Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-04
HARPER SAYS
WAIT AND SEE
DOES NOT KNOW WHAT HE
MAY DO
councIlnen Are Equally Disappointing
to Members Of the Municipal
League, Who Ask for Out
line Of Policy
fcontInued from Pnee Omar

(Continued from Page One0
who had been selected by the people to
serve the public for three years begin
ming on the 9TH day of January, A. ID.
1907.
An Interesting Situation
The gathering last night probably
was one of the most representative ever
held In Los Angeles.
It was in the nature of a banquet
given at Levy's by the Municipal league
to the members of the incoming admin
istration. With only one or two excep-
tions all the newly elected city officials
were present, together with several of
the mayors announced commissioners.
The hosts, constituting the member
ship of the Municipal league, numbering
over 600 strong, and represented by over
200 members, consisted of bankers,
brokers, lawyers, doctors and mer-
chants but no politicians.
In the absence of President Koepfll
of the league r. w. Burnham Los
Angeles manager for the Dun Mercan-
tile company. acted as toastmaster.
Mr. Burnham said that an official of
the city is to be respected because he
is a representative of the people, and
that as long as he does the best that he
is able he should be supported. He eX-
pressed the hope that the new adminiS-
tration would acquit itself with credit
to itself and to the glory of the city of
Los Angeles.
The League and the Administration
The toastmaster introduced Judge
John D. Works to speak on the subject
1.-THE Relations of the League and the
Administration"
The speaker said that Los Angeles
ha6 hapnn1a pit a1 hafOra
people were aware of the fact, and he
predicted that in the near future it
would be classed as one of the great
cities of the world. He continued:
THE future of the city depends al
most entirely upon civic honesty, the
purity of the people, and the honesty,
integrity, capacity and conservatism of
the public servants. A public official is
beset with temptations to subserve
private interests at the cost of public
interests, and sometimes it is hard to
resist the opportunities of personal and
political friends, and these friends are
really his worst enemies.
Zone of the most pernicious evils of
government is the old-time doctrine |
that to the victor belongs the spoils |
One of the greatest assets of city is
the possession of honest officials.
1T is the aim of the Municipal league |
to assist public officials to. withstand
temptation not corrupt temptations,
but those of the head.
THE Municipal league has the inter-
ests of the city at heart. 1t has on
very rare occasions undertaken to in
terfere in public affairs. Its attitude
toward the city government is the same
as that of every citizen whose duty
is to stand behind civic officials and
aid them, and that is what the league
is trying to do, but we would like to
know the plans of the new admnistra-
ton
Mayor=eIect Replies
The toastmaster said that he would
next introduce a man who is under no
obligation to any party, paper or man
and in a position to serve the city to
the best of his ability, and Mr.. Harper
was given an ovation when he arose
to respond.
The new mayor created a laugh at
the beginning of his speech by declar-
ing that he felt that he was in a rather
peculiar position. There We're prac-
tically 5000 votes cast in the last cleo
ton, of which he received about II ,000,
vet with the exception of two candi-
dates ana a few others he had been
told by every other voter in the city
that he did what he could for him in
the election
Mr.. Harper said that he had been n
member of the Municipal league, but
that a few days ago he received a
note from the secretary, telling him to
pay up and quit.
Mr.. Harper then divulged very in
teresting fact, but which proved rather
disappointing TO those who had come
expecting to listen from the lips of