Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-04-11

homes and into the hearts of all the
lovers of good government in our city.
and l sincerely hope that it will reap
continued success for the good work
it is doing.
The result of the first non-partisan
campaign was quite encouraging to the
friends of good government, and the
necessity was recognized of keeping
together and in close communion those
citizens who had been active in that
campaign, and the citizens generally
who sympathized with efforts along
that lire. This was the inspiration for
the organization of the City club, and
the same little group of young men
who organized the first non-partisan
movement was most active in the Or
ganization of this club.
That it has fulfilled it's mission and
is a genuine success will, / think. be
generally admitted. Starting with a
membership of about fifteen, the City
club in less than two years of existence
/ has reached nearly the thousand mark.
1 believe it's potential influence for good
government in Los Angeles is almost
F., incalculable, and / see no reason why
1 this club should not within a reaSona-
BILE time, have membership of several
thousand. While it costs nothing to
join, and while the membership fee of
J
| largely increased membership. the club.
with economy. could and should have
/ it's own quarters-library reading and
meeting rooms-and in time should be-
come the principal forum for the dis
cussion of civic problems and the rec
| ognized center of civic advance.
Fortunate in Officers
The popularity of Mr. Gates, our first
president, and the high character of
Mr. Hunsaker, who has just laid down
the gaYel of office, undoubtedly have
had much to do with the success of tie
club, and the club is particularly for
tunate in having been able to induce
such an eminent citizen rs Judge Works
to serve as president for the ensuing
year.
The character of the political machine
which runs state government-Whi
determines whether it is a corporation
machine or a peoples machine-is de-
termined by the character of the wheels
and cogs of the machine that controls
political organization in the subdivi-
sions of the state, and especially in the
large cities. California, far from being
an exception to this general rule, is q
shining example of the truth of it; for
it was notorious and shameful fact
that for a generation the government
of this state, mainly through control of
centers, had been under the domination
of the political bureau of of great rail-
road corporation.
Tackling the Monster
The degree of success which had
been achieved in the first non-partisan
campaign in Los Angeles gave the
young men who We're most active in
that movement enough announcement
to have the hardihood, with the en-
thusiasm of youth, to tackle the monster
which had the state government in its
grasp. Most of the men prominent in
the non-partisan movement, while
thoroughly non-partisan in municipal
and county affairs. were ardent Repub-
leans in state and national politics, as
might be expected in q community so
prepon6eratingly Republican. And it
was recognized that, since the dominat-
ing party in this state was Republican,
reform in our state government could
only be practically brought about
through operation within the Republi-
can party. This gave rise to the
Lincoln Roosevelt Republican league,
which had it's birth in another small
meeting in this city, but which in u.
very short time, through persistent and
active propaganda and organization
work. became a wide movement,
with what effect you are all familiar.
Like the nOn-partlSan movement III
the city of Los Angeles, the Lincoln
Roosevelt Republican league movement
did not make clean sweep of the old
machine all along the line, but it is gen.
orally admitted that the influence of
the league had more to do with the
comparatively decent record of the re-
cent legislature than any other one
thing.
l say comparatively decent advisedly,
for, while 1 am willing to shout as
loudly as anyone the praises of certain
members of that Legislature, Lincoln
Roosevelt Republican, regular Republi-
can and Democratic, I am not one of
those who can grow wildly enthusiastic
over the performance as a whole, and
[ would like to take a few minutes to
analyze a part of the record of the Los
Angeles county delegation.
Roll Call Tells Tale
What is said at a banquet given by
a machine club into attending which
many good citizens are inVeigled, does
not count for much with me; but it
is the inevitable roll call that tells the
tale, and there is the place to get your
! information.
OF course it would be impossible TO
refer to the vote of every member of
the Los Angeles county delegation on
evHy bill. But there were certain test