Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-04-02

The better element among the liquor
dealers of the city Of Los Angeles nave
embarked upon an effort 10 raise the
character of their business as IL Is cal
ried on In this city, which Inc heraiu, i,i;
in common with all good citizens, WIN
view with interest, as Wen as eoiiie
anxiety for it's success.
There is no doubt that many men
who are engaged in selling liquor III tne
CITY have for a long time resented the
unwise Ito use no stronger ternl aiiI-
ance which has been brought ABOUT III
the past between the liquor business
and the disreputable Southern racine
nolitical machine and later between
MANY persons engaged in that business
and the equally disreputable onlcial al
fninistration with which the CITY mas
been cursed during the past two years.
IT seems almost incredible that men
engaged in liquor selling, aLter they
have secured the autnority sas ol ane iIw hv
for carrying on their businesses ny
compliance with the requirements Oh
the law, as to paying license and otner
things. should permit themselves 10 De
drawn into political and other connec-
tions whose principal result mas peeh
to levy additional taxes upon tnem IN
the form of contributions to the war
chest of the political macnine ana 10
various public officials.
OF course, there has been, ana prop
ably always will be, certain element
among liquor dealers who have no con-
scientious scruples about breaking tne
law, and rather prefer to break IT, IL
by so doing they can make IeW extra
dollars of income.
Bought Harper's Stocks
II was to this element, as represented
nv such men as r. f. Goings, "Chow-
der House JIM Dunno and ethers OF
like character, that the offer Oh MAYOR
Uarper's corporation stocks appealed
most strongly, because they recognized
that when they purchased those stocks
thew also purchased the right to carry
on their businesses in violation of law,
which they at once proceeded to do.
1t is worthy of note that the Two
heaviest local purchasers among the
saloon men of these stocks were those
two men above mentioned, who, While
fellow stockholders of the mayor, main
tanned In this city dives which became
notorious as reaching the limit for the
Infamous and corrupt practices carried
on in them.
Other liquor dealers seeing the law
being broken with impnuity by men
engaged in the same business. and fear
ing loss of custom unless they were
equally liberal as to their methods or
doing business, were, by the example
set by the naturally evil inclined, led
70 conduct their businesses contrary TO
law. While this is all wrong, 1t Is at
the same time very human, and goes to
show how effective a few bad examples
may be In demoralizing considerable
portion of large number of people
carrying on businesses of a similar
character.
Tucked by Machine
For years it has been impressed upon
the liouor dealers by the astute man
ager of the local Republican machine
that their safety lay In allying them
selves with his machine, and this alli-
ance has become effective in number
of municipal contests.
II seems incredible, but 1t is never
theless true, that certain liquor dealers
should have permitted themselves to be
taxed for considerable sum of money
which was contributed to the Golfers of
this machine to be used In fghting the
charter amendments.
Naturally the liquor dealers were no
more interested in opposing these
amendments than were many other peo-
ple engaged in any other line of busi-
ness. Yet when the machine called
upon them for a contribution of funds
10 be used in fighting the proposed
charter amendments, they responded to
the extent of $1,000.
During all this time, however, there
were certain liquor dealers who re-
sented this intimacy between people en-
gagged in the same line OF business with
themselves and the disrtputable polit-
ical and official elements in the city
and at intervals protested against such
alliance.
The opportunity for these men to