Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-27
PETITIONS FOR
RECALL RAPIDLY
BEING FILLED
LEAGUE HAS LARGE FORCE OF
CANVASSERS OUT
PRO-HARPER DOCUMENTS ARE
SHOWN TO UNWARY
Mayors Friends Endeavor to Make
Showing by Circulating Lises> in
Drinking Resorts and Obtain
ing Worthless Signatures
MUNICIPAL LEAGUE workers in

Vs charge of the recall campaign
49, feel greater encouragement each
day as they see the outcroppings of
sentiment in favor of the movement
AS one result of the strong public de-
sire to see Mayor Harper recalled so
many volunteers to circulate petitions
came forward that the committee in
charge of headquarters was able to
send out nearly twice as many men as
had been anticipated.
Forty-five experienced canvassers re-
ceipted for petitions and went after sig
natures yesterday, and others were in
structed and told to report this morn
ing. The canvasserS who will be paid
by the league were sent into the busi-
ness district while volunteers We're
given streets in residence precincts,
usually near their homes. In addition
to the canvaSSers sent out for day
work another force will be set at work
in the evenings to catch the voters
who may not have an op, 0rtunity to
sign petitions while at their work. If
necessary toward the close of the work
men will be placed with tables at
prominent street corners to obtain
signers. This idea was tried with the
charter amendment petitions and was
found to work admirably.
Work of Checking Begun
The work of checking has already
been started. AS soon as a petition Is
filled and sworn to it is checked over
and entered and then taken to the
great register for comparison. Every
name is recorded in a blank book for
comparison which will give a knOWl-
edge of any duplication. The canvasser
must sign a receipt on card which
is filed in an index and on which Il
complete record of his progress is kept
With this and other records it is pos
sible for the campaign committee to
maintain a daily balance sheet of the
status of the campaign.
The laughing stock of the campaign
is the petition against the recall being
circulated by the bosom friends" Tt
is ungrammatical enough to be humor-
Gus, aside from the fact that it is
without standing. The object is ap-
parently to secure many signatures to
substantiate a claim that thousands
sre for Harper, thus soaring timid
voters.
To accomplish this all sorts of sub
terfuges have been resorted to- One
circulator was seen to write several
names on his flake petition" Another
secured the signatures Of four team
sters who were in a Main street sa-
loon in state of intOxication. They
had come in from the country and none
was a voter. Another man with
fake" came into a place where work
ingmen congregate and started a dis
cussion regarding the recall. He found
so much feeling in favor of ousting
Mayor Harper that he kept his 'peti-
ton" in his pocket and made no effort
to obtain any signatures.
Canvassers with the 'fake'' We're
yesterday representing it to be pc
tition in favor of the recall when talk
ing with men whom they thought might
thereby be induced to sign it, This
method is not often used, as most of
the canvassing for the ''fake" has been
in the saloons and dives, but if the
canvasser believes it will gain a sig
nature he does not hesitate to resort to
the deception.
League Exercises Care
In strong contrast to the disrepu-
table methods Of the workers for the
fake petition is the care exercised bv
the canvassers who have been sent
out by the Municipal league. This was
commented upon frequently by men
who were asked to sign it yesterday.
Every man is first asked if he is p
qualified electOr and whether he is in
favor of the recall. If competent to sign
the petition and willing to do so he is
requested to sign the petition if he has
vaSsers are strictly instructed on these
points. and with every petition goes a
concise but thorough set of directions
for securing names in compliance with
the charter provision on the recall.
Men continued to come to the league
headquarters at 4O2 Equitable bank
building yesterday to place their sig
natures to petitions. Others inquired
regarding the regulations concerning
registration. Men who have business
interests in Los Angeles but live out
side the city limits frequently express
their regret at their inability to sign
petitions and vote to recall Mayor
Harper.
The public interest in the recall uues-
ton continues unabated, and it is the
chief topic of conversation in all ave-
nues, second if at all only to the COM
ing charter amendment election. In
all sections of the city it seems to be
conceded that the answer has been
definite to the question, ''Is vice pro
tected in Los Angeles?" The ability Of
the Municipal league to obtain enough
signatures to bring about submission
of the recall is everywhere taken for
granted.