Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-01

terests of the people will vote today.
The corporation political machine has
taken good care of that. And unless
the independent voters of Los Angeles,
who are loyal to the citys welfare,
come to our rescue, the corporations
will succeed in their nefarous designs" "
MANY WORKERS
Voting precincts in which the cor
porations feared they would run be-
| hind yesterday, were packed with paid
workers, who were instructed to fight
| the referendum ordinances, and to dc
everything possible to elect Houghton
and Healy. 1t was said by the Good
| Government officials that never before
had the organized corporation interests
| been so active in local campaign
Even at the previous municipal elec-
ton, when the Southern Pacific politi-
! cal machine went down to what seemed
J permanent defeat, before the onslaught
| of the Good Government forces, the
external evidences of literally financed
resistance were not so shamefully ap-
! parent as they were yesterday. Not
withstanding all this, the corporation
machine showed the weakness of its
numbers and the lack of real enthusi-
asm which is always obvious when
money, and not principle, is the I'm
petus of electioneers.
$4,000 SPENT
| Since the power companies began
their campaign to defeat good govern
ment and prevent the reduction of their
exorbitant lighting charges, they have
| mailed more than 100000 circulars tc
the voters of Los Angeles. The actual
cost of printing and addressing one
| batch of these circulars was not less
than $32OO, according to an estimate
based on the amount the city pays for
printing and circulating sample bal
| lots, in compliance with the law. Each
| of these circulars went out with a :
cent stamp for mailing, which brought
the bill for postage up to more than
| $4,000. There were at least 400 paid
employees of the lighting companies
at work in the various precincts yes
| terday, and few If any Of these men
| got less than S. a day, and others, II
is believed, received as high as $40 g
| day for the work in behalf of the cor
porations. This precinct activity, it will
be seen, must therefore have cost the
corporations more than $2500. This does
not include the payment to organizers
who have been employed for two weeks
| and does not include the hire of auto
mobiles. which was one of the largest
expenses of the day. On the surface
it can readily be seen that more thar
! 100000 was expended by the corpora
tions in the battle at the polls yester-
day.
MANY THREATS
The most strenuous activities of the
| day were manifest in the districts east
| of Main street, although many paid
workers also were in evidence at Hol.
lywood. where a heavy vote was
! polled in the interests of good govern.
nnnf M 4
laboring men live, the corporation elec.
| tioneerS argued that the power COM
! panies would discharge large numbers
of employees should the rate ordinance
carry, and that the proposed compro-
mise rate of cents, with a minimum
meter rate of 75 cents, will greatly
| benefit the consumers. Throughout the
east side, all during the day, there
were reports of Misrepresentation
fraud, threats and intimidation. The
| threat was freely made by the cor.
| poratfon precinct workers In many ot
| the suburban districts which are fight.
ing to get electric lights, or gas con.
nections, that unless the lighting-ratt
| ordinance was defeated the lighting
companies positively would refuse tt
extend their lines or mains into thes,
districts, and that If the ordinance
was defeated the companies would i'm
mediately make the desired connection
This sounded good to many of thu
residents of the unlighted sections. ant
| the Good Government forces feared the
effect of the argument on many of tht
| voters.
MANY PROMISES
Where threats were not made the
ward workers gave out numerou:
promises, stating that the gas and cleo
! trio corporations planned immense i'm.
| provements If the ordinance was de.
| feated, which would mean the employ.
ment of thousands of workmen, sucf
as building tradesmen, engineers, day
| laborers and linemen, and that If the
ordinance was defeated the corpora.
| tions would feel encouraged to &c
| ahead with several "vast schemes
which they have been holding back
| but which, If executed, will mean 8
population of a million people inside
| of five years. and involve the expend.
iture of millions of dollars, which
would go into the pockets of the pool
'1f'' the lighting ordinance was de-
feated.
This is just a fair sample of the
numerous arguments which were ad
vanced by the paid "spielers'' of the
lighting gang What influence 1t hat
can be estimated by the vote in thes'
precincts.
The Good Government headquarters
in the Fay building at Third ant
Broadway, yesterday presented an un
| usual scene of activity All day thu
offices were crowded with men whit
were strenuously supporting the Goe'
Government ticket, and doing every
thing possible to insure the election o
Messrs. Stewart and Whiffen. Th
telephones were kept busy all day
hundreds of persons calling up earl!
in the day to know what the outlool
was for the success Of the Good Gov
ernment ticket. President Dunlop o
the Good Government organization sa
at his desk nearly all day.
THE RETURNS
Last night a corps of about twelv
persons was kept busy tabulating ant
checking up the returns from the 20
precincts. Three tabulating machine
were kept busy and five men were pu
to work checking off the returns on tn
ordinances, the city hall question ant
the four councilmanic candidates.
The campaign conducted for the las
six weeks by the Good Government or
ganization, both by the central bod,
and its various precinct branches
known as Good Government clubs, ha
been extremely vigorous and unfalter
ing, and hundreds of public-spiritei
men, who have not received one cen
in salary, and whose only object ha
been to insure the success of the move
ment for good government and a clean
er city, have worked from eight to tel
hours a day, week after week, withou
tagging in their efforts for moment
Continued OH Page Sixteen)