Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-24
RECALL DEMANDED

justice, uttered In burning words the
protest of the fair city Of Los Angeles
against the, blotch which has been
the faithlessness OF trusted but un-
trustworthy public official With Celtic
force and Celtic fire the Judge, to
quote an old Celtic phrase, "gave back
the wrong to the giver." After listen
ing with most appreciative attention to
the address Of Judge McNutt, who has
sacrificed his own comfort and the
ease Of peaceful retirement from public
life in order that he may give his most
valuable and most highly valued as
sistance to his fellow citizens who are
conducting proceedings for the recall
Of Mayor Harper, the club with en-
thusiastic unanimity passed a resolu-
ton indorsing the action Of the NUM-
cipal league, expressing the belief that
the continued occupancy Of the Office
Of mayor by A. c. Harper is detri-
mental to the best interests of Los
Angeles, rendering it's support to the
league, and pledging it's cooperation
in the splendid work which the league
has begun in the interest of all citizens
and taxpayers.
Judge McNutt brought out with con-
vtncing force the vital fact that the
present crisis In the history Of Los
Angeles is MORAL. NOT POLITICAL.
1t has nothing to do with party poll
tics. It has everything to do with the
protection Of the homes Of Los An
geles.
The hard common sense OF the situa-
ton was voiced when the venerable
Judge said: eff any Of you had hired
a man to serve you for the period OF
three years, you did not have to have
written q bond that he would behave
himself decently and honestly, that
he would not betray the trust you had
reposed in him. The law writes that
in. The law implies the obligation
upon his part to be faithful to his
trust: and though you do agree to give
him employment for the period Of three
years, you are not bound to retain him
In your employment unless he keeps
that stipulation which the law writes
into every contract: faithfulness, in
tegrity in the discharge Of the en-
pioye's duty. When we elect a mayor
Of the city Of Los Angeles he is under
obligation by implication Of law to
discharge his duties faithfully, honest
ly and disinterestedly. In spite of the
fact he is under this binding obliga-
ton to discharge his duty faithfully,
when the necessity for recall arrives
there are some who say, Don't recall
him. That is revolutionary. That is
socialistic, anarchistic, or whatever
sort Of istic the speaker may have in
mind. Don't do it, says this kind OF a
speaker, because it is new That is
the only argument they have given
or can give in this particular case.
They'll not be able to give that argu-
ment very long"
AS Judge McNutt pointed out, after
The Herald's exposures with regard to
the protection Of vice in Los Angeles,
it was absolutely impossible for good
citizens to sit by inactive and take no
notice Of the disgrace brought upon
our city by the methods of Harper and
his harpies. The stockselling transac-
tions were characterized by Judge
McNutt in a shorter and uglier word
than any heretofore used to describe
them. Judge McNutt said that on
analysis it was found the buyers of
the stock were not committing an act
Of bribery. There was hardly any ele-
ment Of that kind in the transaction"
said he. ''IT WAS SIMPLY BLACK
MAIL = OLD-FASHIONED BLACK
MAIL"
But that neither blackmail nor the
attempt to save the millions voted for
Owens river from the rapacity of de-
signing rascals can be compared in
gravity and Importance with the moral
issue before the people, is the opinion
of Judge McNutt, and itI is hardly
necessary to tell constant readers of
these columns that in this we agree
with him, heart and soul.
It is morality we are fighting for.
It is purity in the life of our great
and growing city that we must cham
pion and assert by the recall Of the
official whose acts have produced a
condition which is a menace and a
peril to public morals, and not only to
public morals, but to the morals of the
young people and the children of Los
Angeles. In the language of Judge
McNutt: "It is obligatory upon US to
save the children of this town from
the ruin and damnation Of practices
which have been carried on here BY
PERMISSION OF THE CONSTABU-
Larry AND THE EXECUTIVE OF
THIS CITY"
Unusually heinous is the offense
against decency in the case of Los An
geles because we are entitled to have
here not merely a good average Ameri-
can city, but BETTER THAN THAT.
We are entitled to have clean city,
a city honestly administered, whose
finances shall not be diverted, whose
taxes shall not be eaten up by cormo-
rants who have no right to them,
whose money shall be expended in the
manner intended by the taxpayer who
furnishes the money.
Los Angeles is entitled to a SQUARE
DEAL from it's office holders: and in
OrQer 10 emphasize InlS, IN OrOer 10
let it be understood thoroughly that
Los Angeles is a jealous guardian of
her interests, political, financial and
moral, in order that no future office
holder may have the slightest excuse
or pretext for carelessness or worse, by
an appeal to a record of immunity
foolishly granted to an erring prede-
cessor CAUGHT WITH THE GOODS,
the voters Of Los Angeles must face