The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-11-12
THE JOINT BUILDING.

After dilly-dallyiDg for nine months,
shifting from one excuse to another, all
the time disregarding and defying the pub
lie, the joint public building project has
been finally dropped. We don't believe it
has ever been the intention of the present
city council to erect the building, at least
on the site that was chosen. There was
opposition to that site by many of the iniu-
ential members of the party now in control
of affairs. 1t was said that if Liberal
council were chosen, another location would
be selected, and one which would enhance
the value of the real estate of prominent
Liberals. Public sentiment was so strong,
however, against a change that nobody in
authority dared propose 1t. But the work
was suspended, and the hole on the city
hall corner has been for months a gaping
and unsightly monument to the Liberal do
nothing policy or of something worse to be
developed later on.
Now the city and county authorities have
both repudiated the plans Of the proposed
structure, the rejection being based upon
what other architects, to whom
the plans were submitted, say of
B DGtlSuu
to criticise the architects who have
condemned the work of Mir. APPOINT, the
successful competitor in the contest for the
design, nor wll it assume to say that the
plans now rejected are feasible. But we
viii say that if Mr.. APPOINTS plans are i'm
practicable the fact should have been dis
covered before they were accepted and APP
proved. There hiss been gross negligence
on the part of both the city and county au-
thorities, or else the present action is
wrong. Furthermore that negligence is ex-
pensive, for in addition to the money al
ready paid to APPOINT and that paid to the
architects who have since been consulted.
the former has contract with the city and
county which is certain to prove both
troublesome and costly in view of the
treatment which the gentleman has re-
ceived. We assume that he will at least
attempt to make somebody pay handsomely
for keeping him here in ldleness year and
then turning him adrift. Nor shall we
charge that politics has anything
to do with the discarding of the
architects plans, although it has been
reported that one member of the
council has said that if he had his way
Mir. APPOINT, who opposed the Liberal
party last February, would never superin-
tend the erection of the building. The
matter is fast drifting into such shape as
to bring out most of the ''true inwardness,"
when the public will learn the truth of
what has been so mysterious during all
these months.
But what we desire to say this morning
is that the county should take advantage
of the present status Of affairs to with
draw from the arrangement by which it
was to contribute its proportion of the
cost of joint public building. We thought
at the time and have never ceased to think.
that the combination was wrong and ought
not to have been entered into. We said
that it would be regretted, and if the
county authorities do not already regret
what has been done and look with discom.
fort upon the prospect we are mistaken.
We said then that two buildings instead OF
one should be erected; that two would be
more of credit to the city, and that one
jointly occupied would prove unsatisfactory.
Every argument employed then against a
joint suilding applies with equal force
to-day, and there is another very
forcible argument which can be used
now which did not formerly exist. 1t is
this, that while the county has an abund-
ance of money and can erect and pay for a
structure which will serve its purpose and
be credit to the city, the municipal cor
poration is without funds and is not likely
TO have any cash to put into a new city
hall Tor some time. It is not probable that
while the present reckless, incompetent
and extravagant council shall remain in
power there will be dollar CT money that
can be spared from the municipal treasury
for any public Improvement All those who
voted the Liberal ticket have not yet been
provided with employment at tie public
expense, and the Official salaries have not
yet reached the maximum. 1t should be
understood by the county that if it waits
until the city has accumulated funds
&c pay its proportion of the cost
of joint public building, the
county will continue to do bushes,
good many years in the cramped and
dingy quarters occupied for third of a
century or longer. A municipal admins
braIlOn Wnlcn IN eight months spends a
quarter of a million dollars which it found
in the treasury, and also gets rid of the
enormous current revenue of the city, and
is unable TO show anything for the money
that is gone beyond multiplied official ros-
ter and an increased salary list, is not apt
to save any dollars for public building.
If the county can recover from the cor
poration the cash paid for half interest in
the city hall corner, it should at once go to
work and erect handsome court house.
one which would be a credit to both the
county and the city, and stand as monu-
ment to the economy and wise financiering
OF the county government in striking con-
trast with the extravaganza and reckless
ness OF the municipal government.
TIE ARCHITECTS who pronose IN DOMINATE