The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-06-29
SOCIALISTS" DAY DREAM
TURNED into CORPORATION
NIGHTMARE IN Los ANGELES
HOW SOMETHING FOR MOTH
ING" GAME, CARRIED BY
TELEPHONES CORPORATION
THROUGH CITY COUNCIL
OVER MAYORS HEAD, HAS
BEEN BLOCKED BY NEW
AND POWERFUL WEAPON
WELDED BY VOTERS.U

Los ANGELES, June s29.E
When a corporation-servin ad
illustrative body of a great city
defies well-defined public senti.
ment and, assuming the time-worT
"public-be-d--d" attitude, plays
into the hands of public utility
hogs, you have, to be sure, moth.
ing unusual-nothing more,s in
fact, than a spectacle that has
been or is now being presented
in almost every large city of the
United States.
When a municipal community
viewing this spectacle, really gets
riled, flies in the face of the cor
poration and turns the unfaithful
municipal servants over its knee
despite threats, protests and ap-
peals, then you have a spectacle
that is unusual-indeed, almost
brand new in American municipal
affairs.
Such spectacle means some
thing.
1T. MEANS THAT THIS COR
PORATION-RIDDEN COUNTRY
is GETTING A VERY CLEAR,
VERY MATERIAL AND VERY
FORCEFUL DEMONSTRATION
OF THE FACT THAT THE REF
RENDUM is NOT A SOCIAL
lists DAY DREAM" AS MANY
ECONOMISTS, LAWYERS AND
POLITICIANS WOULD HAVE US
BELIEVE, BUT A VERY Eff
GENT CORPORATION NIGHT
MARE. -
The city of Los Angeles, over
on the western edge of the coun-
try, has the referendum. The ref
erendum is a simple instrument
of government designed as a
weapon for the people, to be used
in regulating and correcting the
acts of public servants. If. in the
mind of any Los Angeles voter,
there is reason to believe that
there has been a betrayal or neg
lect of trust on the part of any
city official or officials, that voter
can petition that all the voters
be asked to pass upon the acts of
that official or these officials at a
election. If the single
voter can secure signatures to his
petition, equaling 7 per cent of the
vote cast at the last general cleo
ton, 1t becomes the duty of the
city council to pass an ordinance
that the question be
to the people.
That is the referendum.
A few months ago public
utility corporation, the Home Tele-
phone company, asked the Los
Angeles city conucil to pass a law
allowing the company to increase
It's rate for residence telephones
81 per month. AS thee are over
/ 1000 residence telephones in the
city, the request of the telephone
boiled down, meant that
the governing body of the city was
asked to increase the annual reye-
nue. of the corporation by about
$145, 1000, the thousands to be
taken from the pockets of the peo-
pie with the company giving or of
sering nothing additional In ex-
change for those additional thous-
ands, save the usual line of hard
luck and poverty" arguments.
When the corporation whip
snapped, five OF tho nine council-
men voted as they were expected
tofor the ck saany4 Tbs lnaa4c
ure went MP to pyor Stevens. ne
vetoed II.
The word waS passed along
that there was movement on
foot to pass the measure over the
mayors veto. by the securing Of
one necessary additional vote.
Then a local evening newspaper,
the Record. got into the game OF
finance andspolitIcs. and. with five
other newspapers either silent OF
playing the hand OF the corpora-
tion. stood solidly on both feet
and declared its intention TO fighs