USA > California > Los Angeles County > Pasadena > History of Pasadena, comprising an account of the native Indian, the early Spanish, the Mexican, the American, the colony, and the incorporated city, occupancies of the Rancho San Pasqual, and its adjacent mountains, canyons, waterfalls and other objects of interest: being a complete and comprehensive histo-cyclopedia of all matters pertaining to this region > Part 34
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266
HISTORY OF PASADENA.
more time necessary ; and final action was not taken on the matter until November 13. At this date I find in the city clerk's records that Committee of the Whole made a formal report on the petition for saloon license elec- tion, reciting at considerable length reasons for denying petition. The re- port was unanimously adopted and made of record. The points covered were in substance as follows :
Ist. Present board elected on pledges to maintain ordinance No. 45.
2d. The claim that public sentiment has changed on the saloon ques- tion since April 9 last, is not warranted by facts.
3d. Not advisable to engage in another election so soon after the strife, contention and excitement of a national election.
4th. It is the purpose of the board in proper time to submit the ques- tion of change of city charter; and the saloon question would then be one of the questions involved.
The next historic move on this line was the starting of the Pasadena Standard, December 22, 1888, by Dr. Reid. The work of the committee which he headed was so constantly misrepresented, falsified and traduced both at home and abroad by the daily newspapers, that he was compelled in self-defense to start a paper of his own. This he did, and kept it up for seventeen months-or until May 3, 1890, after the city election of that year. [See page 218.]
There is abundant material pertaining to Pasadena's "Whisky War," from 1875 to 1894, to make a large and interesting volume of itself. But I could give in this work only a few of the more prominent historic way- marks along the line of years, or within the most active months of the long campaign. However, I give names, dates, references, documents, news- paper citations, etc., so that any one wishing to investigate the matter more critically can know where to find information at first hand.
The misrepresentations of the newspapers, both at home and abroad, in regard to the situation in Pasadena were kept up so persistently, and be- came so annoying to the council and other officers, that they at last put forth this document, each point of which was necessary to officially contro- vert some widely published falsehood :
PASADENA, Cal., March 14, 1889.
WHEREAS, False reports have been circulated by the Los Angeles and other newspapers in regard to the prohibitory or anti-saloon law of Pasa- dena, we hereby state, for the information of all people who care to know, the following facts in the case :
Ist. There is no open saloon within the city limits of Pasadena, though there probably are a few places where liquor is sold "on the sly."
2d. The law against saloons is as well enforced as the laws against other forms of vice.
3d. The city authorities have never given permission to any hotel to keep a bar or sell liquor ; and there is no hotel in the city keeping a bar.
4th. If any persons in the city are selling liquors otherwise than in ac- cordance with the provision made for legitimate drug stores, they are doing
267
DIVISION THREE - BRAINS.
it as outlaws, and are liable at any time to be detected and dealt with as outlaws.
5th. Our last city election was a very decided majority expression in favor of the law as it is, for every officer elected was pledged to maintain it ; and there is general satisfaction with the law among our best citizens. There is no intention of repealing it. Signed,
M. M. PARKER, president city council. A. G. THROOP, member city council.
S. TOWNSEND, member city council. A. MCLEAN, member city council. J. B. YOUNG, member city council. JAMES H. CAMBELL, city clerk.
I. N. MUNDELL, city marshal. .
P. A. V. VAN DOREN, city recorder [police judge]. FRANK J. POLLEY, city attorney.
· The Enforcement Committee continued its work in strict accordance with the resolutions of August 6, 1888, and the object set forth in the En- forcement Fund notes. More than a dozen cases of violation of the law reported by the regular police officers had to be dismissed without prose- cution, for want of such precise and exact evidence regarding date, place, time of day, who sold, who bought, how dispensed, proof as to name or kind of liquor, etc., as was necessary to meet and withstand the technical catch- points raised by attorneys in defense of the parties arrested. This made it necessary to employ detectives. The men of the regularly established detec- tive agency, as I explained before, and also one regular policeman who made the case against John Dolan, had been driven out of town by the hoodlum element ; but others came forward from time to time [ten in all] to meet the emergency .* One of these was beaten, gouged, seriously injured, and driven away. Another's life was threatened ; and once a pistol was drawn upon him, but he also whisked a revolver out from his hip pocket and got an aim first, and his assailant wilted - afterward plead guilty to whisky selling, paid a fine, and left town. Two of the detectives were ar- raigned on fallacious charges, and compelled to stand trial at some other place, on pretense of the liquor men that a fair trial could not be had in Pasadena. So a jury trial of the case was held at Garvanza; and the two
* Nov. 10, 1888; "Moved and supported that the marshal and the attorney be instructed to use all . due vigilance to enforce ordinance No. 125 [same as orignal No. 45], and every violation of said ordinance to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Carried."-City Clerk's record
Aug. 3, 1889. The question of detective police service was before the council, on a bill of $25 due C. L. Case in the whisky selling case against Fred Frechette. The service had been rendered under sanc- tion of the city marshal, and bill "O. K'd." by him. The clerk's record says :
"City attorney stated that the city had the right to appropriate money for the use of the police de- partment in detective and similar work, etc." Whereupon the board unanimously voted "that the ac- tion of the city marshal in his endeavor to enforce the law be fully endorsed by this board." And so the bill was ordered paid.
