Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-04-11
Los ANGELES HERALD: SUNDAY MORNING. APRIL H. 1909.

citizens who were deceived into be-
| lievlng that his election meant blue
stocking bigotry and prohibition, and
who consicentiously voted against him
on that account.
Sample Postal Card
One such answered on a postal ballot
i by signing himself Pure l. Tan, giving
| his residence Psalm street and Saliva
ton avenue, and under the head of
remarks or suggestions saying:
| Make IL q crime to smile;
| "Close UP all the theaters.
Don't allow dancing"
make everyone go to church for his
soul and to the cemetery for his re-
| creation"
Some of those postal cards were ex-
ceedingly interesting and some were
really surprising
\ | think it will be demonstrated dur
! ing the remainder of this year that our
city government stands just for de-
cency and business methods, free from
| the faint of graft, and is neither radi-
cal nor illiberal. Undoubtedly many
! disillusioned voters will line themselves
UP on our side in the fall campaign,
when they have been shown.
The newspaper which by reason of
| its espousal of a great movement for
better government becomes recognized
j as leading organ for such a move
4 ment has a serious responsibility
thrust upon 1t, and it owes 1t to the
cause to do nothing that will weaken
its influence with the mass of the peo-
| pie. 1t need not compromise one whit
with evil, but, on the other hand, it
need not pursue a will-o'- the wisp or
advocate chimerical reforms, for the
adoption of which there is little pros
| pect. Such policy only tends to
| make less effective the work of such
paper in behalf of real, practical re-
| form.
Ignore Mud Singing
| think, too that the people are
| tired of the constant exchange of COM
plments between the reform and the
| pro-vice press. The papers that have
stood for decency in Los Angeles have
now reached condition of influence
with the people where, though the ag-
| gravatton is great and the temptation
! to retort is almost irresistible they
can afford to ignore the attacks and
| the mud slngings of the VIGOROUSLY
subsidized press and I believe it will
| help the cause If they do So
Another thing that we, in common
with all of the people of this state
and nation, must learn, is to stand
| up for the men who are making our
| fight. We have got to defend our
| Roosevelts, our Folks and our La Fol-
iettes; our Heneys and our Spreckelses
| our Earls, our Gibbons, and our Will
| lards. And whenever in a campaign
the men who are devoting their time
| and energy and the best years of their
| lives to the cause of the people, with
| out expectation of reward other than
| the satisfaction of conscience and tho
| appreciation of their fellow citizens, are
| attacked and vilified, it is, in my
| opinion, not alone unjust but a poll
! teal mistake to maintain silence. I'm
| doubtedly, the ignoring, so far as pub
| l1c1ty was concerned of charges and
insinuations made against certain lead
ers in the recall movement, caused
| many voters to come to the conclusion
| that the silence meant that the accusa-
| lions were we'll founded, and to vote
accordingly.
Liquor Interest Vote
With reference to the vote controlled
by the liquor interests and the avowed
| intention of the liquor dealers in Los
Angeles to clean up their business and
stand for decency and to refuse to be
further bled, controlled and worked by
corrupt political bosses, 1 can only re-
echo the sentiment expressed by one
of them few days ago, when, after
the election of Mr.. Alexander, it grad
| ually dawned on him that Mr.. Alex
ander's election did not mean that
| he was to be forced out of business:
TT seems too good to be>true," he ex-
claimed, and it seems to me too good
to be true that those in control of the
liquor business In Los Angeles will,
in the future, refrain from mixing in
our local politics and attend strictly
to the mixing of drinks. sincerely
hope 1t is what they call straight
goods,' and I believe that there are
sincere men among the liquor dealers
who are conscientiously working to
bring about the desired change; but
for their own welfare they should act
in good faith.
The great wave of prohibition senti-
ment which has been sweeping for
several years from the east and south
toward these western shores, must
needs have made its impression. They
have seen the handwriting on the wall.
Let them take heed and not monkey
with the buzz-saw.
l believe the attitude of several thou
sand citizens of Los Angeles, who are
not church men or prohibitionists, is
well illustrated by the change which
has come over my own mind on this
question (and I am of German extrac-
ton, and, so, as might be expected,
am not inclined to be Puritanical in
my opinions). When, few years ago,
the Los Angeles Express advocated the
closing of saloons in this city, felt
so strongly the unwisdom of such a
policy that I stopped my subscription
to-the paper. didn't stop it very long,
however, for I found / couldn't very
well get along without it, Now l feel
quite differently on the subject, and
am firmly convinced that the people
of Los Angeles will not tolerate sa-
looms If once forced to the conclusion
that saloons and good government can
not exist together
If Forced to Choose
If ever the people are compelled to
choose between saloons and misgovern-
ment on the one hand, and no saloons
and good government on the other,
they will vote to close the saloons. I'm
til then the anti-saloon propaganda will
not be successful in Los Angeles; but,
as sure as that day comes, the saloons
will have to go; and I am quite conf
dent that the election of either Mr..
Harper or the Socialist candidate
would have meant a dry town for this
city.
In my opinion, the most dastardly
thing that was done in the recall cam
paign (and it has been done in other
campaigns in the city of Los Angeles)-
thing that is absolutely subversive
of one of the fundamental principles of
our American institutions-was the at
tempt, very largely successful, to pre-
iudice the minds of many voters against
our campaign and against the men
connected with the movement on ac-
count of religious and racial consid-
erations.
In this connection I cannot do better
than I'm nIIotA what President ROOSe-