The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-12-27
The North Temple Street
Protest.
SALT LAKE CITY, December "a, 1888
Editors Herald:

SALT LAKE CITY, December "a, 1SS
O Editors Herald:
4 In your editorial of yesterda
= morning on "The Rock Railroad,
= l find the following: 'In the mas
e meeting called at the Twentieth
= ward on Friday evening, but YER
] few Of the people from Nortl
l Temple street were present, Showing
that the people living in that par
of town were not much interested
ior considered the road running vi
that street matter of little import
ance, or none at all to them.''
| Now, Mr.. Editor, to show the er
ror Of such a conclusion, allow me
to draw attention to the fact that
the only ones invited to attend that
meeting were the residents of the
Eighteenth, Twentieth and Twenty
first wards, and also to state that
the residents of North Temple street
were the first to agitate the question
of opposition to the proposed rail-
road scheme.
The petition to the City Council
which was adopted at the mass meet.
ing held in the Twentieth ward
was drafted by property holders OF
North Temple street, copy of
which was sent to a resident of the
Twentieth Ward, with the request
that he circulate it for signatures in
the eastern portion of the city,
while we canvassed the Sixteenth
and Seventeenth wards fol-, the same
purpose. We were. therefore,
somewhat surprised and amused to
learn from the minutes of their
meeting that they had entirely
ignored the authors Of the petition
and adopted it as their own produc-
tion, going so far as to appoint
committee of one to present the
same to the City Council. But then,
the modesty of the dry benchers' is
proverbial.
To say that the running of such a
road up our street is matter OF
little or no Importance to us, is to
claim that we are dead to all ideas
of self.interest, and are so eIated
with the prospect Of seeing private
corporation monopoliZe the building
rock of our mountains that we are
willing to surrender up the half of
our possessions to such a scheme,
for [ but echo the conviction of
every dweller along the line when
l claim that the construction Of the
proposed road would reduce the
value of our residence property on
our street at least fifty per cent.
If the Importance of the subject |
to US whose property interests are
thus threatened can be considered q
reasonable excuse for encroaching |
further upon your time and space, I |
would like briefly to assign a few |
reasons, among many others that |
might be adduced, why the pro>
posed railroad, it built, would de- |
preciate the value of our property |
and thereby encroach upon our
vested rights.
In the first place, the grade of
North Temple street is so heavy
that, in order to draw trains of any
reasonable size, double headers"
would be required, which would so
jar and rack the foundations and
walls of all buildings on the street
IS to directly reduce the value of
,he same and render them anything
put safe abodes for our wives
and little ones; and would
letter others from erecting val
liable buildings upon their property.
Dur insurance rates would be at
east doubled upon the completion
If the road. Its tendency to
,righten teams and cause runaways
would be a constant and prolific
ource of danger to the public, and
# anxiety and terror to parents
whose little ones might chance to
,lay outside the gate. The screech
# the whistle and the rumbling of
he trains, both by night and day,
by the occasional falls
ng of plaster from the ceiling, would
)e powerful agency in dispelling
hose pleasant thoughts and cheerful
ceilings which should always per-
yade that sacred spot called home.
Che length of this letter admon-
shes me to wind it up, but. Mr..
editor, if the reasons which l have
,ited (and the half has not been
old) are sufficient to cause seekers
or residence property to shun our
Jreet, and the memorable law OF
supply and demand reduces the
7alue of our property, is not this an
against the granting of
he right Of way to this private cor
,oration, which should have weight
With our City Council?
In conclusion. | desire to state
hat mass meeting of the people of
he 10th and 18th wards is to be held
m Friday evening next at 7:3O
,'clock, in the 18th Ward school
louse, for the purpose of giving ex-
,ression to their feelings on this
ubject, and to take such steps as
hey may deem necessary in the pre-
nises; and trust the action taken
will be sufficiently decided to for
,ver remove all doubt regarding the
ceilings of the. residents Of North
Temple street towards the "Rock
3ai!G9R9" scheue. A.E, II, l