Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-04
A YEAR OF VICTORIES


government during the present year,
the new years resolution should be to
go forward and to achieve new
triumphs for good government. Los
Angeles should become the model mnni-
cipality of the United States.
Present happy conditions indicate
that Los Angeles may worthily and
hopefully aspire to this distinction.
The achievements Of last year were
reformatory and progressive. The
achievements. Of the year upon which
we have entered will be constructive
and progressive.
A year ago last May The Herald
undertook a careful, painstaking and
thorough investigation which resulted
in the publication of a series of re-
markable articles, which, beginning on
January 8, 1909, gave the public COM
plete and irrefutable details regarding
one of the most corrupt administra-
tions that ever disgraced an American
city. This series, because of its very
nature, became an exposure which had
all the effect of an attack on the ad-
ministration then in power. As a re-
suit of The Herald's work for the peo-
pie of Los Angeles the dishonored
mayor and his satellites were driven
from office and Mayor Alexander was
chosen, the gratifying result of The
Heralds campaign being to give the
citizens of Los Angeles the best mayor
they ever had instead of the worst.
In its vigorous campaign for good
citizenship The Herald was aided most
admirably and efficiently by the EX-
press; and the political cleansing of
Los Angeles was due to newspaper
more than any other influences. 1t
was an admira BILE example of the power
of the press when the press is the voice
of the best public opinion. The cam
paign for a clean city resulted in the
election of a new city government COM
posed of honorable, tried, trusted and
trustworthy men. The affairs of the
city of Los Angeles were entrusted to
men worthy of their stewardship, men
who believe in and illustrate the Los
Angeles way.
The Herald takes pride in the great
service it rendered the people of Los
Angeles at a crisis in the affairs OF
the city. The Herald from first to
last was actuated by a disinterested
and patriotic desire to improve the
condition of Los Angeles, to bring
about "the greatest good for the great
est number" to eliminate vicious, de-
grading and debasing influences from
the public life of our city, and to pro-
vide city government that would rep
resent all that is noblest and best in
American citizenship and conserve for
Los Angeles her share in the magnit-
icent heritage bequeathed by the
fathers. Americanism.
The Herald took a leading part in
bringing about a great victory for
clean municipal government when
it advocated the issue of school
bonds in order that adequate edu-
cational provision might be made
for the boys and girls Of the rapidly
increasing population of Los Angeles.
1t went into the school bond fight as
a matter of conscience. To the re-
sponsibIe chief and the management of
The Herald it seemed to be disloyal to
Los Angeles as well as un-American
and absurd to oppose any proposal
which would offer relief from an edu-
cational situation which was fast be-
coming intolerable and the news of
which, spread abroad throughout the
would have injured Los An
geles. A morning newspaper which
calls itself Republican" saw fit to op
pose the school bond issue, and fought
it bitterly, bringing into its attack
personal element and showing animus
against one of the foremost pro-
fessional educators in Los Angeles, a
man who in educational circles is not
merely well known, but famous.
Undismayed by the rebuke of machine
bosses and machine methods conveyed in
the success of the school bonds cleo
ton, the person who was at that time
the mayor of this city daringly Ven
tured to take the first step toward
carrying out a program for the de-
livery of this city to machine influences,
in the hope the machine
would be firmly in Of
flee while the Owens river aqueduct
bond issue and other vast sums Of
money voted for most important public
were being handled.
In the Owens river aqueduct, the good
roads bonds and the harbor improve
ments there are concentrated within
the Greater Los Angeles area some OF
the biggest and most heavily financed
projects ever undertaken by an enter
prising, intelligent and successful popu-
lation. To moral weaklings, the tempta
ton afforded by the financial plans of
Los Angeles city and county were at
tractive to a degree that unsettled
them and placed them in serious peril
of betraying the people and yielding
to temptation.
Keenly conscious of the magnitude OF
the risk caused by unworthy or un-
trustworthy office holders the good cit |
izens of Los Angeles saw with appre-
hension the attempted debauchery of
the board of public works by the ap-
pointment of a man who by reason of |
of brain and lack of training |
was unfit to hold a responsible pub
lie position. When this man was
switched" from one important office |
To another and when he was stationed