Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-11-01

i mated as rotten "rotten ?" If the will
and power of the people can be blocked
like that, where, Oh! where would a
commission form of Government ever
find favor again
At yesterdays meeting, Mrs. Coop
er was told by Mr.. Ryan and the may
or that she had been fined by the latter
to the tune of $40 in July 1877, as a
penalty for non-payment of her $40
mercantile license assessed against her
for that year; but that when she yield
ed and paid the license, then the may
or with his customary "bigness of
heart" RENTED said fine Of $40. In
other words, Mrs. Cooper, it was said,
was fined at the time referred to, but
the fine was not collected. So the COM
m~issioners must have thought she was
''getting off easy" when they refused
Mrs. Cooper's request that $3.50 be re-
funded her. "All she asked was equal
ity and justice, " she said. IF | must be
taxed for doing manual labori in my own
home, then why don't you tax the
dressmaker and the washerwoman
and the carpenter" Mrs. Cooper's
criticisms OF existing city affairs took a
wide range yesterday, and a verbatim
report of all that was heard at the
meeting, wouldn't look well in print.
Her most poignant remarks were
aimed, perhaps, at Commissioner
Ryan; and when she said she "would-
MT trust him in any whatso-
ever" he blushed deeply and replied
that he "didn't believe she would"
At one point Mrs. Cooper expressed
the wish that she could take the
finance commissioner across her knee
aud give him a thorough spanking.
The chief of police came In for con-
siderable attention yesterday and roars
of laughter followed her question when
she asked the mayor II the chief was
supposed to go into-a hotel to take/a
drink? "Oh, mol" answered the may
or! Mrs Cooper said she had seen Les
ter w. Smith go into the Rufic hotel
after he had called on Mrs.
Cooper on a certain day in July, 1917;
but of course she could not say he went
in there to get a drink.
She forced Mayor Smith to state that
there were many Objectionable things
to be said against Hotel Ruric as con-
Quoted lately; and that he for one hoped
no license would be granted that place
next year. Mrs. Cooper believes her
olfactory nerves are in perfect condi-
ton and resisted all attempts of her in
quistors yesterday to shake her faith in
her own senses. Much as he disliked
to do 30, the mayor a admitted he could
not stop the noises and n%uisances on
east Cedar venue last summer, al
though he was up there frequently try
ing to as late (or early rs o or two
O'Clock a. M. Mrs. Cooper said she
could not work at times during the day
because Of loss of sleep at night from
the night noises and disturbances. Mrs
Cooper's reference to sailors having been
seen frequently close to the Ruric bar
was very significant. So deeply i'm
pressed was the mayor with Mrs. Coop
er's keen detective powers, that he then
and there offered her a position as a
detective, and assured her that she
could make more money in the detec-
tive field than she could by cleaning
and pressing clothes. Mrs: Cooper
scored City Clerk Whitesell for snalleg-
ed effort to pose as a bachelor while on
his trip to Florida last winter. The
chastisement of Clerk Whitesell was
greeted with uproarious shouts and
laughter Talk about a comedy per-
Torrance! There was comedy galore
at city hall yesterday. Mrs. Cooper
played her biggest card last, when be-
fore leaving the commissioners room,
she declared. with positive emphasis
that she would do no more workforany
of the whole city hall batch, including
Solicitor Hand, who protested to her
some time ago that he didn't belong to
the city hall gang" The whitening
statement was keenly felt. A"This was
the most unkindest cut Of ALP and
Mr.. Ryan tried to soften the damage it
wrought by remarking to his compeers
that Mrs. Cooper was ''only cutting off
her nose to spite her face, y by taking
such a retalistory stand. Before with
drawing, Mrs. Cooper declared she
would continue to seek for justice and
threatened to bring suit against the
city. The mayor told her to go ahead
ito crack her whip
B. G. Ingersoll was present and when
the mayor asked the magistrate II there
was anything he wanted to bring up,
the latter replied that he had-and that
IL was in the same vein a. Mra. Coop