Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-29
SIGNATURES TO
RECALL EXCEED
ALL ESTIMATES
MUNICIPAL LEAGUE ASSURED
OF SUCCESS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ISSUES
FULL STATEMENT
Explains That 1t Refused to Take
Action Until Convinced by
Irrefutable Proof of
Emergency

N EMBERS of the executive COM
lHH mittee of the Municipal league
A feel confident that the necessary
number of names on the recall petitions
will be secured in much less time than
had been anticipated. They make this
estimate from the manner in which
electors are coming to the support of
the league by signing petitions.
Reasons for the recall of Mayor Har-
per and convincing proof in support of
them are given in statement prepared
by the executive committee of the
league. This statement will be printed
in the February number of Municipal
Affairs, as officially coming from the
Municipal league. 1t is, in full, as fol-
lows:
With the cooperation of other civic or
ganizations and of good citizens generally,
the Municipal league has undertaken the
recall of Mayor Harper, and number of
people are now in the field obtaining the
necessary signatures. From the way the
work starts out there seems to be no reason
able doubt that the recall will be made
operative, and election for his successor
will presently be held. At that election
Mayor Harper may be a candidate, but it is
contended by those who seem best to under
stand political conditions and the trend of
public sentiment that he has no chance
whatever of reelection. Such in brief is
the situation at present writing. The
causes that led to the leagues taking this
step and the method by which decision
was finally reached Will be here set forth
in the shortest compass practicable
Membership of League
The Municipal league contains 45O citizens
and taxpayers of Los Angeles who are in
tent upon securing the best possible gov
ernment for this city. These members
,J,o f.
tee of fifteen, which meets once week or
oftener, hears reports of committees or OF
employees appointed to investigate city mat
ters and acts in accordance with its best
Judgment. Most of the members of the
committee have served several years in this
kind of work. and have naturally consider
able experience in municipal and civic af-
fairs. More than half the committee are
business men and the remainder are either
in the professions engaged in the man
agement of their properties.
These men. are, in effect, charged by
this larger body of citizens with the duty
of carrying out the purposes of the league
It is a duty which they undertake seriously
and execute with due caution and conser-
vatism.
When A. c. Harper was elected mayor of
Los Angeles he was known and well re-
garded by most of the members of this
committee Neither now at any time
has the committee contained any one who
could by the widest stretch of imagination
lations with him have been only such as
grew out of the committees duties on the
one side, and Mr.. Harpers official position
on the other; and although the committee
has disapproved of great numbers of the
mayors acts, on only three occasions did
it undertake to demonstrate with him or to
influence his action. These three occasions
were as follows:
Unfit Appointments
When the names were formally made pub
lie of the mayors proposed appointments
to commissions, the league was appalled,
were most good citizens-to find among
the number not only considerable percent
age Of men with nothing but political ac-
tivity to recommend them, but also several
of decidedly shady reputation. A letter was
thereupon sent to him, without publicity,
in the hands of Judge John D. Works, ask
ing him to reconsider these appointments
before it was too late He refused the ad-
vice, but subsequently,, meeting a protest
from members of council, made two or
three changes. One of the appointees to
whom the league especially objected, for
example, and who was retained, was a
member of the police commission whose
drinking and gambling habits were uni
versally known, and who, a few months
later when intoxicated, insulted a lady up
on the street, and when the gentlemen ac-
companying her objected, had them both
thrown into the city jail. These were citi-
zens of good standing, one of them an emf
nent member of the Los Angeles bar. The
league points to this disgraceful epi-
sode as one of the results of these unfit
appointments.
The second time the league sought to
influence Mayor Harper's course was with
respect to the universally desired reappoint-
ment of James A Anderson esq, president
of the board of public works The league
joined on that occasion with the chamber
of commerce, the Merchants association
and the Bar association, to urge this re-
appointment, which had been asked by
every civic and business organization in the
city, and was urged by all newspapers ex-
cept the one that represents the corporation
political machine.
A committee consisting of the presidents
of the two commercial bodies mentioned
above, and the president of the league,
called upon the mayor, and he thereupon
gave his promise that he would appoint
Mr.. Anderson. A few weeks later he de-
Hberately broke his promise and filled the
position with another-the appointee being
one whose character and abilities are recog-
nized by this league as of the highest. But
while the appointment was accepted as sat
isfactory in itself, the attending circum-
stances showed clearly enough that it came
not from the mayor but from an outside in
iuence which is known to be. as a rule.
sinister and untrustWorthy.
Paying Political Debt
The third and last occasion on which the
league attempted to influence Mayor Har-
per was in the month of December 1903,
when it entered a protest against the ap-
pointment Of Edward Kern to the board OF
public works. In April, 1906 Mr.. Kern,
then a member of the council, voted to give
to an unknown Observation-Disclosures ad-
mitted to be the Pacific Electric-without
cent of consideration, a strip Of the river
bed from the city limits to Also street
worth according to the best authorities
about one million dollars He voted thus
on two separate occasions, and in the face
of almost universal public protect. On
many other occasions during his career as
a councilman he had shown undue solici-
tude in behalf of certain great corporate
interests. His appointment was recognized
as the settling Of a political debt Mr.
Harper paid no attention to the protests
and proceeded to make the appointment.
These three instances of the leagues com
munication with Mayor Harper are detailed
to show that the organization has not-as
has been alleged by the mayor-constantly
striven to interfere with his action. Only
in extreme cases, where public necessity was
most urgent, has the league attempted tc
influence him, recognizing, as it has from
the first, the unhappy weakness and obsti-
macy of his character The league does not
attempt 10 dictate to city officials but il
does on rare occasions try to advise with
them and present to them its view of wha
as best for the interests of the city. That i.
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