262 HISTORY OF PASADENA. 



In accordance with the first point, the petition and appended names 

 was published at city's expense [the getters up of it were strongly opposed 

 to its publication] in the Daily Unio?i of September 8, 1888 — the Unioji 

 being at that time the official paper of the city. It was then discovered 

 that the names of O. H. Conger and James Smith were on it, although both 

 of them had signed notes of $100 for the enforcement fund — yet these 

 names had been shown around by solicitors for this petition as proof that 

 the original supporters of the ordinance had changed in favor of "high 

 license ;" and thereby some were influenced to sign it who otherwise would 

 not have done so. Dr. Conger and Mr. Smith took prompt measures to in- 

 vestigate this outrage upon their names and personal honor y'- and it was 

 found that a Los Angeles carpenter named James Smith, who happened to be 

 in Pasadena on a three weeks' job, had signed his name to it.f The other 

 case was another Conger whose initials happened to be so nearly the same 

 as the Doctor's that they were easily mistaken and misprinted for his. 



These frauds becoming known, led two men, T. J. Martin and Merritt 

 Allen, without any knowledge of each other, to go through the whole list 

 of names and carefully compare thern with the Great Register ; and they 

 found signed to this liquor license petition 160 names that were not lawful 

 voters in Pasadena — most of them not even in the county, although a few 

 names were found belonging to other precincts and to Dos Angeles city. The 

 petition was finally reported from the judiciary committee to committee of 

 the whole. On November 13, the committee of the whole reported ad- 

 versely to calling any such election, and this report was duly adopted in 

 regular session that day. Meanwhile, however, on September 15, 1888, the 

 anti-saloon ordinance had been re-enacted as No. 125, " by the votes of 

 Trustees M. M. Parker, A. G. Throop, Stephen Townsend, Edson Turner, 

 and J. B. Young — unanimous." 



During these weeks there was a concentrated effort to break down the 

 chairman of the committee in his personal character and good name, so that 

 he was frequently obliged to make reply through the press, in denial of 

 some false report published. There were then five papers here pitted against 

 the ordinance — Xho^ Daily Star, Daily Union, and Weekly O'zVzV of Pasadena; 

 and the Daily Times and Daily Tribune of Dos Angeles which both had 

 regular staff reporters here. Thus every foolish, malicious or false imputa- 

 tion against him which was concocted in the drinking places, billiard rooms 

 and cigar stands, was eagerly caught up by the reporters, in their zeal each 

 to get into print first with the latest sensation ; and thus it carce about, that 

 no matter what the committee did do, or did not do, their position and action 

 and purposes were constantly misrepresented and falsified and sensationalized 



*In the Daily Star of Sept. ii, 1888, Dr. Conger offered a reward of $100 for evidence to convict the 

 forger of his name to this document. 



t'rhe city records show that twice afterward this same James Smith was arrested as "drunk and 

 disorderly," plead guilty, and paid a fine of $5. See Recorder's Book No. i, cases 76 and 206. 



