Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-29
DOWN WITH
THE BOSSES
CITY CLUB GUESTS HEAR THREE
RINGING ADDRESSES N
WOULD OVERTHROW SOUTHERN
PACIFIC MACHINE
AssembIyman Drew, Judge Hunsaker
and Attorney TyreII Call on Men
to Demand Popular
Government

|
| Three interesting addresses enlivened
yesterdays session of the City club
A. M. Drew of resno, member of the
Legislature, who discussed "Civic Cor
ruption-Its Cause and Cure" was fol-
lowed by impromptu talks by Judge w.
j. Hunsaker and Frank G. Tyrrell.
The three addresses consumed only an
hours time after luncheon and were
earnest In the demand for the overthrow
of political bossism in California.
Assemblyman Drew thought that two
ways of curing malfeasance in office were
feasible-publicity and removing tempta-
| ton.
Drew's Remedy
| Publicity, he said, means that YOU must
watch your public officer, and then to
| make sure you must watch the fellow
that watches the public officer; and then
| to make doubly sure you must watch
! the fellow that watches the fellow that
watches your public officer, and so on ad
| infinitum, until you virtually do the work
| yourself.
The second method, II possible, is the
most effectual, as practically demon
strated at our two public institutions-one
at San Quentin. the other at Folsom.
! The best way to cripple the bosses he
| thought was to remove the spoils largely
| by putting clerkships and many other
| positions now at the mercy of the boss
under civil service
| Aside from this however, 1t was neces-
! sary to see that the civil service commits
sion itself was not appointed by the same
! boss.
Peoples VIII stifIed
| IF you destroy the power of the politi-
cal boss you once more get a government
| of the people," said Judge Hunsaker
N"Not in many years have we in Califor-
| mia enjoyed government by the people.
I'VE have been governed by the South
ern Pacific railroad for It's own benefit
and that Of other predatory interests
allied with 1t, with the result of complete
overthrow In this state Of popular gov
| ernment."
| The speaker said he had from time to
| time noticed many Independent move
| ments launched, but too often the leaders
engaged finally in contest for spoils, and
| the real object Of the movements was
| lost.
I'VE have a good civil service law, con-
scientiously administered by men who be-
| lieve in the principle of REFORM he said.
'"Then soon will the political boss be out
| of an occupation.
| VIpC 0ut TIC WdCf1tHCN
'"This movement whereby the people are
commencing to reclaim their power which
corporations have usurped is abroad now
there is feeling in the land that more
men are needed like Governor Folk of
Missouri and our own great president.
'If the people will only be true to them
selves with no desire to take the spoils
but to give us reform government the
Southern Pacific machine will be swept
off the map of California"
Frank G. Tyrrell said those who had
4 preceded him had appealed 10 the top
range of our intellectual faculties and
had rung truly the yearning for better
| civic ideals.
'If our friend, Joseph Folk, ever goes
wrong 1t will only be through ambition
said the speaker.
| 'T was with him in st. Louis fourteen
years ago. Folks fight was absolutely
| disinterested. He was butting the bull off
the brim.
"Bad Politics of Good Men"
| "One of the factors that opposed him
| at the outset was the great mass of
! frigidity and Of quasi criminal neglect
| and indifference on the part of the people,
"Those who ought to failed to help him
with their moral muscle and sinew.
He suffered, st. Louis suffered, Mis-
! souri, suffered and the nation suffered
from the bad politics of good men.
'I see no way out of 1t but to continue
! this agitation and appeal to the soldierly
courage of our fellowmen.
LAS magnificent as Is the business pros
| pect in Southern California, as alluring
| and as easy as success seems to some in
| business there are other ideals more mas
terful.
"The hearts we need are those which
will yield an immediate response to the
higher ideal of disinterested public SER
| vice.
! "Every man Is willing to shoulder
gun to resist the invasion of the enemy.
eve want, however, more of the cour-
age and sacrifcial heroism of peace-now.
Civic Lethargy
"The difficulty with Folk was this civic
| lethargy
"FinaIly the people awakened. They sat
up. 1t was the awakened conscience that
made Folk governor of Missouri.
l. HE is the incarnation of moral ideal.
"He is not greatly magnetic and not q
politician. He will not have a great
career In politics unless the tides come
together But he has the moral tenacity
which beats a bulldogs jaws.
"There are multiplied scores of men like
| him in civil life
| ''The trouble is they don't get away
long enough from the main chance.
I'VE of California are going to get the
ear of the people. We will set the state
| afire and we will yet break the politicai
| chains and throw down the collar OF the
| bosses that now hold us down."
| - uuurxuzu N - AA