Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-14
HARPER FINDS
CRAFT CIGAR
JOKES GLOOMY
PUBLIC MAY LIKE THEM, BUT
NOT so THE MAYOR
BUSINESS MEN EXPRESS THEIR
OPINIONS FREELY
Vast Sums to Be Handled in Owens
River Development Show Urgent
Necessity of Clearing the
Atmosphere
sGCt MoKEGRAFT'' was the chief

<6CI MOKEGRAFT'' was the chief
~ topic of conversation around
| ~ the city hall yesterday morning,
and city officials had considerable
quiet fun joking each other about the
| brand of cigars they smoked. 1t was
| not taken, however, as a joke around
Mayor Harper's Office. In fact there is
| a cloud of gloom lingering about that
| sanctum these days.
Its not a new story here, but it's a
good one.'' said a city official-not con-
nected with the police commission. 1--WE
| enjoyed it quite a bit. You see to
some of us old-timers the stunt of SELL
| ing cigars to saloons is not particu-
| larly novel. 1t was done here once be-
/ fore under another administration. So
| fragrant was the affair on that occa-
| sion that the commissioner was forced
| to resign. The Herald is going a good
| thing in showing up this game of SELL
ing things to people who don't want to
| buy. Those men pay for their licenses !
and are as much entitled to protection
| from additional impositions as any
other business man.
1--WE realize up here how difficult it
would be for a restaurant man with a
| liquor license to refuse to buy stock, or
| meat, or cigars, or insurance, or oil or
anything that might be presented to
| him in the right manner. / believe the
men who have been held up are getting
keen enjoyment out of the exposure
The Herald is making. If it is carried |
| out properly it will doubtless result in !
dealers being liberated from their
| bondage"
A contractor who has done consider
| able work for the municipality said
| during the course of a call at The
| Herald Office yesterday:
There is nothing about the recent
events at the city hall to surprise those
who have been students of ancient his
tory in Los Angeles. Does any man
of knowledge and experience doubt for
an instant that the machine that has
owned and operated the city Of Los
Angeles for its private interest is over
looking the rich picking that is to come
from the expenditure of the Owens
| river bond money?
Submissive Bodies Wanted
why it's a cinch the bosses in this
city had their eyes on the money the
day it was voted at the bond election.
Can't you see how valuable thing it
will be for those who look into the
future if they can have board of pub
lie works and a police commission of
their own choosing? There is a GER
tain institution in this community that
wants to have a police department that
will do its bidding in any emergency.
A political machine with ambitions like
that isn't nice thing in any city.
There are machines within machines
that are extremely dangerous. I now
nave city contracts and 1 do not care
to be known in this affair, but I hope
The Herald will continue until the
whole thing is shown up in all it's de-
tail. If the people of this community
stand for the protection OF vice, if X
shall be shown that vice is protected,
then I am mistaken in my ideas about
the n1akNun Of tha citizens
Scores of letters were received by
The Herald yesterday, most Of which |
were even stronger in tone, and many
! correspondents, while declining to have
their names used, were open in their
denunciation of the mayor and his asso-
ciateS who have used their positions TO |
further their personal interests. Some |
of the letters are jocular and refer to !
the "Smokegraft'' scandal in a facetious |
way, but underneath them all a serious !
vein runs that shows that the humor
is of a grim, determined brand. One
mine owner Of Nevada says he has ex-
pended $17,500 in Los Angeles in the |
past year and has the welfare of the |
city at heart. He urges The Herald to !
continue its campaign for better city. |
Give Evil Publicity
A Los Angeles minister writes as fol- |
lows:
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 1s.-Editor Of
the Los Angeles Herald: My Dear Sir
You are publishing a clean and COM |
mendable paper. L desire to add my |
commendation, moreover, to the many
you have received from my brethren in |
the ministry respecting the praise |
worthy efforts you are making to bring |
to public notice the evils that aff1ict |
our city. 1t is certainly painful to |
| learn of the completely of our civic |
head in these iniquities God our Savior !
G hof 1olv rio
| ness, but he effects this power through |
the lovers of justice, purity and patriot |
| ism. That you are lending your strong
arm to the cause Of purity and public !
subriety is laudable indeed. Gratefully |
yours, J. E. COLON,
Pastor New Jerusalem Christian
1924 Maple avenue"
Another man, signing himself 'Res- |
taurant Keeper but who neglected to
tear off his letter head, writes as fol- |
| lows:
Editor Herald: L believe every law
abiding cafe man In Los Angeles is |
back of you in this work. Many others !
who have winked at the law, and seen
| it Winked at by those who should be !
| enforcing it, would also be glad if they |
didn't have oil stock and were once |
more their own masters. We want to |
pay our license and go ahead with a
straight business. I want to buy my
cigars in the open market and my meat
where 1 please. / believe in boosting
and buying home products. What does
the chamber of commerce and the other
civic institutions think Of this New
York cigar game? Why don't they say
something about the way home products
are being boosted out the back doors?"
Could Not Be BIuffed
A man at the head of a responsible
publishing house writes:
Editor Los Angeles Herald: I can
| not refrain from expressing to you my
appreciation of the very thorough and |
heroic manner in which The Herald has
brought to the attention of the people
the question of Protected Vice. I
said when suits were filed against Mr.. |
Woolwine and the Express that these |
cases would never be allowed to come
to trial. They were intended only as |
bluffs, to close the mouths of those who |
were in a position to expose existing |
municipal rottenness.
Il am glad that The Herald could not |
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