Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-25

cratic mayor: was nominated by the
democratic party and elected by the
democratic party and some others
Qaughter), but still he is a Democratic
mayor with the Democratic party's in
dorsemeBt back of him, and all Demo-
Gratis want to see him succeed
AS l said to this friend, / would
nave been mighty glad to see the
mayor succeed in his administration of
the city's affairs. 1t would have re-
Elected credit and honor on our party
and would have been a guarantee for
our future candidates. But 1 feel about
him, l said, just like I used to feel
about my boys when they were Young
fellows. My oldest boy complained to
me once-I have thought about it often
since, Why, you chastise me, father,
for what you laugh at in Others Gap
plause)
''Well, I expect that was So I did
not ask the young man to give me
a case in point. 1 was afraid he would.
But that was the way, no doubt, felt
about it. I wanted my boy to behave
a little bit better than my neighbours
boy.
Democratic standpoint
"That is the way I feel as a Demo-
crat. When we elect a Democratic
official I want him to behave so well
that he will put every Republican to
shame, and if 1 did not believe this
afternoon that the facts which have
been disclosed not only justify but i'm
peratively demand that the recall shall
be invoked at this time I certainly
would not be taking part in it against
a man elected by my own party which
l know if it succeeds the rebuke Of
Mayor Harper will be a discredit to
my own party.
"Have we a case in point? Have we
a concrete case?
"Now, my friends, am not going to
detain you at great length on this mat
ter. There is an awful lot that might
be said about 1t. l am going to try TO
conf1ne myself to the briefest outline.
About the time this recall was in
corpOrated in our constitution, that is
the city charter, it was known by every
intelligent man who was entitled to
vote on that subject at that time
that very soon, in the near future,
there would arise a necessity that this
city should have more water-alien
Whitewater which should be brought
in from beyond the Sierra or at least
beyond the Sierra Madre and as far
from the east as Sierra Nevada. Every
body knew that we expected that with
in the next few years we would have to
begin to pave the way for the future
growth of this city, the surprise Of the
world.
Aqueduct Case in Point
'fWell, it was only year after that
until the exigency confronted US face
to face. The Owens river scheme was
proposed of bringing in the waters Of
that river and pouring them into this
valley, making it richer than the Nile.
more glorious than any valley of all
past history in the world, because we
have other facilities that the balance
Of the world did not have in the olden
time. We all said Yes, we are in favor
of that Why, we marched up to the
ballot box with an imperial disdain Of
what the work might cost and voted
$23, 900, 900 as a starter; ready to vote
$23 1000, 900 more if it required it, but
not for graft (Applause.)
mot to bring water 10000 PAGES, as
they used to measure distance in Italy
in the days of the Roman empire. Not
10000 PAGES, as an exaggerated in
stance; not 10000 PAGES did we want to
bring that water. We measured the |
long stretched distance by hundreds Of
miles across the mountains and |
through the mountains, and over the |
valleys, and down the hills-ready, |
say, to spend and be spent.
1--WE piled up a fund with which we |
would quickly inaugurate and carry |
forward this work to completion, if it |
is enough, and if it is not enough we |
VIII pll6 up OlI0I HlllllOIlS uIlIll we |
have enough.
''But we don't want any of it divert |
ed from its honest purpose and woe |
unto the man or set of men who at |
tempts to do that
At this point the speaker was inter- |
rupted by a tremendous demonstration |
of approval, one Of the greatest ever |
seen by the City club. Men sprang TO |
their feet and shouted. The cheering |
lasted several minutes.
1.-THE man who attempts to do that"
resumed Judge McNutt, ''of him it |
might be said it would be better for |
him never to have been born Cloud |
cheers), or, having been born, it would |
be better for him to have a milestone |
tied about his neck and to be cast into |
the middle of the sea, for we will not |
standNfor that. (Cheers.)
Let it once and for all be understood |
that by the living God we will have |
that fund administered honestly or we |
will use, if necessary, the rope. Gre |
mendous cheering)
Nov I am not meaning to cast any
reflections on anybody by this state |
ment. 1 am simply trying to impress
upon your mind as it is impressed on |
my mind how important it is that we |
shall keep this transaction straight in |
this town until the last trowel of ce- |
ment shall be placed in that long ditch |
which we are proposing to build. Gap |
plause.)
Sinister Influences at Work
"Now we have two commissions. One
of them was erected or instituted before |
the Owens river was thought of, called |
the water commission. The other one |
was part of the polity of the new char
ter, by which there was a commission
called the board of public works
created. Now it is known, and do not |
speak of any present official in this OBJ |
servation, it is known that hardly had |
these commissions been authorized by |
law before sinister influences began to |
operate upon who should be the ap-
pointees in those commissions.
The water commission was filled |
perhaps with an exception or two, with |
high class men, with whom we could |
very well afford to entrust the bust |
ness Of this city in respect of its water |
or anything else, but when the other
committee or commission which should |
have the active control of the con-
struction work, the board of public |
works, came to be appointed there was
nothing doing. The mayor and the |
common council could not agree.
Now If they had all been right men
they ought to have agreed within all |
hour. The personnel of that committee
of course was an important matter, |
But If they had had common intent, |
a common purpose to get the best men
or as good as the best, because there
are so many good men you could not
tell whether you had the best or not