Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-27
CORPORATE RULE
ELECTION ISSUE
License Ordinance Means Equal
izinq of Burden of Taxation
in City
SUSTAIN THE ADMINISTRATION
Results of tuesdays VotingaWill
Be Step Backward or
=. Forward
SUSTAIN THE ADMINlSTRRTl0 ION

THE most interesting campaign IN
the history of Los Angeles county will
terminate next Thursday" said an Of
fetal of the Good Government organ
ization. This election is to decide
whether the people or the corporations
shall control our city. 1t viii decide
whether the public utilities political
push or an honest and representative
administration is to dominate the al
fairs of Los Angeles, 1t is to be
decisive test of the strength of the cor
porations. many of which have united
in a desperate attempt to defeat the
three popular issues of this campaign.
1.-TWO of these issues are close to the
hearts of the people. One issue affects
the pocketbook of every resident OF
Los Angeles. 7 refer to the lighting
rate issue The city council has
adopted an ordinance reducing tne
rates from to Z cent per kilowatt
hour. The lighting corporations say
that such a rate will ruin them. Yet
they sell their product for cents in
Pasadena, and for much less to the
street railway companies
LICENSE ORDINANCE
Another issue in this campaign af-
fects the purse and interests of nearly
every small corporation and business
concern. This is the business license
ordinance 1t means that every busl-
ness man shall pay license in pro
portion to his gross earnings, and the
effect of the ordinance will be to re-
duce the license of hundreds of smaller
concerns and increase the license of
several extremely large corporations
and banks. The larger corporations,
however, must realize the business of
this ordinance, for it will evenly dis
tribute the burden of taxation, decrease
the cost for the smaller concerns and
increase the city's total revenues.
1.-THE third issue is to determine
whether the present administration
shall be sustained by the people;
whether Barney Healy or Doc
Houghton, the corporation candidates
for the city council, shall be elected, or
whether George H. Stewart and Fred
erick j. Whiffen. the candidates of the
Good Government organization, the in
fluence of which has rid our city OF
graft and corruption and evil influences,
shall fill the important vacancies IN
that body of lawmakers.
"a great deal depends on the out
come of this election. 1t means that
Los Angeles is to take another step for
ward, in line with it's progressive spirit,
material and moral development and
important undertakings, or that it will
take a step backward. the first back
ward step since it emerged from the
old pueblo atmosphere.
"It means that we shall sustain the
administration of Mayor Alexander.
which has done more for Los Angeles
than any administration we have ever
had, inasmuch as it has razed the
dens of vice and infamy; it has helped
to rid our city of it's evil influences; 1t
has curbed the power of the corpora
tions which previously controlled our
city council and directed the affairs of
Los Angeles; it has improved many
streets and sections of the city which
in the past were grossly Disseminated
against because of the lack of political
pull in those Districts it has helped
to facilitate the great aqueduct water
and power plant projects given mag
nif1cent impetus to the harbor and con-
solidation plans and made possible the
annexation of such beautiful and de-
sirable suburban cities as Hollywood,
which never would have consented to
come beneath our protective municipal
wing had it not been for the fact that
good government principles, purity,
progress and honesty were favored by
this city in the election of Mayor Alex
ander and the present administrations
"Or, on the other hand, this election
means that we will revert to other
days; that we are not in sympathy
with this progress, this municipal
purity and development; that we do not
give sanction to the high aims the pure
purposes, the progress, self-sacritice
and devotion to public duty manifest
by Mayor Alexander who, although
past 20 years old, is devOting his re-
naming energies honestly and efficient
ly to the betterment of the city which
he has helped to build-the city of
which he Is an honored pioneer and In
which he has always manifested d
loyal and patriotic interest.
IF we elect Houghton and Healy, the
push candidates, it will indicate that
the push, and not purity, controls and
that the fight is not yet Won 1t will
be a blow at the honesty and self
sacrificing labors of this old man.
I'VE have been telling ourselves that
the fight is won. This election will de-
eide Redlight districts rVerbed fran
chise steals and vice and corporation
control. l believe, are no longer to be
tolerated by the high citizenship Of
Los Angeles.
There is probably no city in the
world today the size of ours which has
SO many millions of dollars at stake as
has Los Angeles. The building of the
great Owens river aqueduct, in which
$25, 900, 900 is to be expended, should
alone cause us to place in the city
council, which is virtually our board of
1icient men who will observe the wishes
of the people and be faithful to their
interests, in the expenditure of this
vast sum provided by the taxpayers
of the city.
The building of power plants, with
the immense amount of detailed work
and heavy expenditures that will be in
NolVed, demand an honest council.
THE great harbor project, in which
all q California, Arizona and New
Mexico is vitality interested demands
that men who win conserve our in
terests ara be loyal to their duties shall
be elected to the council.
The highway improvements, for
which the taxpayers have voted mil
lions of dollars, and in the course of
which the city council win be called on
10 represent these taxpayers when
street work is done connecting with
the county roads, also demand a clean
and honest council.
ut is useless to go on enumerating
the Importance Of The election of such
men as Alessrs Stewart and Whiffen;
there are thousand reasons urging us
to place them in the council and thus
encourage and sanction the open and
above board methods, honesty and eff
ficiency of Mayor Alexander and our
present administration.
Il don't believe the people of this
city wifi neglect TO do their duty or