A rankling and furious hostility was worked up against the employment of detective service in these cases, during all the months of this " Whisky War" period. Yet I find that city attorney W. E. Arthur, in some similar cases during the first week in February, 1895, sustained such service. From the Weekly Star of Feb. 6 I quote : " Judge Rose's speech in support of his case [attorney for the liquor sel- ler] was for the most part a bitter invective against detective Vinnell and the slimy ways of detectives." "City attorney Arthur stated that evidence in these cases cannot be procured in any other way - that the men who commonly violate the law will not testify against the violators." Thus the city council of 1888-89 stands vindicated.
268
HISTORY OF PASADENA.
men were acquitted and released in three minutes by the jury. Another case is worthy of mention. A man was convicted of unlawful whisky selling here, after a jury trial, and appealed his case to the superior court at Los Angeles. During the re-trial there the liquor attorney demanded that the printer's certificate as to this ordinance having been published in accordance with state law when enacted should be produced in court. That document was filed away in some pigeon hole in the city clerk's office in Pasadena, and of course could not be then and there produced. The city clerk had been in court with the ordinance book, had sworn to the due and lawful enact- ment of the ordinance in question, and then at his request he had been ex- cused by the judge [Mckinley] and had returned home. But now, because the printer's certificate was not produced right there, this sharp criminal lawyer claimed that it had not been proved to the court that any such law as his client was accused of violating did validly exist in Pasadena ; and there- fore it was not proven that his client had violated any law. And on this the Los Angeles jury brought in a verdict of " not guilty," in spite of the fact that whisky which the defendant had sold for dram-drinking was produced and verified in court by two witnesses.
The " Progressive League," with the principal newspapers at its service, continued its fight against the city council and the Enforcement Committee ; and its managers especially planned and manœuvered for carrying the next city election in their interest. Of course I can only give a few main points, with dates and references, so that anyone wishing to pursue the matter further can find what he wants on either side. My present business as his- torian is only to cite a few of the more prominent historic facts, impartially and without comment.
The city election was to occur on Monday, April 14, 1890. During the preceding November, December and January, the Daily Times and Daily Star both advocated the nomination of a straight republican ticket for that election. But early in February [Feb. 8] a plan of campaign was made up privately for a so-called Citizens ticket, and a platform was put forth which was in substance a repetition of the Progressive League's resolutions adopted October 20, 1889, against the city council, though with a few additional points of wrongful and grossly unjust accusation; and on the liquor question . it declared :
"Resolved, That we are in favor of our hotels being ALLOWED TO FURNISH WINES AND LIQUORS TO THEIR GUESTS."
The platform was not signed by anybody, and no report given as to its origin ; yet the Times and Star [of February 12 and following] both came out in support of this non-republican scheme and its unfathered platform. And the Los Angeles Daily Tribune, then edited by ex-Gov. L. A. Sheldon of Pasadena, in an editorial upon this strange state of affairs said :
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DIVISION THREE - BRAINS.
"The people of Pasadena are noted for their good order and sobriety, and they have got along without drunkenness and disorder. The place is overwhelmingly republican. We do not see why there cannot be nominated and elected a straight party ticket. Certainly our friends have plenty of good men. It seems unwise tor republicans to break ranks for the purpose of giving the saloonists a chance."
