interchangeably today. There is little question that the political
reformers were not interested in questions of minority
representation, for instance. As Fogelson put it, "The weakness
of the minorities perpetuated their subordination; and from the
viewpoint of the white majority, their inadequacies justified their
segregation." Democracy to the upper classes was a fair process;
to the lower classes — and their advocates — it was the
opportunity to improve their social and economic standing. Some
of the reformers (such as Dr. John Randolph Haynes and Charles D.
Willard) believed their efforts would be inadequate if they did not
also address the problems of the poor, but finding support among
their colleagues was an uphill battle.
The Southern Pacific was the object of reform that galvanized
the Progressives in Los Angeles, as elsewhere in the state. The
first organized effort came in 1887, with a nonpartisan group led
by local ministers. They were followed by the Citizens' League in
1893, which tried to rewrite the city charter. In 1895, Haynes
organized a Direct Legislation League to take power from the
government and give it to the citizenry.25 Haynes' organization
was supported by many of the eminent and respectable citizens who
0/
Fogelson, op cit.. p. 201.
25George E, Mowry, The California Progressives (Chicago:
Quadrangle Books, 1963), p. 39. Haynes was older than most of the
Progressive leaders and focused his attentions in two areas:
municipal ownership and the issues of "direct democracy." When he
succeeded in Los Angeles, he shifted much of his energy to the
state, rather than other reforms here in the city, although he was
a member of the Board of Freeholders that drafted the final
charter.
19