Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-06
THEIR JOBS
NOT CLUBS
FOR ORDERS
MAYOR TELLS COMMISSION
ERS TO BE CAREFUL
INTRODUCING FRIENDS TO sA-
LOON OWNERS DANGEROUS
Old Practice of Board Members Push-
ina Private and Public susl-
ness Going Out of
style

Mavor A. c. Harper has sent the
word down the line among his commis-
s;o,s and boards that members be care
full in soliciting business to keep pupiie
and private interests far apart -.
no. ,,,onths anonymous letters, tele-
nhone calls and sundry hlnts haVe
raached the mayors office that such
ana such a commissioner or ms eIn-
nIoves used his political position 10
nus, along his business or advance
mat of a friend by methods tha'
savored of misuse of Office
Mayor Harper has grown weary VI
the complaints and has sent out lnti-
nations that the cause for compialnl
must stop. .,.,+,,
THE city's commissioners serve With
out pay, some of them giving hours
each day to work for taxpayers
Exchanging FaVors
BUSINESS men who seek faVors from
the CITY have in the past taken pains
to give their trade to men composing
the boards or commissions ana WIN
some this practice has almost coIle 70
be regarded as the right thlng 10 uo
on both sides. ,,sa o,s-
tom. practice or pushing. Police Com
missioner H. w. Lewis was busy yes
terdav explaining that the charge that
he was interested financially IN the
cigar stand OF A. r. Kloeb, next ooor
to the city hall on the lmperlaA cdAe
premises, was untrue.
Lewis was formerly auditor of Day
ton. O., where Kloeb had cigar Iac+ I
tory. He induced Kloeb to come oul
tn Los Angeles to live and they nave
been together much OF the tllne' do
thew are lifelong friends.
Notify Mayor
Somebody recently notified the mayor
that commissioner Lewis MADE prdc-
flee of introducing KIoeb to saloon-
Ixeeners with the result that they were
Imnortuned or advised to try a pox OF
two of Kloebs smokers. The cnarge
angered both the mayor ana commas
sioner Lewis. a. t,,s;
oess commissioner Lewis said in re-
oly "and 7 do not hesitate to ADMIT
fhet 7 introduced my friends TO saloon-
i,eeners and to scores of others as L
would anv other friend of mine. never
said a word about influencing sales
though 1 see nothing wrong in anything
have done"
that he or Mr.. Lewis made use OF POSI-
ton or friendship in pushing any brand
Of cigars.
KIoeb Defends Lewis
at am only a recent arrival" said
Kloeb. ''and both Mr.. Lewis and mysen
are fortunately not under the necesslt!
of being actually engaged in any bust
ness. much less pushing propositloI
with cloud on 1t.
II guess he has introduced me TO 6
naf dozen saloon men all told. L an
hardly established here and am taking
a rest, and have not tried to push any
cigar. He is in the real estate business.
We can both afford to stop working
occasionally.
1--WE did simply as any other two
men from the same town who make a
new start elsewhere would do-made
friends for each other.
'I regret that / have attracted any
attention here, as my business has
been a mere side issue with me since
have been in Los Angeles"
Politicians say that the fight on Com
missioner Lewis is merely one phase of
fight being made against a certain
brewery which has promised backing
for the Kloeb cigar, New York prJ-
duct.
There are other commissioners in Los
Angeles who are interested in the cigar
business, they say, and some interest
ing possibilities may be opened up If
the mayor really takes a hand ir the
situation