Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-30
THE TIMES AND OUR
SETS" PROGRAM

the desperate plight of the candidate
they are supporting. This reflection is
suggested by some matters to which
our morning Republican contemporary
that has the honor of being the only
avowed journalistic supporter of the
machine ticket has recently lent his
columns.
The statement was made by the
machine organ few days ago that
at a meeting of certain members of the
Good Government organization in the
mayors office statements derogatory
to the foreign citizens of Los Angeles
were made.
This statement on the part of the
machine organ was absolutely un-
true. There was not the slightest scin-
tilla of foundation for it. 1t might
have been imposed on by someone who
induced it to make it. If so, then its
informant told a deliberate and utterly
unfounded falsehood.
There was no more foundation for
this statement than there is for the
statement appearing in the editorial
day morning under the heading THE
Our Set Program"
This editorial pretends to give the
program for doing politics" and con-
trolling all the offices which the men,
bers of the Good Government organiza-
tion have in mind. As a sample of the
high respect for truth governing the
writer of this editorial we will quote
one paragraph from it:
But now what? The tip is in circu-
lation that if uncle is reelected there
will be a new deal. Administration
clackers do not hesitate to point out
that Uncle Aleck,' with a council to
serYice) commission, appoint a new one,
remove the chiefs of the fire and police
forces, the park superintendent and
the health officer, and thus with a sub
seryient commission and subservient
heads of departments put the new
dear into effect"
Will our readers when considering
The full force of this excerpt from The
machine organs editorial just remem-
Der these facts:
When Mayor Alexander went into Office
he appointed "A new police commission. a
new park commission, new fire commits
sion and new board of health. Those were
the four boards that Mayor Alexander ap-
pointed every member of. Had he and the
men behind him any desire to do politics
by removing the heads of these four depart
ments, nothing would have been easier than
for Mayor Alexander to have selected mem
bers for those commissions pledged to
move the heads of each one Of those de-
partments. Now what the result? The
park superintendent was retained; the
health officer was retained; the chief of the
fire department was retained. They were re-
tanned because they were good men.
Captain Broadhead, who was acting
chief of police when Mayor Alexander
took office, went back to his original
rank as captain, and a chief of police
was elected to office by the police
appointed by Mayor Alex
ander.
This choice Of Mayor Alexander and
his commission was objected to by
some people because he had at one
time been a confidential employe of the
very newspaper that is now indulging
in these unfounded statements. The
answer made to these objections was
what difference does it make whether
Mr.. Dishman, whom we propose to
make chief of police, had made a liv-
ing at one time by drawing a salary
from the Los Angeles Times or from
any other employment, so long as he is
an honest man and will make an ef-
dcient chief of pOlice?"
The good judgment Of Mayor Alex
ander and his commission in selecting
Mr.. Dishman as chief of police has
been amply demonstrated by the fact
that this chief of their selection has
put the police force Of the city of Los
Angeles into higher state of ef-
hciency than ever characterized that
force before.
If our readers will for a short time
ponder the foregoing facts it will show
the desperate straits to which the sup
porters of Ar. Smith and the machine
must be discredited by having designs
attributed TO him and his supporters.
And yet if they had cherished those
designs they could have carried them
out at any time within the past seven
months.
Surely no journalistic supporter of
cause was ever reduced to a harder
pass than the machine organ is re-
duced to in its efforts to find some way
in which TO deceive the good citizens
Of this city into voting for the ma
chine candidates.
The Times makes a point of the fact
that Mayor Alexander asked for the
resignation of the members of the civil
service commission. The Herald, from
information in it's possession, feels that
Mayor Alexander has a very good rea-
son for desiring an opportunity to re-
appoint the majority of the members
of that commission. While the late
grating mayor of the city Of Los An
geles inflicted some pretty bad Of
dcials upon this city in the form of
appointees to various commissions, 1t
is pretty safe to say that none Of his
are worse than some of
those who now hold positions on the
board of health.
The Herald stated shortly after Mayor
Alexander took office that il had evidence
to prove. and would prove if given an Op-
that Mayor Harper had stated
A. in pi