Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-03
PRIMARY AND
ABOLITION OF
WARDS MAY WIN
-
NOS. ! AND 7 ARE CONCEDED
TO BE SAFE
BITTER FIGHT MADE BY THE
MACHINE ON 2 AND 4
Good Government Forces Hopeful
That Count Will Show Victory.
Returns Are Coming In
Slowly
.HE charter amendments

ITNHE charter amendments
election yesterday has ap-
parently resulted i'll the
carrying of the four most hotly
contested amendments, incorpo-
rating in the city charter the
safety Of the river bed and Owens
river water and power, the cleo
ton OF counciinen at large, the
direct primary nominating sys-
tenn, the protection of public it'll
tiles owned by the municipality
and the borough system and other
aids i'll establishing a free har-
Dor.
All other amendments appar-
emily were lost. Those which are
believed to have carried we're the
four for which the City club and
Municipal league wageti the
hardest fight, Nos. /, 2, 4 ard 7,
particularly 2 and 4, which were
the main object of attack by the
machine element
Il regard the election 50 far as
we can Judge it at l O'Clock as q
great victory for decent govern
ment," said Meyer Lissner at the
City club headquarters. The
machine made the fight a clear
cut one and exerted every effort
to defeat amendments 2 and 4.
! The result shows the growing in
dependence of voters and is great
| ly encouraging.
"Our reports from both COM
pleted and incomplete precinct
counts on amendments 2 and
show that the First, Third, Fourth
and Fifth wards have been car
ried for them, while the Second,
Seventh and Eighth went against
them. The Sixth was about an
even break, while the Ninth show
ed up very encouraging in its re-
turns. .
The amendments which seem to
have carried were in brief as fol
| lows:
AMENDMENT NO. l
Gives the city power to own and
operate public utilities and trans
portation systems, sell and lease
power and water outside the city
limits, to build and operate inter
urban roads to harbor points and
to build and operate public
Wharves.
This amendment prohibits the
manipulating of the city's rights
in the river bed, prohibits the
disposal Of any public utility or
leasing without a two-thirds vote,
in favor and prohibits sale of the
city's water rights.
AMENDMENT NO 2
Provides for the election Of
councilmen at large.
AMENDMENT NO. 4
| Provides for the direct primary
nominating system for municipal
elections.
AMENDMENT NO. Y
! Provides for the consolidation
j Of contiguous territory and for
3 the establishment of the borough
system. This is intended partic-
Ao,1larly to aid in the movement for
6g4 W. free harbor and to permit the
=, ty with the granting of 1egisla-
We privileges asked for to CO.
au1ogerate with the beach towns in
great harbor.
Aoo Aoo 4,eeturns came in slowly, and at
y . night but fifteen precincts had
(, z ts tfe1.' Il eived at the city clerks
~ 'ou'e. 1T was 2 o'clock before
f e4eoGl o9l we aFeceived in any consid-
< ~.st. r0er. The vote was
;11odedo 51eu had been antici-
qua ,ecinct No. l, 512
,o7 - t.
o.oIe Re throughout the
A0s ~ two minutes
-od-leSo .eN check one bal
-nlea gBh1e precincts will not be
finished until this morning.
The heavy vote in the first
three precincts, which comprised
the special election precinct of
the First ward-four to one in fa-
vor Of the contested amendments
carried that ward for them. So
far as the Second ward could be
counted up, it was apparently
against amendments 2 and 4. The
! Continued on Page Three)