Year: 1876

Los Angeles has been made aware,
during the past few weeks, that there
are braves of the pen as well as those
of the sword or dagger; those who from
behind the screen of an anonymous
communication, in the public prints,
seek to stab the reputation of their
fellow citizens. The creation of
Board of Public Works has called forth
one or more of these vermin, who
seems to have selected as his especial
target upon whom to spit his venom,
the Hon. WALLACE WooDwoRTH, one
of the members of the Board, as also
one of our prominent citizens to whose
clear brain this county is largely in
debted for the good financial standing
it now occupies. The whole matter
as to the constitutionalty of the Board
of Public Works Act must be decided
by the Courts and there the Board
have been content to leave it; but it
seems that the defense have adopted
the tactics of seeking to prejudice the
public mind by anonymous articles in
the public prints. A re.hash of an ar
ticle written by an estimable member
of the legal firm representing the
Council, attempts to connect Mr..
WooDwoRTH with the issuance of
what is denominated bogus scrip in
1863, by asserting with regard to the
Commercial street sewer that a con-
tract was made with Mr.. WoopwoRTH
to build the sewer at $24 per front foot
and that the cost was $S,22l.9S. The
plain matter of fact is this The
Council advertised for bids for the con-
struction of the sewer. Mr.. WooD-
woRTH's bid was for the round sum of
S3,945.34, gold coin. His bid being
the lowest was accepted; he received
his coin upon completion of the work
and that ended the matter. 1t is true
that under the reign of the then Coun-
Gil, like that of the present the
treasury had been emptied, and that
in order to meet the current expenses
resort to the issuance of scrip was
had; and doubtless large amount
comparatively of the scrip was sold
in order to raise the coin to pay this
gold contract, inasmuch as the folly,
or otherwise, of the Council of that
day, like that of the present, had
caused the Taxpayers to look dubi-
ously upon city promises to pay while
affairs were under the control of that
body. Doubtless there was a large
amount of fraudulent scrip issued in
1869, and it is equally true that some
of the members of that body of odor-
iferous memory, whom common re-
port credits with having partaken of
a large slice of the "chicken pie," are
now virtuously indignant that at the
instance of the largest taxpayers of
the city there should be created new
branch Of the city government which,
odChCo Ny pcIhOudl CudIdCLcT duu d
weighty pecuniary bonded response
bility, stands as guarantee against
future fraudulent issues of scrip. The
fling at Mr.. RoEDER will be duly ap-
preciated in this community, where he
is known and where his name is a sy-
nonym for honesty and straightfor-
ward dealing. In this article we have
treated of the personal attacks upon
individuals, to the end that those who
are strangers among US may not be
deceived by the statements of anony-
nous writers regarding the personnel
of the Board. Hereafter we shall ven-
tilate this matter and afford the citi-
zens of this city an opportunity to
know what influences have been
brought to bear to create the present
disgraceful condition of affairs, and, if
necessary, who are the men respon-
sible.