The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-04-05
PROHIBITION.
One of the Tribune's Most Recent
Lies Corrected.
sALr LAKE CRY, April 3, 1885,

SALT LAKE CRY, April 8. 1885,
To the Editor of THE HERALD.
A recent issue of the Salt Lake T,ib-
tune contained local article headed
Prohibition, in which the following
occurs:
'"The City government is the creature
and slave of the Priesthood; it has the
power to prohibit the sale of liquor here,
and If 1t does not now proceed to do it,
let the News forever hold its peace and
the servants of God be silenced."
do not pretend to have intently
watched the proceedings of past Legis-
latures, nor to be particularly well in.
formed In such matters, anyhow, but
in a sojourn of more than ten years
amid the hills and wales of Mormon
dom; l have always understood that
Salt Lake City had not the chartered
right to prohibit the sale of Intoxicating
liquors. That past administrations of
the municipal government have striven
to secure this right from the Legisla-
ture, am thoroughly aware; that past
Legislatures have been eager to grant
prohibition to Salt Lake City. an will
ing to avow; but that any Governor of
the Territory in the past decade has
been enough of a temperance advocate,
or l may add sufficiently sober during
the final days of the sessions, to which
times important bills are usually de-
ferred, TO approve such measure, l
am distressingly uncertain.
Can you without much trouble inform
your readers when 1.-THE power to pro-
hibit the sale of liquor here" was vested
in the city, and which Governor it was
that approved the act2 Don't say it
was Eli, or your readers might refuse to
believe you. SUBSCRIBER.
Our correspondent unwittingly places
us in an attitude of antagonism to our
When, it is realized how seldom we are
of the Tribune, the extreme delicacy of
our present position becomes the more
obvious. Yet unfeeling as it may APP
pear to;destroy the unsullied reputation
of virtuous newspaper, we are never
theless convinced that our cotemp. has
lied. Need we say again; nay that were
cruel.
The facts are that Salt Lake City has
not and never had the power to pro-
hikit either the manufacture or sale of
liquors, and all residents
excepted a sordid ass or two paid to
contribute their ignorance to the col |
umns of the Tri5une-know as much. |
Following are the present powers of the |
corporation in reference to liquor re-
ceiyed by special act of January Goth, |
1884:
ITO license, tax and regulate the |
manufacturing, selling, giving away or |
N any other manner disposing of |
spirituous, vinous or malt liquors. and |
the persons who engage therein; to re-
strain, prohibit and punish the manu-
selling. giving away, or in
any other manner disposing of |
'pirituous. vinous or malt liquors,
Without license therefor, or contrary
% the terms of license granted;
% exercise said powers, con-
Ointly or separately; to pro-
libit the selling, giving away or
II any manner disposing of spirituous.
Iinous or malt liquors upon Sundays,
public holidays and election days; to
Idopt and employ proper and con-
Tenient means for carrying the same
nto effect; to have the power to require
he payment in advance, into the city
reasury, for purposes of revenue for
.ach and every license granted for the
manufacturing. selling, or otherwise
lispoSing of such liquors, sum not ex-
eeding at the rate of twelve hundred
Ioilars per annum."
1t seems that to accept the TribuNe'S
tterances in the opposite to what they
ay, is a pretty safe rule to work by
ct