rations through officials selected by par
tisan machine favoritism. The system
in local affairs is a rotten, wretched.
miserable failure-and everybody
knows it,
The time has come when the besc
men, the most courageous, patriotic.
honest citizens, must be chosen as
county and city officials. The ticket
presented by the non-partisan move
ment of Los Angeles county may not be
the best that human ingenuity could
devise, but it is infinitely superior to
the machine-made, corporation-named,
Southern Pacific ticket nominated at
Venice, and should therefore have the
support or not only the county Demo-
cratic convention, but of every citizen
of Los Angeles county who loves his
home and desires clean government.