Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-31
Success of Recall Petitions Causes Those in
Charge of Movement to Seek Desir-
able Nominee for Office of
City's Chief Executive
CANvAsSERs FIND RESPONSE AMONG VOTE
fforts of Machine Politicians to Stave OF Rush of
Signers Fail, Public Declaring Charges Have
Been Proved and Change in Administra-
ton Is Demanded for Good of City

worker to man with a petition yes
terday, land 1 want to tell you, young
man, that you are running your pOliti-
cal future by training with this re-
form crowd. The organization has al
ways controlled Los Angeles and al
/. ways will, and nobody who bucks it
can amount to anything. You'd bet
ter throw up this petition business"
"And after he left I got fifty names
today" said the canvasser.
In similar ways the machine is en-
deavoring to ridicule the recall cam
paign, apparently being unable to pre-
sent any better class of argument. In
some saloons Harper talk is strong,
but elsewhere no campaign Of any
force is waged.
A sample Of the character of the
''pro-Harper" work is evidenced in a
cartoon card resembling a comic"
valentine sent out, purporting to come
from the Second Ward Improvement
association, which represents d man
tearing his hair and bewailing the ex-
pense that one election after another
brings upon Los Angeles. One Of
these cards was shown to Marshall
Stimson, who is a member of the Sec
ond Ward Improvement association,
and he was asked if it expressed the
sentiment of the organization.
'T am member of the associations
executive committee" said Mr.. Slim
son. "It has not held a meeting or
| otherwise taken any such a ridiculous
step as that. The card is the work of
machine politicians. When they are
interested in getting jobs special cleo
tions can't be held too often to suit
them, and then they keep very quiet
about the expense. They care very
little about the amount of expenses if
they can get hold of them, but where
their operations are involved they
squeal at once. 1 am suspicious imme-
diately when I hear the machine men
begin to yell about burdens on the
poor taxpayer.
No Party Workers Needed
''Now that they have raised this
question of elections it is worth while
to consider another phase of it. Usual
ly the custom is to give holders Of
county offices uncalled for HOLIDAYS
to permit them to be around the polls
There is absolutely no excuse for this
at Tuesdays election, for it is not a
partisan election and party workers
are not needed. / suggest that the polls
| be watched Tuesday to see what coun-
ty offices any workers come from; that
will give an idea of what the heads Of
! county departments think about county
| amendments. Watch the workers and
| see what offices they should be in if
| doing their duty. See who is at the
! head of the office from which they
come. No plea that it is for the party's
interest will avail at this election, for
1 1t is absolutely a non-partisan election
This may likewise give pointers of
value in connection with the coming
recall election"
The interest that the machine is
taking in the outcome of the recall is
| brought out by the fact that Republi-
can precinct committeeman have been
pressed into service to circulate ''pro-
Harper" petitions. This has been done
in several wards, but in a number of
cases it has had an effect opposite to
that intended. The Republican ma
chine committeeman in the Seventy
| sixth precinct started out to fill up a
'pro-Harper" petition, but he succeed
! ed in arousing a number of electors
who signed for the recall. One came
into the Municipal league headquarters
and secured a recall petition with the
assertion that the Republican commit
teeman would find that che had stirred
up hornets nest on the Harper uues-
! ton"
! The statement made by the Munic.-
| pal league on the reasons for the recall
| of Mayor Harper evoked a great deal
of comment, particularly for the en-
! phatic yet temperate manner in which
| the indictments were summarized
'It is a good supplement to The Her
AIDS evidence" said a business man
yesterday. "How can ANYBODY take
the answers to the question, is vice
protected in Los Angeles?' as present.
ed by The Herald and add to them a
| consideration of the Municipal league
! statement without wanting to take off
! IN fI,a ~
city?
Harper's Friends Injure Him
''T have read all I can find on both
! sides Of the question, but there is no
answer to The Herald's statements
and nobobdy has disputed the Munici3
| pal league except to say that every
body did not have a voice in their
meeting. To my mind the arguments
of the friends of Harper are doing
him considerable harm. They call
names and say the Municipal league
is not representative, but that does
| not refute what The Herald said
Whats the matter that Harper's
men don't come out in the open? I
notice that their fake petitions are kept
in the saloons, while those of the Mu-
nicipal league are right out on the
street. That's a good indication, I
think. I saw one of their pro-Harper
petitions in a saloon today. 1t had a
few names on it, and the barkeeper was
asking men to sign. L asked him what
interest he had in the campaign. It's
orders says he; anyhow, do you want
this longhaired town? Well said,
I don't want them to job the aqueduct'
'Aw, - the aqueduct,' he said, they
had that all fixed before Harper went
in / noticed they didn't ask anybody
il he could vote or not
You certainly ought" said another
man to Herald reporter. ''to reiterate
daily that statement in the Municipal
| leagues summary: These revelations
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