Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-06

used by the machine in election is pro-
Vided in large blocks of thousands of
dollars, by privilege seeking. selfish
private interests, sometimes by utility
corporations. sometimes by associations
or individuals in various lines of bus
mess that desire to have officials in
office who will wink at violation of
the law.
Eternal Vigilance the Price
"The Good Government organiza-
tion on the other hand is a peoples
organization. They say Eternal Wig
lance is the price Of liberty and we
say Permanent organization is the
only safeguard for good government
And the Good Government organiza-
ton proposes TO combat just so long as
II may be necessary the organization
of the machine
The funds used by the Good Gov
ernment organization in its campaign,
winch amounts to about one-tenth of
What the machine organization has to
spend is raised entirely by voluntary
contributions from private individuals
VINO have no selfish interests at stake.
We don't solicit or accept Contribu-
tons from candidates for office. 1t is
enough that good men are willing to
run for office with Inadequate salaries
without having to put up for the privi-
lege of becoming candidates We do
not solicit or accept contributions from
utility corporations. We do not seel,
places for the men who are working in
our ranks for the good of the cause.
but consistently decline to use our in
luence Tor such purposes when we are
solicited to do so. which, of course, oc-
casionally happens.
Personally I have had considerable
to do with reform politics in the city
Of Los Angeles in the past five years.
and no man can truthfully saw that
have ever attempted TO get an office
or job for myself, for any of nv
friends or relatives, or any of those
whom l have co-operated with po-
liticaliy.
No Promises Made
of course in the stress of a polit-
ical campaign all sorts of people come
TO headquarters with all sorts of prop
osltions. They come claiming to he
able to swing punches OF votes running
INTO the thousands, which they agree
10 deliver If We viii promise to give
them official positions. They are us
ually very modest in their demands.
never asking for anything more than a
place on the board OF public works.
ana one or two police commissioner
ships. We tell all such that we have no
authority to make such promises. that
the class of men We are supporting for
office are not the kind Of men who can
be bound by promises or pledges: that
we would not make a political promise
If we could, and could not if we
would, and that when we have to do
that sort of politics we will go ont of
politics and that if they want prom
ises they had better go up the street
where promises are at a discount.
when the Good Government organ
ization supports man for an office
1t does so because he has made good
i'm his official or private capacity be
cause he is a faithful public servant
or because we have reason to believe
that he viii be such We ask no
questions Of him, we ask him to make
no pledges. We try to elect good men
to office and when they have been
elected we let them alone to run their
offices according to the dictates Of
their own consciences. And if George
Alexander and the other candidates
supported by the Good Government
organization are elected to office next
Tuesday they will go into office alb
solutely untrammeled by any pledges