The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-17
THAT UNION BUILDING.

The city council has done wisely in de-
elining the proposition TO exchange the city
hall corner for the one on the east of the
block, and the county court acted with
equal wisdom in refusing to unite with the
city in joint building on the LITTLE corner.
There can be only one valid reason for
abandoning the site of the present court
house, and that is its distance from the
business and and population centre. The
LITTLL corner IS no nearer the centre than
the court house, hence an excuse for re
moval to the site named does not exist. The
action of the city council and the county
court. up to this point, will be approved by
the great majority of the people and THE
HERALD is not certain that the popular ap-
prevail would not have gone further and
h sanctioned the abandonment of the project
of a joint building. We even doubt that
there will be a very general approval of the
erection of building at this time by the
city. The county's finances may be in
such an excellent state as to justify the
proposed expenditure, provided there is a
real need for a larger court house; but we
don't think this can be said Of the city,
considering all the circumstances, and tax
ing into account the constant and
necessary demands upon the municipal
treasury. No one will pretend to
say that an increased supply of water is
not more essential to the general welfare of
the city than majestic city hall fitted and
furnished with all the modern conveniences
and appliances for the comfort of the occu-
pants and the accommodation of the public.
And yet, the appeals for more water are
met by the answer that the city has not the
money to procure the fluid. There is not
meeting of the council at which somebody
does not petition for the extension of the
mains in order that he can obtain pure
mountain water for house uses; these ex-
tensions have been promised in some in
stances for months, if not years, yet
they are not made because of
the scarcity of money in the
treasury. Only on Tuesday evening pc
tition that a certain public street be graded
and made passable was denied because
more improvements of this character had
been promised than could be made this
year.
The city is already borrowing heavily,
and at the rate we are going will soon reach
the legal limit of Indebtedness. Then the
water increase will have to be paid for as
it is obtained, the extension of the mains
will be slower than at present, and money
cannot be expended on the streets, for sew
ers or other improvements, until the cash
has reached the treasury through the regu-
lar channel of municipal revenue.
THE HERALD does not under estimate the
value TO the city of a handsome and
commodious city hall, but we have
not yet been convinced that such
a structure as has been proposed is necess
itv. while there is no fear of the propo-
sition that there are excellent ways Tor the
expenditure of all cash which reaches the
CITY Golfers being contradicted.
Frankly is Salt Lake City in aposition to
mt seyenty-five or one hundred thousand
dollars into a city hall! And if the
money is so uexpended, will not those who
authorize it come in for some pretty sharp
criticism by those who buy water by the
Gallon for their homes, while their gardens,
orchards and shade trees dry up and die!
The county may require court house,
and it may have the money necessary to
build one. Ifso, there will be little or no