The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-03-23
THE SPECIAL ELECTION.
Let Everybody Vote Yes"

SALT LAKE CITY. March %, 80.
Editors Herald:
Two weeks to-day the Special Elec
ton will be held when the disposition
of the citizens of Salt Lake City vii
be manifested on the desire of TIT
City Council to build up our town snC
extend the habitable border outside
the present lines. Being someWha
interested III the question, on genera
principles, l have taken a little
trouble to canvass my friends On tht
matter and have found safe two
thirds determined 10 vote il the Afr
native, and others become favorable
when properly Understandings. The
main objections l have heard are two,
VIZ One, that the dissenters have
enough water. generally, for their
own use, and II any others want some
let them do as the first settlers did
60 and fetch il; the other, that our
city taxes we're high enough already
and such persons would not vote to
increase them.
L cannot narrow my soul down to
the first proposition, and il even
could, the problem cannot be solved
in the way the first settlers in this
city did it. The water from City
Greek, Red Butte and Emigration
Gallons we're easily made 10 gravitate
TO this city, but now there is no more
water to be obtained so easily; l say
easily in this connection, understand
ingIy, for 1 have worked and
paid my share for many years
on more than one of these
bitches for repairing them, building
dams, etc. Now more money and
more latoc must be expended than
ever before to increase our water sup
ply and to provide safeguard against
such a calamity as nearly befel us
last year, and to enable our city to
keep growing. On broad grounds a
cooperation is needed of the five or six
thousand taxpayers in Salt Lake City
to bring more water here, and to &C.
complish it the easiest method GER
tainly does seem TO be the one sug-
gested by the City Council. The letter
OF Judge Snow, published in your
paper of Sunday morning, gives
figures showing that the burden will
not be so heavy as some persons
think it will. 30 TIA. my second class
OF directors cannot, reasonably, have
great Cause for dissens;on from the
popular want; and to make it easier
than the Judge even makes it appear
to be, | would suggest that the per-
sons owning acres DOW without water
claims would pay larger sums for
water rights than the first settlers did,
a hich would decrease the original
debt, and the improvements which |
would be made upon the property |
where no water goes now would ma
rerla!ly increase the tx collectors |
on such property and |
cause still more sinking fund money |
to come into the treasury.
Some persons have said that water
cannot be brought through the grsv-
ely side hills where the route Of tne
canal Iiea, but / know different. as 1
have seen canals brought through
much more unnatural country than
can be found in this valley, and l do
not know of many more natural reser-
Voirs or feeders than Utah Lake could
be made to be. The canal also might |
be constructed to carry out TIE idea
Of one Of your correspondents, some
time since, to float small coal barges,
Rith steam tugs. from the neighbor
hood of Springyille to Salt Lake City, |
.aden with Pleasant Valley coal; this
after feature would help the coal
market and help keep the cana free
Of weeds.
As the matter stands now. though |
hare my lOdter right as good as any
oody's, 1 shall vote nay EYES," be-
cause I look upon the canal as ne
cessity in our growing city. As l do |
not believe the City Council will |
allow the $4,000 already expended |
to 10y dead, they may see proper to !
tax ue to the full extent of the power
conferred by the charter, eleven mills
on the dollar annually, instead Of five
mills We are nov paying, to carry
the work through, which would make
Us squirm more than If the necessary
amount were scattered over a period
OF fteen years for payment.
AN OLD SETTLER.