Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-15
CANDIDATE HAS
AN UNENvIABLE
MACHINE PAST
SMITHS ACTS IN COUNCIL ARE
REVIEWED
HISTORY PROVES SOUTHERN PA
cIFIc DOMINATION
Man Whom the "Push" Seeks to Foist
Upon People Shown to Be Ever
Subservient to Railroad
Bosses
TF the machines program is carried

f the machines program is carried
through, five councilmen this
- morning will vote to place George
A. Smith in the chair made vacant by
the resignation of former Mayor A. c.
Harper, and if that is done at least
two councimen will keep away from
their angry constituents as long as
they can.
A big crowd undoubtedly will be pre-
sent to watch the process of appoint
ing a mayor, If one is appointed; and
If the crowd is anywhere near the pro-
proportions of the one that visited the
hall last Friday morning, when Har-
per's resignation was accepted, the
council chamber will not be able to
hold 1t.
A committee of the City club, sup
ported by other civic organizations,
will make a strong effort to have the
mayor and thus clear up any legal
technicalities that now may be in the
way. This idea will have the support
of four members of the council, but 1t
is within the limit of possibility Drom-
COLDS idea of appointing no one at all
and letting the recall election settle
the matter will be followed.
Many of Smiths friends declared
last night they did not believe he
would permit the council to appoint
him when the matter came up this
morning If Ii was shown there were
but five votes for him.
''It looks a good deal like making
goat of Uncle George Smith," said
one of the latter'S friends last evening.
IF there are only five votes for him at
Mondays session of the council, and I
understand that even one of those is
doubtful, it will hurt Smiths chances
for securing the regular nomination
this fall. Personally, I shall advise
Mr. Smith against permitting the use
of his name Mopday morning"
Invite Lawsuit
With the idea of confusing issues
even more than at present, and with
the sole object of bringing on law
suit that will take many months to
decide, and in the interim give the city
into the hands of the Southern Pacific
machine. the push" would have the
council appoint George 4. Smith as
mayor to ''fill the unexpired term of
the former mayor.
The push" 'views with alarm the
chaotic condition of municipal affairs
and points with pride" to George A.
Smith as the savior of the situation.
'Sane, safe and conservative" says
the push: "he is man of large ideas
and with the interests of the city para
mount to all other considerations"
All this might go down more easily
If it wasn't for one unfortunate fact.
For two years George A. Smith was a
member of the city council. For two
years he was the recognized head of
the aggregation which has gone down
into history as the 'sriver bed fran
chise council" For two years he was
the chairman of the committee on
finance, and as such controlled the
city's exchequer with an influence ex
erted by no other city official There
are certain instruments deep in the
city's archives that prove George A.
Smith did not always use his powers
for the best interests of the city.
Is Father of Voting Machine Deal
Smith is the father of the deal
whereby the city purchased voting ma
chimes and paid $S1, 900 for them. These
machines were bought at $500 each
after it had been demonstrated to the
council that Detroit had bought the
same make of machine the week before
and paid only $500 each for them- Not
once since they were purchased have
they been used, although any number
of elections have been held in Los An
geles. The city owns those voting
machines today, and much good will
they ever do. For nearly three years
they have been stored away at large
expense for storage charges and insur-
ance and there they likely will remain.
Another piece of extravaganza, for
which the chairman of the finance COM
mittee must assume a larger proper
tion of blame than any of his colleagues,
is the detention hospital. which was
built by the council at cost of $4,000
after the citizens had voted bonds for
the purpose. Although this hospital
was built at the earnest solicitation
of the board of health that board was
mr. he
struction and when it was finally ready
to be turned over to the health de-
partment the health board refused to
accept it, declaring it an unwarranted
piece of folly; that 1t was unsuited for
the purposes for which it was built
and that 1t had cost ten times more
money than was necessary. After
months of delay the board of public
works finally accepted the building,
but under protest. After its accept
ance by the public works board the
board of health accepted it, also under
protest.
More Folly Is Charged
Piling folly on folly the chairman of
the finance committee and his col
leagues built the garbage incinerator.
The incinerator, as such. is all right.
but the cost was enormous. The city
of Los Angeles, through the finance
committee, paid $74.480 for the incin-
orator and the same type Of plant of
which the Los Angeles plant is the
duplicate in size and every other way,
was built for less than $4,000 at At
lanta, Ga
The finance committee, of which G.
A. Smith was chairman. recommended
and indorsed the payment to Stans-
bury & Powell of $4,000 more than
those contractors had earned on the
single job of the outfall sewer. A little
more care of the city's business or a
little less friendliness for the contrac-
tors would have saved this money to
the city.
In 1905 the council found it wasn't
during his administration; and he went
down just as>ell other men have gone
down who were on the worng side of
great moral issue.
1.-THE motto of Los Angeles in regard
to tha duty of it's officers should be,
Go on, or go out!
"The other great issue in this recall
(Continued on Page Three)