Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-04
COUNCIL HOPES
TO SAVE VACHER
WOULD PUT DOG CATCHER UN-
DER CIVIL SERVICE
Mayor Harper Desires to Have ordi-
nance Passed Soon, as He Is
Tired of Disgraceful
Street BraWs

Worried over the clamor about the
dog catching system which he himself
has designated as obsolete, Mayor
Harper called number of councilmen
into his private Office yesterday and
asked them in the name of humanity
and peace of the community to do
something, and do it quick.
Mayor Harper has no power to intro
duce or pass an ordinance of any kind
or the dog catcher question would have
been settled long ago, he declared, but
he can WELD big stick with the coun-
Gil when he chooses and he Is deter
mined something shall be done. The
councilmen left his office yesterday
promising him action would be taken
as soon as possible. 1t was the inten-
ton to bring the matter before the
council yesterday, but the dance hall
question occupied the time until nearly
5:30 and the council adjourned with
much routine business unfinished. The
dog catcher question will have to go
over until next Monday afternoon.
Just what will be done is a matter
of conjecture. The councilman have
no very we'll defined ideas themselves
and declare they are open to sugges-
tions.
The proposal that met with some
favor yesterday was that suggested by
Councilman Lyon, who is chairman of
the special committee that is consider
ing the question.
Abolish Fee System
He proposes to put the dog catcher
under civil service, abolish the fee sys-
tenn by paying a regular salary and
have the dog catchers assistants
iaA under civil service
The abolition of the fee system would
remove the temptation for the dog
catcher and his assistants to take prop
erly licensed dogs and hold them until
redeemed. 1t would also give the
public a better hold on the dog catcher
and his assistants by enabling them to
prefer charges against them before the
civil service commission, which, II
proved to the satisfaction Of the COM
mission, would bring about the dis
missal of such employees.
With civil service regulations guard
ing the place it would be impossible for
the dog catcher to employ boys as
deputies, which is one of the chief COM
plants of the protestants. Such en-
ployes would be compelled to take civil
service examinations, and in only few
excepted cases, such as pages in the
library, are persons under Il years oil
age eligible to take such examinations.
The dog catcher's assistants would at
least have to be men in years if not in
moral development.
Plan to Save Vacher
One feature which the protestants
find Objectionable in this method of
settling the question is that Gorge
Vacher, the incumbent of the office and
against whom so many complaints have
been made, would probably be retained
in office. Civil service procedure takes
into consideration experience, and the
incumbent of the office usually is named
for the place by the commission pro-
Vided he passes the examination.
1t is to keep Vacher in his place that
several of the councilmen are anxious
to put the position under civil service.
Vacher is a Democrat, who combines
a warm admiration for the Democratic
mayor with an equally warm admira-
ton for the Republican councilman of
the Ninth ward. Vacher is something
of a power in his precinct, and never
fails to throw the votes he controls to
his friends.
The system of Furnishing the owner of
an unlicensed dog, known as the Pasa-
dena-R Rochester system, is declared to
be infeasible in such large city as
Los Angeles by Mayor Harper and
Councilman Lyon, but some members
of the council hold it is the best of the
two proposed and will fight for it in the
council.
When the council meets to consider
the dog catcher question next Monday
it will be confronted by monster petit
ton signed by thousands and demand
ing the Rochester-Pasa system be
the dog are urged to be present next
Monday afternoon at 1870 and support
these petitions by their presence and
arguments to the council.