Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-13
READY WITH CLUB
FOR HENRY LYON
COLLEAGUES IRE DIRECTED
AT COUNCILMAN
GOES TO SACRAMENTO, PREsUM-
ABLY TO AID PARK BILL
Well Known Friendiness for Now
Famous Plumbing Legislation
Gives Rise to Mutt
terines

While his colleagues were freely per-
spring over the mayoralty SITUATION
yesterday morning, Henry Lyon, coun-
Gilman from the Seventh ward, was
the busy little bee in Sacramento. AS
a result he may hear some things when
he returns that will not be to his llk-
ing. In the first place he has incurred
the displeasure of the other MEM
bers Of the council and in his own
ward there are mutterings against the
trick he has perpetrated.
That Mr.. Lyon is in Sacramento is
due to the last official act of A. G.
Harper Before he resigned, the mayor
named Lyon as the representative of
the park department to go to Sacra-
mento and work for the park bill
pending before the legislature. In do
ing this he is spending SIS appropriated
by the council last Tuesday to defray
the expenses of a representative of the
park department in this work.
On Mr.. Lyons presence in Sacra-
mento hangs two tales.
One is that for several months the
park department, with Deputy City At
torney Howard Robertson, have been
working On a bill for the state legis-
lature to act on, providing land may
be acquired for park purposes by con-
demnation and the cost of the proceed
ings assessed to property owners In
the benefited district. This was the pet
measure of w. NJ. Humphreys when he
was a member of the park depart
ment.
Bill Sent to Harmon
The bill was prepared and sent to
Assemblyman Percy Harmon. 1t was
introduced inte both houses of the
legislature. 1t was sent to the printer
and reported back, but there the bill
seemed to stop. In order to hurry its
passage the park department asked the
council last Tuesday for $75 to pay the
expenses of a representative of the de-
partment to sacramento TnlS money
was allowed.
Such is one tale and this is the other:
Last December I. B. Dockweiler, A.
c. Harper's personal attorney, repre-
senting the Master Plumbers associa-
tion, appeared before the council and
presented an ordinance which he asked
the council to pass. This ordinance
provided for the establishment of a
board of plumbers and required that all
plumbers take out licenses. The coun-
Gil declared the plumbers already had a
practical trust in this city and that
the ordinance was designed to make
this trust all the more solid. The coun-
Gil refused to pass the ordinance. Only
Councilman Lyon favored it and he
fought for it from beginning to end
Failing to get this ordinance adopted
by Los Angeles, Dockweiler took it to
the state legislature and presented 1T
in the form of a bill This bill is now
pending before the legislature. 1910
At the meeting of the council Tues
day Building Inspector Backus pre-
sented a resolution, condemning this
bill as pernicious and it was passed by
the council. All except Lyon; he
fought fiercely against the passage OF
the resolutions and voted no.
Now Mr. Lyon has no personal inter
est in the park bill. 1t is doubtful if
Mr.. Lyon really knew what the park
bill was before he was delegated to go
to the capital and boost it, but he does
know all about the plumbers bill. And
it is not likely that while Mr.. Lyon is
in Sacramento in the interest of the
park bill, in which he has no interest,
that the plumbers bill, in which he has
an interest will suffer for lack of his
peculiar talents.
No one is satisfied with this combina
tion unless it is Mr.. Lyon himself. The
council is put in the position of paying
out the city's money for the expenses
of friend of the plumbers bill which
has been condemned. The park depart
ment had expected John Morley, park
would be appointed to
make the trip.
There are mutterings in Mr.. Lyons
ward over what Is termed a piece of
trickery that may gather head and
make Mr.. Lyon sit up and take notice
when he returns.