Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-05

phone-Home 297.
LONG BEACH, Feb. 4.--If the char
ter carries tomorrow Long Beach will
become n wet" town. The leaders In
the fight against the charter have re-
ceived assurances from a large num-
ber of voters that when they vote
against the charter they will also vote
for the alternative proposition, No. l.,
providing for licensing hotels to sell
liquor. A large number of those who
will vote for the charter will also vote
for this proposition. Consequently,
those who fight the charter say that
If the charter carries proposition No.
Will carry and liquor Will again be
sold In this city, which has so long
been known as dry town. The
cards are so placed that this looks
inevitable. The opponents of the char
ter have kept this schome secret un-
til tonight. But now It has become
generally known that the only way
Long Beach can be kept dry" Will be
by voting against the charter as
whole.
The ministers of the city have been
misled into believing that no one
could vote against the charter and for
proposition No /. This is false. If the
charter carries 1t is certain that No. 1
will also carry. This fact leaves 1t
clear that the only way for the strictly
temperance element to save themselves
is to vote against the charter. If they
do not the license proposition will go
through, despite their votes and the op-
ponents of the charter will then have
good laugh coming at the expense of
the church people, who will find that
they have been instrumental in chang
ing Long Beach into a liquor town.
This Is now city of the sixth class.
Under the law taxes for running ex-
penses are limited to 70 cents on the
dollar.
Under the proposed charter the
council could collect on n levy of 81
instead of 75 cents" said c. C. Doren,
a leader in the fight on the charter.
This will mean an increase of one
third and this will mean more taxes
for the taxpayers to pay. And there
was never known, at least seldom, a
council that did not collect as much
tax as 1t was allowed to.
Expense Increased
''The Merchants Mutual Manufactur-
ing association has already petitioned
the council to do away with the busi-
ness license ordinance. This has
brought into the city treasury $4,000
annually. This pays all the running
expenses of the town at present. When
the council has repealed this ordinance
this $4,000 will have to be raised by
tax on the property. At the last mass
meeting held to raise funds to support
the Royal Italian band, the chairman
said that we should raise all we could
to keep the band until the charter was
adopted, after which the amount neces-
sary for its maintenance would be
taken out of the citys expense money.
The band costs $4,000. So there would
be that much more of expenses under
the new charter.
A IL.
holders whose expense, including new
salaries and increased old ones, to
$4,000, would bring the sum total of
additional expense occasioned by the
charter to more than 100000. At pres
ent only $150,000 a year Is collected by
the city. Under the new charter there
would be one-third more, but this
would still leave much less than there
Is now for civic improvements, of which
there is, a great need, as every one
recognizes.
The Worklngman VIII Lose
1.-THE man with the little home will
find it a hardship when his tax is made
one-third more The workingman who
increased taxes his landlord will in
crease his rent. Thus it will be event.
ually that It will be up to the working
man to pay this additional expense.
The rich man who owns property will
raise his rents to meet his taxes, and
the storekeeper will raise his prices
to meet his likewise. These men will
not lose. But the consumer again pays
the toll. the workingman with the
small home, and such men as these go
to make up the vast majority.
"The supporters of the charter claim
that it will carry to 1. We do not
mention any figures. but we claim that
If the poor man who Will be affected
thereby gets out and votes the charter
will be defeated by a large majority.
illegal Votes Looked For
"Under the election laws no man can
vote on this charter unless he was
registered or transferred at least twen-
ty-five days before the election. All
the local papers notified friends Of the
charter on January IA to be sure and
be transferred in order to vote for the
instrument. There have been at least
200 such transfers. However, every
one made since January 10 will make
the vote cast an illegal one. This will
be watched for.
"Terminal island has been practically
disfranchised by not being provided
with q voting place. The men living
there are workingmen who cannot af-
ford to lose half day to come to Long
Beach to vote. Friends of the charter
knew this and also knew that they
were against the charter. Hence they
were not provided with a voting place.
"All the way through the charter
seems to have been promoted by the
politicians and officeseekers.
Is Charter Legal, Anyway
SHOULD the charter carry and the
city attempt to issue and sell bonds
hereunder, the question will come up
as to the freeholders' vote. On its final
passage, there were nine freeholders
present. Six voted for 1t and three
against it. Therefore the charter was
accepted by six out OF nine freeholders.
This is a matter Of record.
again, people buying bonds are
careful to examine the bases OF the
issue. which in this case would be the
charter, to see II II is perfect In every
respect. This is not the case, for the
freeholders passed on the mayors sal
airy and made II $500 yearly. However,
throughout the twenty days 1t was