Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-14
MACHINE ORGAN
PLANS A TRAP"
BRILLIANT IDEA FAILS TO
PAN OUT
MUSHET SUPPORTER MAY TURN
TO OPPONENT
Smith Backers Demand a Showdown
and Want Recognition for Rump
Conventions Gratuitous In.
suit to School Board

The distressing situation into which
the morning Republican organ has
found itself politically is about to be
relieved by jump out of the frying
pan of activity. The leap for life was
scheduled for Sunday morning, but
the manner in which it had been
planned involved the implication of
the Good Government organization,
and that body is apparently falling
on the schedule.
The brilliant idea was to allow the
Good Government organization to fall
into a trap" through the Endorsement
Of candidates for city council which
was to be figured through some de-
V1ouS reasoning as an excuse why the
Times should come out for the Re-
publican party candidates and stop
flirting with Mushet, who is now said
to be in imminent danger of desertion
even by the chairman of his executive
committee. When the plan to knife
Uncle George" Smith was published
and it was rumored that the Times
would openly support Mushet, the
Smith supporters became unusually
active and have kept eagle eyes on
the machine leaders ever since.
Through Smiths political sagacity
the convention was saved for him, al
though the Mushet delegates and the
ment of the board of education and
the slated candidate for council from
the Second ward. The Smith element
found it evident soon afterward that
strong effort was being made by the
Times to bolster up the Mushet candi-
dacy without committing its policy
early in the game. In consequence,
Mr.. Smith played some adroit politics.
He forced recognition by the machine,
and after some delay secured this in
provision for his own offices at the
party headquarters instead of being
forced to maintain his headquarters
over a block away.
Next Showdown is said to have
been demanded from the Times, which
Smith men have pointed to as being
Republican party organ, anxious to
discredit the direct primary provision
of the city charter, and yet appar-
emily standing for mayoralty can
didate who has not always been
"known Republican" although bid
ding for the machine support. 1t was
intimated to the Times that a slap
in the convention to the board of edu-
cation and at organized labor through
a sudden switch on councilman should
be accorded better recognition, but
that of more importance is the saliva
tion of the Republican organization"
which was in deep water in its fight
against the direct primary.
Until this week, however, the stereo-
typed answer to the question, What
is the Times going to do?" was 1--WE
don't know" and this was made to
anxious politicians even in the Times
offices. This was calling to the Smith
supporters, and their insistence that
a straight Republican ticket" was
being made ridiculous by having for
it's sole newspaper support the San
- Do
Citizen finally resulted in bringing the
Times to terms. This was hastened,
it is asserted, by the rapid falling to
pieces of the "Mushet municipal or
ganization." One man after another
whose name appeared on the Mushet
nominating petition has come out for
Alexander, or Smith, or DR.. Jones
Eldridge are beginning to loom
up as of some consequence in the
Mushet camp. This indication of
where the Times might land after the
primaries is said to have had a whole
some effect from the Smith stand
point.
But it was necessary to cook up
some excuse for the dilatory policy
of the Republican organ. The bril-
liant idea was finally evolved to show
that the Times had a purpose In
laying low" to fool the Good Gov
ernment organization into "the trap."
Then the selection of acceptable can
didates by a citizens organization in
accord with the direct primary amend
ment to the charter was to be placed
on the same level as the Endorsement
by party whips anxious to prostitute
the charter and municipal affairs to
the ends of partisan bosses. The
Times, according to the plan, is to
take credit for waiting until the Good
Government organization might be
used as an excuse for coming into the
open. acting on the assumption that
the Good Government organization is
so afraid of the Times that it would
not do anything should that paper
take an open stand.
The schedule was to start things"
Sunday morning, and even at that the
Smith forces were impatient and IN
clined to say sarcastic things about
the Times. But now the Endorsement
of candidates for council by the Good
Government organization. which was
figured on as the basis for the be-
ginning of vituperation, will not take
place Saturday evening, as the special
committee will only be announced
then.
"The Times has got to make good
in few days" the Smith supporters
assert Everything is ready to begin
a campaign, and if it doesn't there
will be something popping We won't
stand for any more Mushet Irritation"
In consequence, the final blow to
the Mushet campaign will probably
be out within few days. A Mushet
supporter asserts that the "Mushet
municipal organization is not wor-
ried because "there will be something
sprung quite differently a few days
before the primary election" but the
Smith camp believes that if the Times
is once haltered it will stay harnessed.
The announcement that w. r. Nc
Kee, machine candidate for council
man, had openly indorsed w. c. Mush-
trnd tin1n In