THE RECALL IN LOS ANGELES

...When the first vacancy occurred in the Harper administration, a universal appeal went up that the then president of the board, a man with exceptionally high character and rare equipment for the work, should be reappointed...

...He had also the frantic assistance of the newspaper of largest circulation in the city, the paper to which he had voted the municipal printing...

...John R. Haynes suggested the application of the recall principle to municipal affairs...

...Haynes, who has never lacked for courage to back up his convictions, got a lawyer to put the recall idea into legal form and presented it to his committee...

...Whatever may have been the cause, the influence of the newspaper over the mayor from that time forth seemed to be unlimited...

...Recall is Not New FOR a hundred years and more constituencies have been calling their representatives to account with chidings and slappings upon the wrist—to no purpose whatever...

...Under the charter, the council filled vacancies, and the council was machine Republican...

...The chief of police and members of the police commission were deep in these schemes...

...The proposed action was kept a secret, and the city was taken completely by surprise...

...The precedent, however, was for the uniform adoption by the legislature of all charters or charter amendments accepted by the people of the municipalities, and this precedent saved the innovation...

...The net result of the recall episode is to give the city of Los Angeles a good mayor in the place of a bad one, to put the police force on a policy of honesty and ability, to clean up the city generally, and to endear the recall more than ever to the voters of that municipality...

...What happened to cause the mayor to break his promise and fly in the face of the entire community by appointing an intimate friend of the editor of the machine sheet...

...In spite of many warnings sent out through the reform organizations, the total vote finally polled was very small and the machine came dangerously close to success...

...The future of the municipality is absolutely dependent upon this great enterprise and it is guarded with the most jealous care...

...It was amazingly simple...

...The story was told that the mayor was called to the editor's office and shown pome snap-shots of himself and companions with lewd women in a bagnio...

...In with the New" AS the campaign wore on, the fight grew fiercer, but the gain was on the side of the reform forces...

...Alexander was that of the Socialist nominee...

...The council stood: four non-partisans to five machine Republicans...

...Great difficulty was experienced in getting a candidate and in filling the places on the committees...

...Eight thousand certified signatures of registered voters were needed to call an election...

...But there always is a last straw in such cases and the fatality that tempts the man to try it on...

...A machine-made city council voted to give away to a utility corporation three miles of the river bed, having a value of about one million dollars...

...Before taking this action, he conferred with the local machine Republican boss, who is an employee of the Southern Pacific, and secured his consent to the move...

...In 1902 Pomeroy visited Los Angeles and in conversation with Dr...

...It may be imagined that this performance gave a lively shock to the adherents of the political machines...

...The city hall was besieged by angry crowds, and councilmen heard from their constituents in the wards and heeded what they heard...

...But it was voted upon separately...

...But the League had accepted the recall as a valuable practical device and there was a tacit understanding among the v o te r s at large that the endorsement of this body was es-sential to its successful use...

...Haynes had been serving on a city charter commission, and his thoughts were just then on municipal reform...

...The only name appearing on the official ballot in opposition to Mr...

...After a debate of some two hours, in which both sides were heard, a rising vote was taken on a resolution instructing the executive committee of the League to undertake the recall...

...In the end it was the mayor's libel suits that undid him...

...The following year, 1904, the recall was put into practical use...

...All that time the world waited for the invention of some device, some practical method by which the dissatisfaction of a constituency with its representative could be made effective without jarring the whole governmental scheme...

...In this, however, it merely followed a lead plainly indicated by the morning Democratic paper, which had been running a series of striking articles under the caption "Is Vice Protected in Los Angeles...

...As this report sank into the public mind, it was evident that Mr...

...The law-breaking liquor element, the gamblers and toughs, the exploiters of prostitution, the machines of both parties, the utility corporation brigade, the reactionaries, the partakers of graft,—these, together with the newspaper of largest circulation, which shows its gratitude to the people of Los Angeles for the liberal support it has enjoyed by now opposing almost everything the people desire, these formed the vanguard of the fierce army that suddenly confronted the recallers...

