Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-30
A WORD 10 THE MAYOR

Il
Harper for his own sake and the
- sake of his administration as the
chief executive of this city and Of the
record which he will leave after him in
the minds of its citizens, will give
careful heed to the suggestions con-
tanned in the communication sent him
by the Municipal league protesting
against the appointment Of Mr.. Kern
as member Of the board of public
works.
Charged as the members are, and
will be, with the power and duty Of
bringing to a successful issue the
most vital enterprise which the city
of Los Angeles has ever undertaken
or will ever undertake, to wit: The
Owens River aqueduct, the character
of the members of the board of public
works becomes a matter of the most
vital Importance to the city Of Los
Angeles and every interest in it.
None but men of tried and demon
strated ability as business men and OF
tried and true character as citizens
should be placed in charge Of this
great work.
The Herald has considered the matter
of Mr.. Kern's appointment very care
fully, and it is with no pleasure, but
with regret. that it is compelled to
say that it does not believe that Mr.
Kern measures up to the standard OF
the man required for the place.
Mr.. Kern, before he was appointed
chief of police, was a member of the
city council OF Los Angeles and in
that position had an opportunity OF
making a record which ought to show
and does show how worthy he is to be
entrusted with further administrative
power over the affairs Of the city.
We regret to say that that record,
in O most essential and vital particu-
lar, is not such as to recommend him
as a fit person to discharge the great
trust and responsibility which will de-
volve upon each member of the board
OF public works.
One act alone, while councilman,
should be and is sufficient to show him
an unfit person for a place involving
the grave responsibility and important
trusts Of the position for which it is
said the mayor is thinking of naming
him.
During Mr.. Kern's membership of the
city council OF this city there came be-
fore that body what has come to be
commonly known as the "River-bed
Franchise" matter a thing which was
neither more nor less than an effort to
obtain by false pretenses and false
statements. or, in plain English, to
steal, privilege of great value from
the city of Los Angeles.
When the matter was first presented
to the council under an assurance that
the railroad right-of-way sought from
the city along the river bed was
sought by railroad interests which at
that time had no entrance into the city
of Los Angeles, Mr.. Kern voted for it.
This vote. under the assurances that
had been given to the council by the
individual seeking the franchise, might
have been excused, although such
vote on such a subject showed a very
great lack Of care for the real inter-
ests of the city or a great lack Of
business ability to comprehend the
value of the property rights which the
city was asked to part with. But
when the effort to obtain this valuable
thing from the city under false pre-
lenses and false statements had been
fully exposed, Mr.. Kern still persisted
in his vote. BY doing this he not only
showed that he was willing to part
with valuable property owned by the
city without adequate consideration,
but he showed a willingness to make
himself a party to one of the most in
famous. outrageous, unconscionable J
and dishonest efforts that has ever
been made to fitch valuable right
from a municipality, and he demon
strated beyond any question his I'M
worthiness to be considered a faithful
guardian of the city's rights in any
capacity or in any matter.
The very great Importance of the
work entrusted to the members of the
board of public works will make the
record of that board a record by which
the success of Mayor Harper's admin
istration as chief executive of the city
government will be judged more than
by everything else which will be done
during his term of office.
If he will ponder carefully the
record made by Mr.. Kern in connec-
ton with the "River-bed Franchise"
The Herald does not believe that he
will he able 10 find in Mr. Kern fha
sort of man to whom he is willing to
entrust the success or failure of his
administration.