The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-10-19

Under the above head this depart
ment" of the Tribune, in Sundays issue
INDUCES in some remarks that are not
at all complimentary TO the members
OF our present municipal government.
The superior intelligence and wonder
full advancement in the lore of city
governments protested by the writer
seems TO De a mere matter OF course
and probably arises from his extended
experience IN such matters.
The occasion which called fo.th the
abuse Of the present city government
and the denunciation of past councils
was the proposition of Z. A. Grant,
made at the last session of the Council,
to number the houses IL the city. That
the numbering OF the houses would be
a great public convenience it seems 70
Us everyone will cOncede; but there has
as yet been nothing said or done by the
City Council that warrants their de-
nunciatlon as be ng behind the times
half a century or being incompetent
to manage the affairs of Ogden
City. It may be that cities
of 5000 inhabitants of fifty wears ago
possessed I'll the modern conyeniepces
such as water, electric light, street rail-
WAYS, etc, that Ogden possesses at the
present time; it may be that the NUM-
cipal governments that controlled the
affairs Of cities the size of Ogden in 1886
were composed of men who held ideas
much more modern than the ideas held
by our city fathers; il is quire possible
that they listened TO the advice of
cranky newspaper writers ike this de-
partment" and bonded the city. in
creased the burden OF taxation and fur
nished the people with modern COZ
veniences until the taxpayers fairly
groaned under the weight of the assess
meut rolls; but that does not a que
that the past and present councils of
Ogden City are incompetent or an
tiquated in their methods OF govern
ment, and all the denunciatiOn and
abuse that this department" can heap
upon the city officials will not be likely
to convince the majority of the tax
payers of Ogden that their conservative
and intelligent officials should be
shelved and the reins OF the city govern
ment handed over TO a set of men
who would conform TO its ideas OF pro.
erosion; who would force the progress
sive ideas of the age upon them at the
expense of the public morals and pri-
vate virtues, and bleed the property
owners by all the Ingenious methods
that modern trickery mas devised. The
progression of Ogden has been conser-
vatiYe, steady and sure; the govern
ment of the city has been conducted on
that conservative basis that ensures
stability, the city officers have care
fully guarded the interests of their con
and Ogden now finds herself
on the highway to permanent pros
Perity, with light taxation, and steadily
advancing and substantial public i'm
prOvements. Still, because the proposi
ton to number the houses of the city is
referred to the committee on finance in
stead of beng adopted in open council
without any previous con liberation. q
cranky writer denounces the past and
present governments as being incom-
petent 10 manage the affairs of the city,
and advocates a change. Everything
considered, however, his article is NOT
strange, but characteristic, and only
shows the writer up in his proper light