Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-05
TRICK TO HELP
HARPER NIPPED
BY RECALL MEN
ATTEMPT TO SPOIL PETITION
is FAILURE
NO CHANCE FOR MAYOR, ADMIs-
SION OF HIS FRIEND
Force of Canvassers Will Be Reduced,
Although Signatures to Number
of $1,000 May Be
Received
The Recall

In Ill CD I1dNC OCCI1 OOldlllCQ 10
IA make it mandatory on the
council to call an election, so
general is the desire among vot-
ers to be represented on the peti-
tions that signatures to the num-
Der of $4,000 may be accepted.
Two pro-Harper men were
caught in the act of circulating
recall petitions in order to fill
them with Objectionable names
yesterday. They said they were
henchmen of Councilman Henry
Lyon.
There's no use talking-Mayor Har-
per is going to be showed under" was
the admission made yesterday by one
of the mayors oldest friends, man
who is a familiar sight around the city
hall and who has lived in Los Angeles
for many years. He has been making
a personal investigation to satisfy him
self, personally interviewing many of
the older citizens and watching the
course of the recall movement closely
He delivered his opinion after inspect
ing the signatures on a recall petition
on Broadway, but did not know that
he was talking to a reporter for The
Herald.
81 am Harper's friend he said. 81
have known him a long while and will
vote for him, but 1 can see he has no
chance. 1t must be that the people
of this city are like sheep; anyhow,
they are certainly falling over one an
other for this recall. L think the pa
pers are mainly to blame. There is
his own party paper, The Herald,
against Harper. They tell at the city
hall that the Examiner has Topped
over and can't be depended on, and
none of the evening papers does the
mayor a bit of good. Then there is the
Times with a piece in one column that
appears to boost Harper, and right
alongside of it is something like that
Markovis business that makes the
mayor ridiculous. I should not be sur
prised to see the Times knife the mayor
at the last.
Has No Chance
Some of the men who have stood
by the mayor and his family for years
are going to vote against him. There
is Maj. Lee. couldn't believe that he
made that speech at the meeting the
t. him and he told me that he would
vote against the mayor. The papers
have got this town wrought up, that's
all there is to it, and the mayor hasn't
the slightest chance in the world
His opinion, he said, had been echoed
by other close friends of the mayor,
particularly since the charter amend
ment Election. Their only hope is in
delaying the election until the date will
appear so close to the expiration of the
mayors term that this fact may be
used as an argument against the re-
call
Two men who said they were Coun-
Gilman Henry LYONS henchmen and
who endeavored to swell the recall peti-
tions with Objectionable names on the
lines told in yesterdays Herald, were
caught in the act by ]. P. Steele of the
league and as one is guilty of swearing
falsely the league may take some dras-
tic action. The men are Leo A. Flied
ner, GA East Fifth street-just a block
away from the notorious resort of
Frank Goings-who swore that he is a
qualified elector, although his name
could not be found on the great regis
ter, and James Franklin, 72S Crocker
street, who wanted to swear to the
petition he circulated but was told by
Mr.. Steele that he had better not.
Caught at Their Trick
Fliedner and Franklin came to Steele
end represented that they were friends
of Henry Lyon, but that he had
played them a dirty trick for which
tney wished to get even by securing
recall signatures. F1iedner brought in
his list and although it contained but
few names of qualified voters Mr..
Steele decided to pay him in order to
secure the list circulated by Franklin.
The men are said to have made the
statement that 125 copies Of the Mu-
nicipal leagues recall petition had been
stolen from the campaign headquarters.
A friend of the recall movement to-
whom this statement was made became
suspicious and notified the league, and
when Franklin came in for his money
identified him as the man who made
the assertion.
''I do not know whether any action
will be taken or not said Mr.. Steele.
THAT is up to the executive committee
Of the Municipal league. We have had
half a dozen men up here who we
knew were not right. This incident
confirms The Herald's story regarding
the purpose of the so-called pro-Har-
per petitions"
Reduce Canvassing Force
The force of canvassers will be re-
duced instead of increased from this
time, as the main work of the commit
tee is 70 checK names rather than to
secure new ones So many persons are
desirous of signing the petitions that
canvassers will be retained until near
the closing up of the checking. Men
are still on hand at prominent places in
the business section with petitions for
the recall and $4,000 may be secured
before the lists are closed.
There is no way they can prevent
the recall now said league member
at headquarters yesterday. "They NAV
: dilatory tactics, but these will avail
nothing in the end. Every move of that
kind is just so much of an admission
Continued Page Three)