...The recalled councilman had enjoyed the support of the utility corporations, the saloons, the tough element, and the organization leaders of both parties...

...Forseeing this intention the civic bodies all protested, but in vain...

...Incidentally, Luther Martin, delegate from Maryland to the convention that framed the Constitution of the United States, prophecied the present era of irresponsible representation, and called attention in that convention to the fact that the constitution of Maryland made provision for recalling members of Congress, before their terms had expired...

...The defeated newspaper and the machine leaders opened a persistent warfare on the recall as an institution, which they have continued up to the present, but without tangible result...

...Like the Republican party, the Democratic had its machine (Southern Pacific) and anti-machine factions...

...Don't advertise our shortcomings to the world at large...

...It was not in politics, although under extraordinary conditions it had opposed the nomination and election of undesirables...

...The recall will injure business...

...There was a loud call for sympathy for a mayor "whose only fault was that he had chosen bad advisers...

...The report of the grand jury, which had investigated the charges against the mayor, helped some but not as much as was expected...

...He had already made a number of private missteps which were afterwards to appear...

...On national issues, Los Angeles is Repubican about two to one...

...The saloons did as they pleased...

...Both the editor and the mayor denied this story with great vigor, but a report of a grand jury which presently appeared accused the mayor of having participated in an "orgy" in a house of prostitution and this occasion was believed to be one out of several...

...There was evident laxity in the treatment of saloons and prostitution, gambling flourished at intervals, until public opinion caused its suppression, but there was nothing to indicate that the utility corporations owned the mayor, as they had previously owned so many officials of the city, and the people were inclined to gratitude for that form of relief...

...An assistant of the district attorney, who had charge of city matters, openly declared that there was graft on a large scale in the city government, and that the mayor was one of the beneficiaries...

...The short term cramps the efficiency of the honest and capable office holder, while a vast amount of damage can be done in a brief space of time by a fool or a rascal...

...The latter, calling themselves non-partisans, had nominated a complete city ticket, most of which was successful...

...but that party is about equally divided between the machine (Southern Pacific) and anti-machine elements...

...Another vacancy came in the Board of Public Works, and the mayor filled the place with his chief of police, who, as it happened, had been a member of the council that sought to give away the million dollar franchise...

...The doctor was catalogued as a millionaire socialist, and among the machine men was looked upon as a harmless crank...

...The appointment was made January 1, 1909...

...Men were pulled down and quit the recall fight...

...The boss figured that the council would take a man of his selection, and he hoped that the courts would decree that as the mayor, whom it was sought to recall, had resigned, no recall election could be held, and that the council's choice would hold to the end of Harper's term...

...It was believed that it would take four or five weeks to secure and check these, but on the 13th day after the petitions were opened not only eight but eleven thousand signatures appeared, and the document was filed with the city clerk...

...Public sentiment had risen to such an extreme pitch, that the council did not dare execute the orders of the boss...

...The bad ones have gone right on doing as they pleased, and have even made faces back at their fellow-citizens...

...As soon as the ex-chief learned what had happened he resigned his place on the board, and two days later the mayor surrendered...

...Preparations were immediately set on foot for the recall of the entire body—all being equally guilty—but the measure was quickly withdrawn and cancelled and the councilmen were allowed to serve out the short remainder of their terms...

...Every civic and commercial body and every organization of citizens that could legitimately act upon such a proposition asked this appointment of the mayor...

...Knowing that the vote would be absurdly light, for the recallers naturally regarded Alexander's election a certainty, the machine and the saloons passed the word along to turn out and vote for the Socialist...

...The city printing was given to the machine Republican newspaper at a figure $15,000 above that bid by the anti-machine and independent journals...

...A so-called compromise candidate was selected—a prominent member of the recall campaign committee—to serve as mayor pro tem, and the court held that the election must proceed...

...The young man was driven from office by his superior and discredited before the people...

