Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-01
SAYS Los ANGELES
IS MARVEL OF ACE
Former Gov. Adams of Colorado
Pays Glowing Tribute to
City of Daring
CENSUS WILL SHOW IT LEADS
Speaks Before the City Club on
"Price of Good Local
Government"
CENSUS WILL SHOW IT LEADS

When it's on the program to make
things pleasant Alva Adams, the triple
plated governor of Colorado and his
forty-acre smile, fulfill the mission.
Governor Adams was the headliner at
the City club yesterday, and he handed
out line of talk about the ideal state
of politics in Los Angeles that made
every individual member present swell
up like a pouter pigeon. 1t went some
thing like this:
"Los Angeles is an example of the
ultimate Of the principles 1 deem essen
tial for good local government. Your
city is the marvel of the age. More
than any other city have seen 1t mas
Imagination, it has visions, it has cour-
age, it has daring. The census VIII
show that it has made the greatest ad-
vancement ever made in the history OF
any city of the country
After he had paid Los Angeles this
tribute he delivered an address on The
Price of Good Local Government" in
the course of which he said:
'If there are traitors under our flag
it is the clean, decent people who are
Indifferent, or who think they are too
respectable to take a hand in politics.
The Almighty never made a man too
good to do his part in this republic.
Civic duties are as imperative as moral
obligations.
COST OF GOVERNMENT
All good things cost; in all the world
there is nothing better than free gov
ernment, but we must pay the price
There is nothing as expensive as good
government. except bad government.
If you are satisfied with Indifferent
management of public affairs stay at
home on election day or stick to your
party on all occasions. The neglect-of
the good is the opportunity of the bad
There are selfish interests that will be
glad to administer city business.
"The waste of tax money, grating
and the failure of moral statutes are
the text for countless sermons and the
anathema of thousands of taxpayers,
vet the preacher and the citizen are
mostly responsible for the laxity and
extravaganza. The good people of any
community have but to combine and
work in harmony to secure any kind of
government they want. Generally the
people get just as good government as
they deserve.
"The power of the boss is through
marty prejudice. His cunning plays
upon our partisianship. The good are
always in the majority, sbut they split
their forces and let a united minority
organized.
PARTISANSHIP OUT OF PLACE
"Our common sense tells us that in
local affairs, upon the questions of
water. light, morals, transportation and
home rule, craftsmanship is as much out
of place as prayer at a poker party. To
the four things the prophet could not
understand, the way of an eagle in
the air, the way of serpent on
rock, the way of a ship at sea or the
ways of a man with a maid may be
added the ways of the average Amerl-
can citizen with his ballot.
There is no evil that cannot be
cured, no reform that cannot be inaug-
urated by an active, determined, non
partisan electorate. If they so Will, the
bad boss can be made a good boss ana
do their will. There is no machine the
people cannot smash, no ring they can
not break-but it must be done from
the outside. No party In power ever
reforms itself; no pap-sucker ever
changes methods or lets go his grip;
no tax CRATER ever resigned or surren-
dered of his own free will.
political insurgency sometimes be-
comes the highest patriotism. The re-
public is in peril when membership in
party is held as an atonement for the
wrong use of tax money. our people
are too quick to forgive and forget po-
litical crimes. This conception of toler-
ance is a menace to our institutions.
Integrity has no double standard. There
is not a political and business side to
honesty The eighth commandment
means exactly the same In politics as
in the church or the grocery store. The
laws received by Moses amid the cloud
and thunder of Sinai have not been
amended or repealed, nor has a colnpe-
tent court held them to be unconstitu-
tional, or exempted either political par
ty from their conditions.
PRAISES CITY CLUB
"The civic virtue of our country has
but to be awakened and organized to
win our cities from misrule. Your or
ganization is pioneer in this work.
Judas Iscariot cannot now be elected
TO office in Los Angeles even though on
the majority ticket. The people are
learning to scratch, the courage ana IN
dependence to scratch party ticket is
a promising sign. Liberty has no
stronger ally than a scratched ballot
when voters dare cross political lines,
free government is safe.
"Corporations are business and not
political institutions. They have no
convictions. Their mission IN politlcs
is to dodge taxes, grab franchises,
khape legislation in their interests.
Thev can swear off an assessment on
their property and swear a tax on the
community with equal aVidity. They
are not party bigots; they can be Dem
ocratic in the spring and Republican
in the fall. They play no favorites and
are as ready to buy a Democrat as they
are a Republican, but they are always
nnonomaniacs in looking after their own
selfish interests. Treat them fair. BE
liberal. for they have done much for
our country and are entitled to gem
erous consideration, but they do not
own it,"