Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-14
BEGIN WORK
ON CHARTER
REVISION COMMITTEE HOLDS
FIRST FORMAL SESSION
THIRTEEN MEMBERS ATTEND ON
FRIDAY THE THlRTEENTH
Larger Committee VIII Be suggested,
SO as to Give Broader Scope to
Preliminary Study Of the
Charter Problem

rated yeSterday-on FRIDAY, tHe 1otI, WITH
thirteen members of the commission
present.
BY a strange coincidence the members
decided to postpone definite action for a
week.
Mayor Arthur c. Harper remarked
smilingly to the members:
II don't want to serve on this commits
sion,'' though his comment was due to the
fact that Councilman Wallace had just
read the list of the members of the 1883
charter revision commission, all OF whom
have since died, it is said.
Five Of the eighteen members of the
present body are out of the city on vaca-
tons.
City Attorney Leslie r. Hewitt who
was present yesterday. will leave the city
on Monday for Washington, but most of
the others will be here some time in Sep.
tember so that in October full meetings
may be expected.
Thirteen Present
Mayor Harper and City Attorney Leslie
r. Hewitt, President OF the Board of Pub"
lie Works James A. Anderson, SPECIAL
Aqueduct Counsel w. B. Mathews and
Councilmen Wallace, Blanchard and Healy
were present on behalf of the city, the
others being Commissioners Weidner,
Fishburn, Washburn, Frost. Murray and
Morgan, making thirteen. Others Of the
original commission. were out of the city
or had other engagements
Former Councilman "A. d. Houghton and
James s. Richie of the Good Government
league asked for permission to attend the
sittingsi as delegates, but their request
was refused
Perry Weidner was elected temporary
chairman, and suggestions were at once
invited.
Chairman Weidner Suggests
Chairman Weidner suggested that all
members first carefully read the existing
Los Angeles charter as basis of further
action, saying it ought to be digested as
an example of what the city lacks in a
legislative way.
The question arose whether this COM
mittee should do the preliminary work or
whether larger committee should under
take the revision.
Mayor Harper explained that this COM
mittee, was merely a preliminary organ
ization representing various organizations,
and should select a body twice or thrice
as large from whom the workers should
be selected. The original committee could
be part of it, though he favored eliminat-
ing all city office holders.
Wants 1t Representative
commissioner fTO5ti REPRESENTING tliI
Voters league, said that there was no
question but that this was merely pre-
liminary organization which should select
the workers subcommittee, could divide
the inquiry ands study into section, ana II
: any changes were made they should
spring from the largest body OF voters
Y through their representatives on the COM
II Emission,
''You can make up your minds that
there will be prodigious amount of work
required" said the speaker, land we must
have men who will devote much of their
time to the new charter. The process
began with the council, spread to the
commercial bodies and eventually to the
people at large.
Charter No Longer Patchworthy
Chairman Weidner remarked that it
seemed to be the common belief that the
present charter was inadequate and the
commission must decide whether it was
! patchworthy or whether an entirely new
one was needed.
Councilman Wallace said he believed
that if the present committee was to do
none of the revising it would be best to
proceed to select new committee twice
or thrice as large He was convinced, he
said that the present charter needed very
considerable revision or an entirely new
one would be necessary
Councilman Healy said he was ready to
vote at once favoring new charter.
= Vote for New Charter
The commission then voted that its
sense was that an entirely new charter
was needed. -
Former CITY Attorney Mathews said re-
vision was hardly possible now, there
being SO much in the way OF changes
needed He thought also that the Gal
yeston-Des Moines systems should be con-
sidered. ,s
them as vet" said he, though II were
asked. this moment whether preierreu
the Galveston plan 1 would say no.
president Anderson of the board OF pub
lie works said exhaustive study had con-
WINGED him that the present charter was
inadequate and that new one must be
framed at once. q
remarks and explained why amendments
were uncertin.
Amendments Dangerous
.rhe practice of amenment is open to
affections" he said. because where say
a series of amendments is prepared ana
put to vote some may carry ana others
not. IN,
+hano the charter would be lame because
Of the defeat of needed amendments, and
the plan proposed would not then be
workable" :.
Councilman Wallace called attention to
the fact that the old charter was drawn
m in 1855. when Los Angeles had $4,000
nersons. as against nearly 100000 now.
Mavor Harper said if the newspapers
helned he believed new charter could
easily be adopted.
Councilman Wallace said apparently the
newspapers all wanted a new charter. In
odentally he said some men seemed tense
in wanting the Gothenburg system tried
here. 80. -,
died out.
commissioner Murray, who represents
the labor unions. thought the Galveston
Snlan should be studied, and Councilman
Wallace said a few councilmen at large
should also be provided for in the new
charter. E,
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