Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-22
WHAT ARE YOU GOING
TO DO ABOUT TIP

- there wasn't muuey enough 10 DO
~ work that was absolutely needed
in other directions, Mr.. Tuss Eldridge
was spending thousands of dollars of
the county funds in laying out nice
modern road in a real estate tract in
which he was financially interested.
In the year that the Hollywood road
could not be attended to, and went to
ruin for the reason that funds were
spend in Laurel canyon, where Ed
ridge the supervisor, with a partner,
wanted to get land in nice shape for
private sale.
This new revelation of the malfeas-
ance of Eldrdge and the pair of servile
incompetents who make up with him
the Solid Three, ana proudly flaunt
their purpose to run the county as 1t
may suit their private pleasure, was
not needed to show how expensive Ed
ridge has been to the taxpayers; but
this and the conditions surrounding
the bids for furniture for the new hall
Of records, coming as they do close to-
gether, ought to awaken the most in
different citizen to the fact that the
incumbency of Eldridse has cost the
county an immense sum.
And as he is shown by this new ex-
pose to have been using his official
position and the public funds TO feather
his own nest in manner that would
win the admiring approval of a prac-
ticed Tammany scnemer, so he also
assumes the position of the Tammany
patron saint, Boss Tweed who said:
Wen, what are you going to do about
?" This Is Eldridge's attitude when
he is criticised tor the high-handed
way In whicn he overrides queries and
proRests, and il is also the way of the
ogner two VINO let him make them his
manikins
1t must seem inexplicably anomalous
to residents Of other communities who
know what good city government the
citv of Los Angeles has that the peO-
pie of the county of Los Angeles have
one of the worst administrations OF the
country. They do not know, OF course,
that the office of county supervisor,
with its fat pickings, its political power
through the jobs 1t controls, and it's
opportunity to promote the private
prosperity of its incumbent and his
friends, exists by grace Of the old re-
gime in California that made such
offices powerful and profitable to put
them into the hands of machine hench-
men to pass the good things on to the
boys who did the work laid out by the
political leaders and delivered the
votes.
By means of the new order of things,
chiefly the direct primary, the people
Of Los Angeles will this year get their
first crack at the county triumvirate
since the awakening Of public senti-
ment in these parts. 1t is the first
county election since the mass OF Vot-
ers became really conscious Of their
mower and their duty in public affairs,
it will surprise a great number if the
defiant Mr.. Eldridge does not find CON
ditions much different from the days
when many of the thoughtful voters
left elections to the kind of which the
majority supervisors are excellent
types
The situation at the county court
house ought to be sufficient to make all
thoughtful taxpayers get out and reg
lister, if they have not done so since the
first of the year, so that they may have
a part in the housecleaning. Two good
men are in the field against Eldridge,
whose term of office expires and who
wants to succeed himself. The forces
of good government must make an
swer to the question: What are you
going to do about it?"