Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-22
THE OTHER STOOL PIGEON

the city from selling its school
bonds, disposed of his property in
Los Angeles and announced that he
would go no further with the suit,
the average citizen grinned with
satisfaction and remarked:
THE stool pigeon has come off
the perch. eh?"
AS a mere matter of abstract JUS
tice. it is to be hoped that Mr..
Spencer was well recompensed by
those who placed him before the
people in so unhappy a light. This
town is just full of men who would
not have done his stunt for ten
thousand dollars.
Which naturally raises the ques-
ton az to what reward the other
stool pigeon is to get. viii it be
the support of the Times for his
aspiration to be mayor? And this
raises another interesting question
whether the determination to run
for mayor was already in his mind
when he began his extraordinary,
and then unaccountat lie, attacks on
the school board; and whether it
was newspaper political support,
rather than mere cheap putting,
that hs hoped to gain through the
policy he adopted.
But for the fact that one Of the
principals to the affair proposes to
run for mayor-if a stool pigeon can
be regarded as principal-the
school board episode might be re-
garded as closed. Under the cir
cumstances, however, it is likely to
figure more or less in the coming
campaign.
1t was in the month of December,
1907, that the Times openly attacked
Superintendent Moore--it had mere
ly boycotted him before that-and
it followed this b. occasional slsrs
and insinuations for several months,
without making any headway. In
April, 1908, there appeared in the
Times a long, lurid article, full OF
alleged facts and figures, denounc-
ing the board of education for eX-
travagance and mismanagement,
winding up with the false state
ment that they would be compelled
to close the schools, long before
the usual date, to avoid tremen-
dous deficit Having failed in its
purpose to injure Mr.. Moore direct
lv. the paper sought to hurt him
indirectly through the board. The
board promptly accepted the chal-
tGukGf uGC1di6u Alleli NAACJ SbACAAN f'N'~
responsible for the finances of the
schools, and asked an investigation.
The city council instructed the au-
ditor, who is now running for may
or, with the apparent support of the
Times. to make the investigation.
Now that we can look back over
the whole episode. 1t is not hard to
guess who had supplied the Times
with alleged figures when they
wished to make a showing against
the school board. Some things that
seemed very strange then are plain
enough now. Nor is 1t difficult to
understand why a man who was al
ready engaged as partisan for the
other side should have been any
thing but a just and unprejudiced
investigator.
But all this was not suspected at
the time, and the report Of the au-
ditcr was likely to carry some
weight. His sincerity was yet un-
questioned. Up to that time, more
over his work at the city hall had
been upon the whole decidedly cred
itable-a bit given to posing and
theatricals, but containing a good
deal that promised advantage to
the city. His report covered much
the same ground as the article in
the Times, and was a severe and an
utterly unjust arraignment of the
school board. Subsequently his fig
ures were gone into by commit
tee of the chamber OF commerce,
Merchants association and Munici-
pal league, and the criticisms were
declared to be baseless. He then
appealed to the grand jury, whose
experts reviewed the figures a sec
ond time, and the grand jury Off
Cially commended the school finan-
cial management, and declared the
alleged errors to be of q tri1ing
character. Then the people took a
hand in the issue, and by an over
whelming majority voted for a
midst OF hard times, when the city
was, in the judgment of many, al
ready overbonded. The Times and
it's ally, the auditor, fought the bond
issue to the utmost of their ability.
Never was a public body more COM
pletely exonerated than was the
board Of education by that vote.
Now by this time, no doubt, Mr..
Mushet would be glad to have all
this forgotten. He regards himself
as a real candidate for mayor, and
it takes something more than the
adoring support Of the Times to
get anywhere with that kind of an
ambition. In the past seventeen
years there have been eight cleo
tions for mayor, and once, only
once, did the Times land with its
candidate. That was Fred Eaton.
It supported McAleer after
fashion, but It fought him bitterly
for the nomination. What the
auditor needs to make a showing
in the ballot is a following of good
citizens; but good citizens do not
hold with the Times and its poll
cies, nor will they stand for any
one who has deliberately played the
part Of q Times stool pigeon in the
hope of securing its support The
school board, and the schools them
selves, have tens Of thousands Of
friends in Los Angeles. who viii
not forgive the man who sought
to do them injustice and injury.
In the opinion of The Herald. the
outlook does not do Mr.. Mushet full
lstice in what it says regarding his
osition in the fight against the school
onds Of Los Angeles.
1t refers to Mr.. Mushet as "The
lines Stool Pigeon" and throughout
ives him a distinctly secondary posi-
ion in the opposition to the school,
onds. In this matter The Herald be-
ewes that Mr.. Mushet is entitled tc
front rank position.
He began his fight against the board
( education and the school bonds ap-
arently upon his own initiative, and
he other opponents of the bonds re-
eived from Mr.. Mushet the principal
mmunition that they used in the op-
osition to the bonds. Mr.. Mushet
i'd not hesitate to use the influence o1
is official position which the people
Q Ahn ni4.. I,nd r.ir,nr, Iirrn 70 Nm Al. .