And again at a later date, February 20, the Tribune again said concern- ing this matter :
" A petition is being circulated requesting voters to bind themselves to stand by the Citizens' ticket, whoever the nominees of the caucus may be. * * When in a strong republican community there is an effort to run a "non-partisan " ticket, it would be well to inquire if there is not a demo- crat at the bottom of it."*
The liquor interest movement went on, however, with the daily Times [Los Angeles], daily Star and daily Union, all advocating it. Then about February 24 a call was circulated for a counter convention, reading as follows .
" We, the undersigned, who are opposed to boss rule, to the return of saloons to Pasadena, and in favor of the maintenance of Ordinance 125, and of an economical administration of the city government, request the people of the city of Pasadena to meet in mass convention at Williams Hall, on Satur- day, the 29th day of March. 1890, at 7.30 p. m., for the purpose of adopt- ing a platform and nominating candidates for the several city offices to be chosen at the next municipal election."
This was signed by such prominent republicans as Gov. L. A. Sheldon, Hon. Delos Arnold, B. F. Ball, Hon. Alex. M'Lean, Judge E. J. Millay, Dr. G. Roscoe Thomas, Hon. A. G. Throop, and over two hundred other names. But while waiting for the time to arrive, still another call was issued for a mass meeting of all republicans in Pasadena who were in favor of maintaining ordinance 125 unchanged. This meeting was held in Williams Hall, March 22; and from the reports of different papers at the time I here quote a few of the main points most directly bearing upon the history topic of this chapter. From the Standard's report :
"Hon. Delos Arnold, who served two terms in the Iowa state senate, was elected chairman, and Major J. D. Gilchrist, secretary. The following vice-presidents were nominated and called to the platform : Gov. L. A. Sheldon, Mayor A. G. Throop, Col. O. S. Picher, Rev. L. P. Crawford, Dr. G. Roscoe Thomas, ex-Mayor H. J. Holmes, B. F. Ball and W. T. Knight.
"A committee of five was then appointed on resolutions, consisting of Hon. Alex. McLean, formerly member of the legislature from Santa Bar- bara county, Col. O. S. Picher, B. F. Ball, Dr. Thomas, and J. B. Corson, all of them men well known as party republicans."
Gov. Sheldon was loudly called for, and made a speech of some length. One or two points specially pertinent to this chapter I quote from the Tribune's report of his speech :
*It was an open secret, that W. U. Masters, the keenest democratic politiciau in the county was "at the bottom" of this whole "non-partisan" scheme for driving "republicans to break ranks." Of course it was fair game for his party, and great big fun, also.
270
HISTORY OF PASADENA.
"Those who know me know that I am a very decided republican. I be- lieve in the party, and the men who represent it. I started out in the advo- cacy of a republican ticket for our city government. I found that party lines were to be thrown down and a new issue taken. Shall we maintain ordinance No. 125? They want to modify this ordinance so hotels can serve wine to their guests. If this law is made we will have hotels on every corner. Do you think any one would come to Pasadena to get a drink ? Where one would come hundreds would stay away. Our grand scenery, beautiful lawns and grand orange groves are not the chief glory of Pasadena. It is the order and sobriety of our city. The modification of ordinance No. I25 was likened to the crevasses which cut breaches in river levees, caused at first by crawfish, which perforate the banks with small holes, but which end in inundation. Let there be no crawfish holes in Pasadena. I beg of you, my friends, that you see to it that the flood-gates of intemper- ance shall not be opened on this city."
"Judge E. J. Millay, formerly judge of Sagadahoc county, Maine, was called for, being one of the prominent republicans of the city ; and some of the principal points of his speech were : We have assembled here to discuss the issue of the coming election. The issue is, 'Shall we maintain the pro- hibition ordinance or shall we license liquor sellers?' Let me say to you tonight, if you change that ordinance you will take a backward step. There are more than four times the guests in Pasadena than Los Angeles, in proportion to the population. Our prosperity depends on the mainten- ance of our ordinance.
"Rev. D. D. Hill, pastor of the Congregational church was next called, and he gave a rousing short talk of no uncertain sound. He made the point in particular that Pasadena has her freedom from saloons as her one crowning advantage which no other city on the coast has, in combination with the same other attractions, and this will draw to us the best sort of families to reside here, for their children's sake. Pluck that crown from our fair Pasadena's brow and you ruin her good name and destroy her pros- perity."
