Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-09-27
THE SOLID THREE


effort to secure these bonds at private
sale these bidders, who represented
others for whom they were acting, UNI
doubtedly were inspired with desire
to secure as good a bargain for their
principals as possible. Their duty to
their clients was in that direction, and
If a better bargain could be had for
those clients by purchasing the bonds
at private sale, and such a purchase
were legal, the purchasers did not lay
themselves liable to any criticism more
serious than that, considering the fact
that they were dealing with q public
matter, good taste might have sug-
gested that the matter be carried out
with complete publicity rather than in
private.
When the public raised objection to
the manner in which the deal had been
conducted the bidders, as soon as they
could secure permission from the prin-
cipal that they represented-and with
out which permission they could not
have acted-promptly showed their re-
spect for public sentiment by Offering
to withdraw their bids and annul all
proceedings.
We also desire to earnestly commend
the patriotic and efficient work done by
the advisory committee in protecting
the public from the wrong attempted
to be imposed upon it by the solid
three"
The case of the "solid three" of the
board of supervisors, however, is en-
tirely different. These men were elect
ed by the people to guard the peoples
rights. They are paid salary for that
service. Upon assuming office they
swore to perform that service.
If this bond transaction was the first
instance In which they had failed IN
their duty to their constituents and had
violated their oaths it might have been
g. subject of greater surprise. 1t is,
however, a fact known of all men that
the solid three have, unfortunately
for the county, since they came into
the board of supervisors been guilty
of many acts which a proper sense of
duty to their constituents would have
restrained them from.
There Is no doubt that their power to
issue saloon licenses has been so used
as to seriously interfere with great
project now under way for the city of
Los Angeles. Against the protests of
citizens and all those most intimately
concerned with that project they have
persisted in granting licenses for the
opening of low doggeries in locations
where they would most effectively
paralyze and interfere with the eff
cheney of the labor engaged upon the
Owens river aqueduct.
In doing this these men have re-
peatedly violated their duty to their
constituents and shown that there was
some influence other than the good of
the public which operated with them.
This last effort upon their part to be-
tray the interests of the public should,
therefore, not surprise anyone. The
fact that in order to insure the voting
of the bonds by the people of this
county it became necessary for the
board of supervisors to provide for an
advisory committee to control the ex-
penditure of the money to come from
the sale of the bonds shows how little
confidence the public has in the men,
bers of the sold three" who control
that board, and it shows, Furthermore,
that they know they do not enjoy the
confidence of the public.
1t is also perfectly evident that in
entering upon the sale of these bonds
in the manner that they did, and in
brazenly endeavoring to carry it out
against the objection of the public, the
''solid three" were inspired by some
motive other than devotion to the pub
lie welfare.
Men do not deliberately accumulate
public odium upon themselves without
reason for doing so. Occasionally we
find a man patriotic enough to perform
acts in public Office which he conscien-
tiously believes are right, yet knowing
at the time that the public disapproves
of those acts. This could not have been
the impelling motive of the board OF
supervisors, however, for If it had been
there. was no necessity for secrecy in
performing the act of selling these
bonds at private sale.
When the aqueduct bonds were sold
at private sale some time ago the
transaction was invested with no Sc
crecy or mystery. The public was
taken into the confidence of the city
officials. The fact that an offer had
40
and the amount of that offer was pub
lished and commented upon by the
public press. The officials in charge of
the matter called upon public bodies
and individual members of the public
for advice in the matter. The pro-
posed transaction was given the broad
est publicity weeks before 1t was closed
and If there had been any other bond
bidder DESTROYS of submitting an offer
higher than the one that was under
consideration he had ample opportun-
ity of doing so. So that while the aque-
duct bonds were sold at private sale,
it was not a secret sale.
The transaction of the solid three"
of the board of supervisors with the
good roads bonds was entirely differ
ent. 1t was carried on behind closed
doors. The public, the principal of the
solid three" whom by the theory of
law they represent, were not taken
into their councils. The amount of the
offer and the makers Of it were not
made known until everything had been
fixed to close it, and the public meet
Ii, ,,thich the law made NECESSARILY WAS