Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-11
MACHINE FAVORED
IN BURY|NG DEAD
Undertakers Declare Coroner
HartWeII Gives Most Busi-
ness to Two Firms
POLITICIANS STOCK OWNERS
Parker, Blanchard, Hogan Flint
and LaWIer Interested in
Pierce Brothers
POLITICIANS STOCK OWNERS


made by many undertakers in Los An
geles county that Coroner Calvin Hart
we'll sends practically all his coroner
cases to Bresee brothers and Pierce
brothers undertaking establishments,
has disclosed the fact that politics
exerts O considerable influence in the
disposition of these cases, and that
Walter Parker, head of the Southern
Pacific political machine" with other
push" politicians, are stockholders in
at least one of the two undertaking
| concerns which 1t is claimed are get
ting 1.-The lions share" of the coroner
cases.
| In the transfer of block 56, Huber
tract, and block IL, Hollywood, deed
II, filed May %, 1909, from Pierce
brothers to the Interurban Investment
company, the stockholders Of Pierce
Brothers. Undertaking company are
recorded as Walter Parker, DR.. Ralph
hagen, e. l.. ("Pop'D Blanchard, Mot
| ley II. Flint, Oscar Lawler, and others.
It was through the filing of these
| instruments that Walter Parkers IN
terest In the Pierce Brothers Under
taking company became known. ~
| will readily be seen, therefore, that the
pernicious political activities OF the
machine extend to the graveside-nor
even the dead being exempt from the
| tribute which the people of California
have been compelled to pay to the po-
litical bosses of this soulless corpora
| tion.
/ PARKER A STOCKHOLDERS
The fact that Walter Parker is a
| stockholder in the Pierce Brothers
Undertaking company may explain. to
many undertakers who have been dis
satisfied with Coroner HartwelPs meth
1l.A.. Alt,rr h NT1G
| fact that the Pierce company has been
getting 1.-The lions share" as they ex-
press it. But back of this condition
there is an old story.
| Coroner Hartwell has excused his
preference for the Pierce and Bresee
companies by stating that he distri-
| butes the coroner's cases among the
various undertaking concerns accord
| ing to their "outside' business. Th1s
| is refuted by large majority of the
undertakers, who claim that they have
| had far less than would have been
| their share on this basis of calcula-
! ton, while many others state positive
ly they have not had single case
| from the coroners office since Hart
we'll was appointed.
The fact that Hartwell was appoint
ed to office may not be remembered
| by some He formerly was recorder or
| Los Angeles county, and was nom1-
mated for that office by the Walter
Parker political "push." When the late
Ben Ward was candidate for re-
nomination as county assessor, Walter
Parkers political push decided on Cal
win Hartwell, then the recorder, as the
strongest" man whom the machine
could nominate to run against Ward.
Instead of Hartwell becoming can
didate for recollection to his own office,
he agreed to run against Ward al
though the Office of county assessor
paid him no more than the Office of
recorder. He made a strenuous and
bitter fight to defeat Ward, and won
out at the push" convention; but Ben
Ward ran Independently and was elect
ed by an overwhelming majority,
which, of course, left Hartwell ION the
shelf without an official income.
EARTWELL APPOINTED
The push" had previously agreed,
however, that in the event Hartwell
was defeated, Parker was to find an
opening for him somewhere else, and
accordingly when DIR. Lanterman was
ousted from the coroner's office for
conduct unbecoming an official" wal
ter Parker secured Hartwelrs appoint
ment, through a push" admlnlstra-
tion, to fill the vacancy.
It is to Walter Parker, therefore,
that Hartwell owes his present posi-
ton, and 1t is quite natural that Par
ker should become financially interest
ed in a company to which Hartwells
Office can thus direct such profitable
proportion of his business"
Hartwells opposition to the late Ben
Ward made him many political enc
mics, for the reason that Ward un-
doubtedly was considered the best and
most efficient assessor Los Angeles
county has ever had.
Walter Parker's penchant for owning
stock in corporations which thrive on
administrative patronage has become
notorious. 1t has been shown that he
is a stockholder in a number of such
concerns-notably for instance, in the
uthwestern Packing company which
supplies the meat for the county hos
pital, and other institutions. 1t has al
SO been charged, and he has never
publically denied, that he was stock
holder in the voting machine company
which sold to the taxpayers of Cali
fornia so many useless voting ma
chines-costly devices that have never
been used, although they cost the tax
payers many thousands of dollars.
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