...The remainder of the city administration was non-partisan...

...So reads Article Fifteen of the "Declaration of the Rights of Man," adopted by the States General of France in 1789...

...The courts have passed upon it, up to the supreme court of the state, and have accepted it as constitutional...

...Ousting a Mayor IN the fall of 1906, Arthur C. Harper, a business man of good standing, and a member of one of the best-known families of the city, was elected mayor on the Democratic ticket...

...Recalling a Bad Councilman WHEN the charter amendments went before the State Legislature for ratification, there was vigorous opposition to the recall, and for a time it looked as though it might be thrown out...

...The successful newspaper was a violent fighter of labor unions...

...The householder buys a pistol and keeps it in his bedroom—not in the hope that he may sometime kill a burglar, but in the belief that his ownership of the weapon may keep the burglars away...

...This gave the people a fighting chance, and they made the most of it...

...By methods of impeachment...

...Harper made a bad start by filling his executive commissions full of cheap politicians, and unknowns...

...Such a device had been in use in the socialistic societies of continental Euiope for ten years, when it was taken into the platform of Kansas populists in the later 80's and was advocated in lectures and writings by Eltweed Pom-eroy and Professor Frank Parsons...

...It was at the beginning of his second year of administration that Mr...

...The election was called by council for March 26...

...It met with no opposition...

...At last when it had become clear to everyone that someone must submit to a sacrifice for the public good, George Alexander, who had refused before, accepted...

...He made a strong candidate, and has thus far proved himself an excellent mayor, as all who knew him were confident that he would...

...The doctor now says that the reason why the recall went through so easily—the vote was four to one in its favor at the charter amendment election —was that it was coupled up with the initiative and the referendum...

...Gambling was evidently under police protection, a new "r e d light" district was established under the patronage of the administration, hideous assignation dens flourished in conspicuous places and the record of crimes of violence exceeded all limits...

...Stopping a Privilege Grab THE next use made of the recall in Los Angeles was on the side .where conservative people feel that its greatest values lies —as a potentiality...

...A meeting of citizens, to which were invited all the members of all the leading commercial, or civic bodies of the city, totaling over 3,000, was unable to find a candidate who would accept the nomination on the recall ticket, and the decision was finally left to a committee of fifteen—to be subsequently ratified by the larger body...

...If twenty-five per cent, of the constituency of a city official should sign a petition expressing their dissatisfaction, an election must be held at which he must contest with all comers for the office...

...Public censure is vague, uncertain, proves nothing, accomplishes nothing, and can be completely offset by a few hired brass bands and subsidized newspapers...

...It contained five hundred of the most public-spirited men of Los Angeles, enjoyed a reputation for effective work accomplished by conservative methods...

...A committee of the council, aided by several citizens, was at work preparing charter amendments for the people to vote upon at the coming city election—fall of 1902...

...Mysterious Forces at Work I T will be easily understood that the forces back of an adminis- tration like that of Mayor Harper would not be idle in an emergency...

...He had for a number of years held the office of county supervisor, was a Civil War veteran, seventy-one years of age...

...During the next year or two occasional threats of recall were heard and several times angry individuals started out with petitions for trivial causes, but in every instance the attempts were frowned down by the people...

...He gave careful attention, however, to the general administrative work of the office, was affable and good natured, and to the undiscriminating public presented the appearance of a fairly good mayor...

...It was well known that the mayor and his coterie of friends were promoters and owners of certain industrial stock companies whose shares were systematically marketed among exploiters of prostitutes, assignation-house keepers, saloon men and brewers...

...The Last Straw FOR another year the people waited and endured...

...The cry was raised...

...It was practically unanimous, only a half dozen out of a hall packed with people rising to vote no...

...But the boss missed both of his guesses...

...and he, in a formal and public manner, promised that it should be made...

...The one discordant note in the general chorus was that of the machine newspaper which was calling for the appointment of another—any other than the one thus universally demanded...