Rev. E. L. Conger, D. D., pastor of the Universalist church, was called, and from his speech as reported in the Standard I quote this passage :
"Ever since I cast my first vote for Abraham Lincoln I have been a republican. I believe the people should rule. I am for this city, for its government and its laws. Is there any other issue before this city than the one embodied in ordinance 125? The gentlemen on the other side say, "There is no issue ; we don't want saloons-neither do you. We want an economical government-so do you. There is no issue." But there is an issue. We all understand that-and out of the whole column of the so- called Citizens' platform, the issue is all centered in three lines-
"Resolved, That we are in favor of our hotels being ALLOWED TO FURNISH WINES AND LIQUORS TO THEIR GUESTS."
"This is the issue and the only issue. All the rest of the Citizens' platform is an unjust attack upon the ability and integrity of our city councilmen, who are entitled to thanks instead of censures, for they have served the city gratuitously and faithfully."
From the resolutions adopted as the sense of this meeting I quote only the portion covering the special topic of this chapter :
27I
DIVISION THREE - BRAINS.
" Resolved, That we are in favor of a strictly economical policy in the administration of the affairs of our city government, and that we are in favor of the maintenance of ordinance 125 as a police regulation.
" Resolved, That we denounce the reckless and untruthful resolutions of the so-called Citizens' platform, and their continued publication as detri- mental to the best interests of Pasadena. and a subtle attempt to introduce the nefarious retail whisky traffic into our city.
A. MCLEAN, O. S. PICHER,
G. ROSCOE THOMAS, J. B. CORSON,
B. F. BALL, Committee."
The next historic event in this anti-liquor campaign was the People's convention, the call for which I have already given. The Pasadena Standard had hitherto been published only once a week, but on April 3 it commenced a daily edition ; and from its report of this convention I quote a few para- graphs :
"Last Saturday evening, March 29, the grandest city convention ever held in Pasadena assembled in Williams Hall to nominate candidates for the city offices. The hall was packed from stage to stairways, and the gallery running over. Many came late and could not force themselves in. A good many ladies were present, and others came but could not get in.
"The assemblage was called to order by Hon. Delos Arnold ; and on motion A. R. Metcalfe, Esq., was elected president of the convention with rousing enthusiasm, and J. G. Shoup, secretary. On taking the chair Mr. Metcalfe made a speech, clear-cut, ringing, forcible-and showed that if the so-called Citizens' platform should prevail, it means an open liquor traffic in Pasadena-it cannot mean nor be made to mean anything else, as every lawyer knows perfectly well. He also stated that in the committee which framed that platform a resolution was presented declaring that they were opposed to the retail liquor traffic in Pasadena, and it was voted down.
"On motion the chair appointed F. S. Wallace, B. F. Ball and J. B. Corson a committee on order of business; and they retired for consultation.
"On motion, J. D. Gilchrist, M. M. Parker and W. T. Clapp were ap- pointed a committee on resolutions. John Allin was appointed sergeant-at- arms.
"Committee on order of business reported ; report adopted ; and the good work then went on by rule. Spaces were assigned in the hall for the electors from the several wards to get together and nominate each their own choice for city trustee; and a recess of fifteen minutes was taken for that purpose."
Omitting long details of procedure, the final result was the nomination of candidates as follows: For city trustees- First ward, A. F. M. Strong ; second ward, Elisha Millard ; third ward, B. F. Ball ; fourth ward, Charles M. Parker ; at-large, Hon. Delos Arnold. For city marshal, D. R. McLean; clerk, James Cambell ; treasurer, W. T. Vore.
The whereases and resolutions reported by the committee were unani- mously adopted without change. I quote only these two :
"2. Resolved, That we are in favor of maintaining what is known as ordinance 125, as a measure indispensable to the best interests of Pasadena, now and hereafter.
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HISTORY OF PASADENA.
"3 Resolved, That we believe the resolutions in the so-called Citi- zens' platform are in part untrue ; that their continued publication in our daily paper is detrimental to the interests of our city ; and that the so-called citizens' movement would in fact, if successful, lead to the introduction of the retail liquor traffic into our midst.
J. D. GILCHRIST, chairman, M. M. PARKER, secretary, W. T. CLAPP, Committee.
" On motion, a central committee was appointed, consisting of C. C. Thompson, J. G. Shoup, R. H. Pinney, G. Roscoe Thomas and A. F. Keyes."
