Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-14
PRESIDENT OF MUNICIPAL LEAGUE
REVIEWS RECALL AND AMENDMENTS
J. o. Koepfli Tells Members What Organization Has
Accomplished for Civic Reform in One of the
Busiest Years of It's HistOry-Officers
Are Elected for Ensuing Year

recent that an enumertion of its diff
ferent phases and stages would but
tire you, but I do feel justified in ask
ing you to give full consideration to
the far reaching results of that vic
tory. The recall as a part of our char
ter has been justified and securely es-
tablished.
1.-The machines absolute control over
the liquor interests has been broken.
These interests under the administra-
ton of Mayor Alexander are being
taught that an honest administration
of the law, while requiring strict con-
formity to its provisions, is more toll
cradle and even more profitable to
very great majority of those engaged
in the liquor traffic than is the fulfilling
of obligations claimed to be due to
those who term themselves a liberal
administration.
Division of Press
by the errors of their desperate tao
tics professional party leaders exposed
their lack of all principle and lost the
confidence of many of their own fol-
lowers. The daily press of the city
wrote for itself it's own credit rating
in the estimation of the public. and as
a consequence it's influence has greatly
shifted. That part which the people
have accredited with a purpose Of hon
esty has strengthened It's power to do
good. The other part. which DELHI
erately pilloried itself, has lost much of
its power to do harm.
"Fifty-five days after the executive
committee of this organization called
the first meeting of it's membership to
consider the case of the city's eXecu-
tive the administration was changed.
Had the mayor not resigned the deed
would have been accomplished in sixty
five days. That fact in its moral eff
feet is of incalculable value in insuring
our city's welfare, because every flu
ture office holder will know that the
people do not only possess the legal
power, but that when their trust has
been abused their citizenship will rise
and exercise this power swiftly and
surely.
81 hope and believe that another good
result will follow. Intimidation was
freely used against those engaged in the
movement, and especially the leaders
were assailed and threatened, publicly
and privately, openly and anonymous
ly. Many good men whom these con-
siderations influenced in their stand or
lack of stand have surely learned an
important lesson by the harmlesSness
of this warfare, and they will in the
future not be deferred from expressing
their honest convictions.
More Work for League
1.-THE respect which the league enjoys
and it's political success in its cam
paignS before the people. has caused the
expression from numerous sources that
the league should now crown it's work
and attempt to reconstruct the city
government by participating in the
IA 80 ,s,.e rNPf h,
city grow greater every day. The adj
ministration of its regular business is
becoming more and more complex. The
money handled by its various depart
ments sums to huge figures. The spe-
cial work of building the aqueduct Is
under full way. The time is not so far
distant when the two great problems of
disposing of the citys surplus water
and that of making proper use of the
power which can be developed must be
solved. Consolidation with our harbor
cities now seems near to contamination.
With it will come problems and respon-
sibilities as vital to the city's future
as any connected with our water sup
ply. There is probably no city on this
continent for which the future holds as
much in store, but to take advantage
of those possibilities will require wise
consideration and strong action on the
part of the city's officials and patriot
ism and public spirit on the part of the
people. The city's taxation is not light;
it's Indebtedness is large, yet in order
to fully achieve our possibilities We
will most likely have to increase the
financial burden which we now carry.
cat such a critical period we can
only afford to entrust our public affairs
to men big enough to do big things and
who possess the confidence of the peo-
pie. Such men do not offer themselves
to the public nor have our political
bosses in the past made practice of
seeking them out for us,
ut is therefore clear that some
means must be provided to find such
men and place them in office, but, gen
tlemen, it is just as clear to my MIND
that the Municipal league is not the
proper agency. The very arguments
that demonstrate that the service must
be rendered also demonstrate the great
need of having the league in its proper
place as a non-political organization
which only leaves its chosen field on
the rarest occasions and when neces-
sity compels it to engage in political
action: studying city affairs, advising,
suggesting, investigating, free to crit
icise any official and without respon-
sibility to the people for his being IN
Office
Thanks for Workers
During the year your executive
committee met in regular weekly ses-
sions besides which the whole eXecu-
tive committee was called into extra
session fifteen times This does notsin-
clude committee work done by the
members of the executive committee
nor does it account for the large
amount of time given daily during the
campaign period. And l wish to take
occasion here to express my gratitude
and my appreciation to the men whose
courage, unselfshness and liberallty
have made it possible to accomplish
what has been done. In this apprecia-
ton I can honestly include every mem
her of your executive committee. The
league is also indebted to many OF It's
members and many who are not mem
hers of the league for most valuable
service rendered, and it is only fear Of
not doing justice to all who deserve
recognition which prevents me from
naming this roll of honor.
"In sadness let us also remember that
during the year the league has lost a
former president, H. G. Wilmer, who
for years had been a wise leader and
most conscientious worker in the