Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-05
MAYOR GREETED
AT BIG MEETING
ClTYS CHIEF EXECUTIVE
TALKS TO NEIGHB0RS
MAKES FIRM STAND ON RECORD
IN OFFICE
Enthusiasm Unrestralned in Reception.
Professor Handley Delivers Able.
Address on Local PoIIt-
icaI Situation

Mayor Alexander was greeted by his
neighbors in the One hundred and
fourteenth precinct last night, when
he took the rostrum Of Masonic hall,
Thirty-third and Main streets. To say
that the greeting was enthusiastic is
speaking with undue reserve. 1t was
only because he wanted to talk to his
neighbors that the mayor departed
from his rule and addressed last night $
meeting. The hall was packed and II
was fully fifteen minutes after Mayor
AleXander's name was announced thdt
quiet was restored. Others on the
program were John S. Meyers, candl-
| date for good government auditor;
| Clarence Nj. Taggert, candidate for tax
| collector; Miles S. Gregory, Judge Roo-
ert NJ. Lusk and Prof. L. {. Handley.
Judge Lusk explained the workings of
the primary law and said that 1t was
| framed so as to give every voter a
free hand in selecting. candidates, and
then putting them into office.
Mayor Alexander frequently was in
terrupted with applause, particularly
when he spoke of Walter Parker and
the S. p. machine He said in part:
"You heard what Mr.. Lusk said
| about the Importance of selecting
| good council. | want to say to you
| that the most important thing in this
coming election is the selection of the
council. The council holds the purse
strings. The best mayor In the World
| could not give you good admlnistra-
ton without the assistance of the coun-
cil."
Recalls Harper Incident
The mayor called attention to the
fact that it was in this very hall dur
| ing the recall election that the mes
sage was brought to him that Mayor
Harper had resigned.
II was very reluctant TO get into that
fight" he said. "It was a hard fight
| 1t seemed a fight into which man
would have to go with his hands tied
The boast was made by the machine
at the time that he could not do any
thing anyhow The commissions are
all against him and the council Is
against him and he will just about be
| allowed to draw his salary Well
think 1 have done some other things
| besides draw my salary. Ask Walter
| Parker if l have not"
MI Alexander then talked about the
importance of this primary election
There should not be partisanship IN
politics. My door is open TO my pri-
vate office to any man, woman or child
( in the city who has a complaint and
every man who knows me is aware
that hundreds and hundreds of people
come there every day. l put them all
on the same level. Republican or Dem
ocrat, banker OF laborer, l treat them
alike as near as / know how. NOW
what difference does 1t make to those
people whether l am a Republican o;
a Democrat if L treat them all alike.
l am a Republican and have been al
my life. l voted for Abraham Lincoln
president since that time. They can
| say that / am not as good Repuo'
| iican as Walter Parker and those OF
| his gang.
Touches Police Affairs
"I do not like to talk about myself
| but / will tonight. You men have edu'
Gated me for the last ten years in be-
coming efficient in my duties. have
not worked for my own interests.
| learned some things in those ten years
I learned a good many things. l car
! call a spade a spade as well as any
body in the city. Now l have had eX'
perience with this gang. They do not
| fool me as much as they like. They
say l am old. Well. am not kid any
more-and they have found it out. Now
as far as my ability Is concerned,
have served you for seven months, ano
IL l have not improved the conditions
in the city during that time, tell me
! (Applause) What did I find? Wha
was the condition of your police de.
| partment? A man indicted for the TAX
! ing of bribes was the head of that de-
/ partment. What kind of a man is al
| the head of the police department to-
| day? One of the brightest young meT
in the city. He is doing the best he car
! under the conditions, but the conditions
/ are not good.
/ "I have been before these people Sc
much l think sometimes you must ge
tired of listening to me and voting fol
me, and l thought l would get out o.
the way and allow somebody else try
it because, as far as l am concerned
l have never made any money in pol
itics. You can't make any money IL
politics on a salary. If you are goinl
to be strictly honest don't go into pol
itics to make money. Do it for honol
but don't go in to make money. YoI
serve the people and if you do it righ
1t is an honor to you. I was going t
tell you that I, hesitated a great dea
about what I was going to do thi!
fall. was still undecided at the timt
of the Elks' convention, but as
passed along the streets of this city
for three miles and by at least 2OO,OO
people, I looked into their faces an(
] saw the encouragement reflected ther,
and it gave me the idea that I wa!
satisfactory, and I said that these peo
! pie want me to continue in this Office
and will try it again."
Speaks of Primary Law
Prof. Handley who has made mos
careful study of the local situation
made a direct and forceful appeal il
his remarks. He said that the pri
mary law as it will operate mex
Wednesday is not to be a trial anC
that if the law fails to operate prop
erly it will not be the fault of the
law but an indictment against the in
telligence of the citizenship of Los An
geles.
0URANG 0UTANG DIES IN