This was on Saturday evening. On the next Tuesday evening a great ratification meeting was held in the Tabernacle ; and from reports published the following day, I quote the main points specially pertinent to this nar- rative :
"C. C. Thompson, chairman of the central committee, presided. The nominees were all called to seats on the platform, and also the following gentlemen to sit as vice-presidents: Gov. L. A. Sheldon, Hon. A. G. Throop, D. Galbraith, Rev. Dr. Ormiston, A. R. Metcalfe, Jason Brown, Geo. F. Kernaghan, L. F. Miller, Dr. Davis, James Cambell, W. T. Clapp, A. F. Keyes, P. G. Wooster, Rev. Solomon Dunton, M. M. Parker, T. J. Martin, John Allin, Rev. L. P. Crawford, John Habbick. The first speaker called was Senator Delos Arnold, candidate for trustee-at-large, who spoke briefly of the points of agreement and of disagreement between the two parties now contending for the control of our city government. As to the question of economy and discreet management, there was no division. But the so-called Citizens' ticket stood for a policy which must in the very nature of things open the way to the liquor traffic being re-established in Pasa- dena, while the People's ticket stands for A POLICY WHICH WILL PREVENT THAT THING."
Other candidates were called in turn, and made brief responses, Then A. R. Metcalfe, Esq., who was city attorney at the time, and had been at- tacked in the daily Star, was urgently called for; and from the published reports of his speech I quote, because it is one of the waymark points in the history of this whole matter. Mr. Metcalfe said :
"The editor of the Star had advised a search of the records, and he had done so, with the result that he had found a petition on file in the city clerk's office (presented in September, 1888), expressing the belief that or- dinance 45 (since changed to 125) was detrimental to the best interests of the city, and asked the council to call an election for its repeal and the adoption in lieu thereof of a high license system. He glanced at the names signed to it, and the third name to it was Webster Wotkyns, now the candidate on that side for city clerk. He found also the names of C. M. Simpson, their candidate for trustee from the first ward; T. Banbury, their candidate from the second ward; Jas. Clarke, their candidate from the fourth ward ; S. Washburn, their candidate for city treasurer ; A. Wakeley, their candidate for city marshal. The names of two of their candidates, Lukens and M'Quilling, were not signed to it; but six out of the eight men on that ticket had signed their own names to a declaration that ordinance 125 was in their belief "detrimental to the best interests of the city," and they
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DIVISION THREE - BRAINS.
wanted it repealed, and a "high license system " adopted instead. This shows plainly what the aim and purpose of that party is."
Rev. Dr. Ormiston, pastor of the Presbyterian church, was called for. He plead for the fathers and mothers, the young men and maidens, the boys and girls, the children of our hope and our love, that ordinance 125 be maintained and liquor selling kept out of our city.
"Gov. Sheldon was called for; and although quite hoarse he made a short speech. He said he was a very decided republican, but he believed in his party going forward and not backward. The marching line of this People's movement is forward-that of the other side is backward. If the opposition policy should prevail, it means flooding the city with liquor-selling and all its evil results. He endorsed the People's ticket and platform. He also expressed himself in favor of woman's equality in social affairs, busi- ness affairs, and political affairs."
On the next day the following document was published :
"WHEREAS, The position of the candidates for city trustees upon the Citizen's ticket, on the temperance question, has been grossly and persist- ently misrepresented ; therefore we, the undersigned, nominees, do declare that we are unalterably opposed to a saloon, bar or tippling house of any form or description in our city, and promise, if elected, that we will do no official act that will permit or encourage the promiscuous sale or use of in- toxicating liquors.
(Signed,) T. P. LUKEN, T. BANBURY, C. M. SIMPSON, JAMES CLARKE."
A. K. MCQUILLING,
This was Wednesday. The next Monday was election day ; and the vote resulted as follows : .
WARDS
Total
Majority
I
2
3
4
For Trustees :
*Lukens
107
154
175
150
586
43
*McQuilling .
IIO
I56
IS3
148
598
70
*Clarke.
I06
150
169
149
574
38
*Simpson
108
I53
176
149
586
54
*Banbury
107
152
174
147
580
53
+Arnold.
187
104
I35
II7
543
+Strong.
183
100
130
115
528
+Ball
185
98
I33
II9
535
+Parker.
186
IOI
132
II3
532
+Millard.
183
103
130
III
527
For Clerk :
*Wotkyns
95
133
159
135
521
+Cambell
197
124
150
I26
597
76
For Treasurer :
*Washburn.
106
146
I66
135
553
+Vore.
187
IIO
I43
129
56g
16
For Marshal :
*Wakeley.
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