Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-06
MAYOR HARPER'S EVIL
EMINENCE

DY HAVING appointed to the board
n of public works a politician, who
- in public position has heretofore
shown himself subservient to the de-
| signs of special interests and corporate
greed against the welfare of the city,
Mayor Harper has achieved the evil
| distinction OF being the first mayor of
the city of Los Angeles to introduce
the destructive element of the corpora
tion-serving politician into the greatest
business commission Of the city.
Notwithstanding the fact that we
! have been aware that some of Mayor
| Harper's previous appointments have
been such as to shock the sense of de-
cency of every good citizen, we have
! hoped and wanted to believe that May
or Harper would, in this matter, be
guided by a desire to serve the best
| interests of the city of which he has
| been chosen the chief executive.
We now acknowledge our error in
ever having ascribed to Mayor Harper
the ability to rise above what seems to
be a congenital and natural affection
for all that is worst in municipal poll
tics.
The Herald has double reason for
feeling aggrieved at Mayor Harper
action: First, as a representative of
the decent citizenship and the best in
terests of the city of Los Angeles; and
second, as a Democratic newspaper in
terested in the reputation Of it's party
and its party's official representatives.
We feel that Mayor Harper, by ap-
pointing ex-Chief Of Police Kern to the
board Of public works, has not only
injured his city, but has irreparably
hurt his party. Upon the latter he has
probably inflicted an injury which will
deprive it Of the honor of again naming
the chief executive of this city for
some time to come.
In this connection The Herald desires
to suggest to Democrats who are in
terested in the reputation Of their party
that the best way for them to minimize
the injury which the present Demo-
cratic mayor Of the city has done to
the Democratic party is for them to
take such action as is open to them to
repudiate the mayor and all his acts.
In the past The Herald has en-
deavored to treat Mayor Harper with
the sort of consideration which it
deemed due man many of whose acts
it could not approve, but who, it hoped,
was not all bad.
It shall hereafter accord to Mayor
Harper the sort Of treatment which a
self-respecting public and party journal
should give to a public official and a
has lost all confidence and for whom it
has no respect.
In the meanwhile The Herald desires
to remind the good citizens Of this city
and the decent, self-respecting Demo-
Gratis of its party, of the existence of a
provision in the city charter which can
be awaited of to prevent Mayor
Harper's having further opportunity
to injure the interests of the city which
he was elected to guard and protect.
If the actions Of Mayor Harper since
he became chief executive Of the city
have not been such as to not only
warrant good citizens and Democrats
in invoking the recall against him, but
to make it their duty to do so, then we
submit that it is impossible to imagine
an official who should ever be made
the subject of that protective provision
Of our city's organic law.
Upon this phase Of the case The Her
aid expects to have something further
to submit to the good people Of the
city of Los Angeles, and above all to
the Democrats of the city who love
their party and are interested in its
welfare.