...He was defeated by a vote of nearly two to one...

...E. T. Earl, the owner of the Evening Express, had some months before put detectives to work, and now that it seemed probable that Harper might be overthrown and police control changed, one of the principals of the prostitution graft came into camp and told all that he knew, surrendering a bunch of important documents...

...THE RECALL IN LOS ANGELES How the People of One City Made Use of Their Power to Remove Unworthy Representatives By CHARLES DWIGHT WILLARD EVERY constituency has the right to call its representative to account...

...The organization Republicans, fearful lest non-partisans might land their mayor, at the last minute switched from their own candidate to Harper, and elected him...

...Impeachment means a court of some kind, the taking of testimony, law's delays, appeals, technicalities, and a cautious limitation of chargeable offenses...

...It was generally recognized that the recall was to be invoked only in extreme cases, as a last resort, and that the movement to be a success must be supported by a considerable body of responsible citizens...

...The rival candidate, nominated by the recall-ers, was an unknown man with many handicaps...

...One last rally was made by the machine before it went down to defeat...

...Election Called AT this juncture, all eyes were turned toward the leading civic organization of the city— the Municipal League...

...This was practically the end of the recall campaign—the mayor against whom it was directed had resigned from office two weeks before the day of election...

...By public censure...

...This committee offered the nomination to a score or more of supposed availables, only to meet with refusals...

...All the newspapers advocated it, including the one which since then has fought it on every possible occasion...

...As usual in such cases plenty of "business men" and "prominent citizens" were found willing to play the part of suckers and to give the use of their names to a bad cause...

...There were, however, six courageous and independent men on the jury who spoke freely in a minority or unofficial report of what the evidence laid before them had shown of the misbehavior of the mayor and his official family...

...The people of Los Angeles are investing $25,000,000 in a great aqueduct, which is to bring water 225 miles from the high Sierras to their city...

...Labor Union workmen in the sixth ward of Los Angeles gathered the necessary signatures— twenty-five per cent, of the last vote—to compel their councilman to stand for a recall election...

...The prosecution had been in the hands of the machine, and the majority, or official report, was pruned down to vague generalizations...

...To the latter, the Democratic League, belongs the honor of making the first substantial public demand that the recall be started against Mayor Harper...

...He ignored his business associates and former friends, and made boon companions of liquor men, gamblers, and sports...

...Harper's cnance of reelection was becoming smaller day by day...

...Its control is in the hands of a Board of Public Works—three men appointed by the mayor...

...Mysterious influences began to work...

...Harper made his first serious and public mistake...

...By short terms of office...

...As the last day drew near on which a nomination could be made, the situation became most alarming...

...A perfectly sound theory, all admit, but how is it to be worked out in practice...

...When the votes were counted, everybody recognized the presence of an entirely new factor in Los Angeles politics, and civic affairs— one that was to be reckoned with for good or for ill as might be shown by later experience...

...The mayor and the ex-chief of police who had been appointed to the Board of Public Works were both involved in this man's confession...

...An evening newspaper repeating the charges was sued for libel by the mayor and police commissioners, with a total of $650,000 damages claimed...

...Harper had also the united support of the saloons and the tough elements who feared that the non-partisan rule would mean greater restriction of liquor privileges...

...Alexander's majority was only 1,600 where it should have been several times that number...

...The term was for three years...

...A meeting of the membership of the League was called for January 20, and several hundred citizens not members were asked to be present and take part in the discussion and vote...

...that had awakened the moral sense of the whole community...

...A slight mistake in the procedure made it necessary to reconvene the council, and go through with the vote a second time...

...Three times the opportunity has been given the people to cast it out of the charter if they saw fit, but nobody has been so blind to public sentiment as to undertake a petition to place the question of its repeal before the voters...

...At the time it did not occur to anybody—except psrhaps the wily doctor, and he kept still about it,—that this might be the beginning of a new political era, that there was an invention as important in politics as electricity is in mechanics...