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

relationship with his friendships He
spoke rather slowly and seriously, and
a. Times MS voice trembled little as
ne referred to his disappointment re-
gard1ng the misconduct of a man in
whom he had placed reliance.
But because of his feeling his reaIiza-
tlon OF his duty as citizen was
brought out the stronger, and he did
not hesitate to denounce the MAYOR es
a man who had betrayed the trust of
his fellow citizens
Il desire to second the motion. al
tnouSn L do so with unfeigned reIuc-
tance' said Maj. Lee. In the first
pace there is strong personal reason
LOT eor my reluctance. One Of the very
Hfst men who showed himself nv friend
ana Whom L have always held in the
greatest personal regard is the father
u the present mayor. I have known
ms son from boyhood. When he was
elected great many of our older citi-
zens reJo1ced, feeling that the welfare
OF the city was in safe hands
Wen, we watched him. We began
TO doupt, then to fear, then conviction
came that he had not realized our ex-
pecCdClons. In my mind, and | knew
IN the minds Of hundreds Of others, the
convection is that he has failed of his
trust, that he has administered the civ
aILalrs 1or a personal and political adj
vancement, that he has not the high
lqeals incentives and motives which
sIiOulu dctuate the mayor Of this city.
Deals with Mayors FaiIinqs
IT is impossible to go fully into de-
tdlIS now. The main objections that
nave been made center around the
mayors attitude toward the social evil
ana MS action regarding the appoint
ments to the board which has control
OF tne great Owens river enterprise.
we must say frankly, and YOU will
al agree with me in this, that there is
ground for wide difference Of opinion
as to the administration of the social
question. 1t is an unsettled question.
and a difficult one. That a man does
not agree with us is in itself not a good
reason for his recall. But there is one
tnlng on which we, all Of us, are unit
ca ana that is that the man we have
placed at the head Of the citv govern
ment as its chief executive should he
hohest ana earnest, should keep himself
at arms length from the fatal and de-
Daslng touch, should not be In close
personal touch with these evils. A man
VINO will do this is not fit to serve the
city as it's mayor.
we must also insist that the admin
lstrat1on Of the great Owens river proi-
ect, of which we have so great a right
TO feel proud, shall not be debased or
turned to political advantage. I be-
lleVe In all conscience, after full delhi
eratlon, that this glorious enterprise is
nave honOred as mayor. Up to this
Tune we have had confidence in the
board Of public works and the aoue-
quot bureau; we have been proud OF
Lhem. But we have had no reason to
feel proud Of the MAYORS record on +oig
line. We do not even owe to him +he
appointment of General Chaffee, which
was dictated by an indignant public
sentiment after the mayor had an
nounced the name Of the man he de-
slreu 70 appoint, and whom he did af-
forwards appoint on the board
SO there are a great number of us
VINO firmly believe the time has come
Tor the people to serve notice upon the
present incumbent of the office Of NAV
or, upon every elective officer, through
this recall, and upon whoever NAV be
elected in future, that public office is
a public trust
Divorce City Affairs from Politics
William r. Burke was next given the
floor following calls for himself and
too many American citizens do not re-
a!lze IS that municipal affairs have no
place In politics, but are business-the
peoples business said Mr. Burke. 1T
seems to me that the people of Los
Angeles do not realize the great i'm
portance of this gathering. There is
q great need for it,
DO the machines of the Republican
and Democratic parties in Los Angeles
care Tor the principles of Roosevelt or
Bryan? Municipal elections in this city
nave been so machine ridden as to dis
gust me. AT the last election the Re
publican candidate for mayor was
'hamstrung' in favor Of the present
machine Democratic mayor
1t is our bounden duty to invoke
This recall. This is a crucial time and
we must teach the mayor that he must
pay the penalty for having dragged
the good name of this city in the dust
More than that, it is not only a matter
OF an honest successor to Mayor Har-
per, but for succession and a success
sion and a succession for all future of
a capable, trustworthy, non-partisan
administration Of city affairs
l believe this recall should be in
Voked. SO far as l am concerned and
with others with whom have talked
we should make this a civic duty above
politics. In this regard 1 wish to read
a resolution unanimously adopted by
an organization of which L am a mem
Der, the Democratic league:
Resolved, That it is the sense of
the Democratic league that recent dis
closures in respect to the official con-
duct Of the mayor of this city call for
the action of the voters Of this city,
under the provisions OF it's charter, and
that this league pledges itself to Coop
crate with any body or bodies of citi-
zens who will initiate a movement for
the recall of said official"
Major Burkes statement was re-
ceiVed with enthusiasm, and he was in
terrupted by applause when the recall
was mentioned. Several persons asked
for recognition, which was accorded to
Frank G. TyrreIl. AS soon as Mr.. Tyr.
relI had spoken few Introductory SEN
fences it was apparent that he was
Mayor Harper's spokesman but he
failed to arouse applause. He appeared
as an attorney pleading poor cause,
and when he attacked the record and
integrity of men engaged in the man
agement of the aqueduct bureau the
silence was heavy and oppressive. Mr..
! Tyrrell made statements in defense Of
the mayor which attacked the record OF
James A Anderson and others, and the
statements were quickly branded as I'M
qualifiedly false by Mr.. Anderson and
! other speakers who followed.
Suppose the recall succeeds" said
Mr. Tyrrell, cit is almost impossible to
keep out every faint of graft, every
stain Of piracy. Then it would be said
of you that the Kern crowd could have
done better. Things have already been
a little bit murky. Next to Mulholland
and Lippincott the three chief men of
the auueduct were taken from the
Southern Pacific company; that looks
suspicious 1 am informed that the
specifications for the railroad along the
auueduct were so drawn that no road
but the Southern Pacific could come in.
but this was not done by Mayor Har-