Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-21
Discusses Present Crisis

Discusses Present Crisis
Dr. Charles E. Locke, pastor of the
First Methodist church, was the prin-
cipal speaker of the Afternoon. His sub
Ject was Our City Beautiful and Its
Opportunity in This Crisis
cipa1 speaker of the afternoon. His sub
ject, and treated it seriously when nee
essary, he enlivened his address by
telling funny stories when they came
in pat. and by his apt illustrations i'm
pressed his audience with the import
ance of his theme.
He spoke of himself as a newcomer
in Los Angeles, but declared he could
see no good reason why a man should
live long in a community before taking
an active part in it's affairs. He looked
down the long banquet table at the
Westminster, where the club members
were gathered for the regular weekly
luncheon, and said his audience repre-
scented the backbone of this crisis.
This tremendous spinal column is
the backbone of our present civic Situa-
tion," he said, " and, stiff and straight,
it will not be satisfied with a compro-
mise. Civilization is improving right
along. Government is growing better,
but when we give it push in the right
direction we hasten the process. Every
failure must be charged to the lassitude
of the average citizen in civic affairs.
st am for Los Angeles, right or
wrong, If she is right. stand by her
until the end; If she is wrong, make
her right. We all have more or less of
a warlike spirit. If our country was
threatened with invasion by foreign
foe, how quickly we would arise to re-
pell the invader. How much more
quickly should we arise to repell the
insidious enemy that attacks us from
the inside! These foes that we have
to encounter in our own city are fore
ing good men into politics. And poll
tics will never be purified until good
men go in, work nightly when they
are in. and stay in politics.
Recall of Local Origin
"In every book on political economy
that has been written in the past five
years there is at least a paragraph de-
voted to the recall. These books eX-
plain that this idea is weapon of the
people to bring the government into
their own hands. And in each of these
books you will find the statement that
the recall originated in Los Angeles
1t probably originated among some of
you who are here today. How l would
like to shake the hand of the man who
was responsible for the incor Joration
of that splendid measure into the char
teri" (Here there were calls for DR..
John r. Haynes, who is given the
credit for the recall amendmenO.
when lived in Pittsburg I thought
the municipal government there was
clean. But I have since learned there
are other cities than Los Angeles where
laws are neglected. You all know what
the mayor of Pittsburg is doing to pur-
fly that city He IS committed to the
idea of the recall and believes it should
be incorporated in the Pittsburg char
ter.
1.-THE recall is a weapon of rebuke. 1t
is a scorpion of chastisement. 1t goes
without argument that officials will
have a great respect for body like
this, and greater regard for their oaths
of office, when they know you have
such an instrument in your hands.
"The Fundamental issue in this cam
paign is: Shall the men who have
failed in the enforcement of laws be
continued in a place where they will
still have the power to wink at the vio
lation of law? Until this time partial
enforcement of law has been all that
was expected, and this lax attitude in
this city resulted in the segregation of
vice.
Segregation Vicious Principle
but the segregation of vice is wrong
In principle. Nearly every city has
adopted the theory Of sequestered vice.