The daily sentinel., 1909-04-13

Ine IOllOWIHS
r tion appearing in the Colorado
+ Springs Telegraph on Sunday Is :
+ worthy the consideration OF eH-
4. cry thoughtful person 1t SHOWS
4. the fallacy of the claims maze
:. by many local people that the :
+ charter and the recall are in
4. expensive and ideal features OF
4. government:
1. 4. + + + + = = =
Editor Charter Department Tele-
| / notice the recall has been incor-
porated in the proposed Colorado
Springs charter. | am not at present
especially Interested in your city but
, IL may be of interest to you to know
of my observations of the working OF
the recall in the city of Los Angeles.
When Mr.. Harper was candidate
for mayor of Los Angeles he was Wig
orously opposed by Mr.. E. T. Earl,
owner of The Express. After his
election Mr. Earl determined to gain
as much political power as possible
/ in the city, desired to dictate many OF
| the official appointments. Almost
universally Mr.. Harper declined TO
name Mr.. Earl's men and appointed
men of his own choosing, and when
Mr.. Kern was appointed member OF
the Board of Public Works in oppo-
test, the storm broke.
! The Express began n series of eX-
pose articles on protected vice in the
city.
! These articles became so personal
that Mr.. Harper brought suit against
Mr.. Earl for libel in the sum of $780,
OOO. At once Mr.. Earl put detectives
in the field to secure evidence to sub
stantiate his charges. and began agi-
tating the recall as the easiest means
of defeating Mr.. Harper.
Through the efforts of the NUM-
cipal league and the California club,
both of which organizations are large
ly controlled by Mr.. Earl. the 80 per
cent of the voters required We're in
duced to sign the petition and the
recall was invoked. In the meantime
1.-The Herald had joined the Express in
the agitation, the churches entered
the fight for while the condition
which obtained was not unusual to a
city, of 100000 people, yet 1t was
startling when exposed to the public
gaze. Public sentiment was highly
aroused and the battle waxed warm
Owing to the general sentiment
against ousting man from ofTice so
near the end of his term, and the
strong opposition to the motive actu-
ating and the methods employed by
Mr. Earl in the fight, It was common
lily believed that Mr.. Harper would
win at the polls, in spite of the well
known errors of his administration,
and of himself personally.
indeed, it was evident that Mr..
Earl himself doubted the result. for
at the last possible moment when it
was too late to select a candidate to
fill the vacancy on the ticket, Mr..
, Earl, by threatening to publish the
evidence which he had secured
against Mr. Harper's personal actions.
forced him to resign as mayor and
refuse to contest for reelection
The candidates remaining in the
field were the recall and the Socialist
nominees. Los Angeles is republi-
, can city, and the recall candidate was
republican; but in spite of this fact
and the fact that the socialist candi-
date made practically no fight in the
, campaign and had no carriages on
election day with. which to convey
} voters to the polls. the recall was so
unpopular and the methods employed
SO distasteful that the socialist can
didate was defeated by only a paltry
l 500 plurality. Now.
ID Mr.. Earl could have, in fact
did. force Mr.. Harper to resign with
out the aid of the recall
CD The cost to the city was $l5.-
! 900, and to individual subscribers to
the campaign 100000. and nothing
, was accomplished that could not more
! easily have been done without the re-
call.
CD The city is in danger of be-
. ing thrown into an expensive and
bitter political contest at any time a
: newspaper, in the hands of an un-
scrupulous person, becomes displeas s.
ed with and chooses to agitate
against any official.
| For it is weak newspaper that
cannot make 80 per cent of the
voters believe that corruption exists
and certain officials are dishonest. in
any administration in any city in this
country. indeed, large part of this
80 per cent are of the opinion even
before the newpaper begins the agita-
ton. | firmly believe the people of
colorado Springs viii commit a
grieyous error if they do not discard
the recall feature of the new charter.
or at least raise the required number
of petition to 80 per cent
Very truly yours.
+. e. b.