Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-06-06
HGRSENEN AND SPORTS vs..
TaE PEOPLE.

. II efttls4 AlAllE c4lltt AEkGuT l..
/ ThOmas ot al. peiitioncJ the City
Council to set apart portion Of Lib
erty Park for a race track. The sub
r ject vas referred to a committee. At
last Tuesdays session of the Council
/ the committee reported in favor of
the petition. Then the city attorney
called attention to the fact that
there was an ordinance which CON
iic.ed with the granting Of the
. prayer OF the petition; whercupOn a
motion was made, put and carried,
referring The matter to the commit
tee ON municipal laws with iustruc-
tons TO frame an ordinance which
would IroviGe for the establishment
Of race track rs asked by the Pc
tiioners.
Councilman Hall was the only
member OF the body who appeared
to nave either the courage or dispo-
si;iUn to make the iaintest
protest against this fragrant en-.
crcachnrBt upon the rights Of
the people. This motion is in
tented not only to grant an
Objectionable privilege to n class. |
but, in order to 10 SO, to sweep away /
a wholesome ordinance which pro-
tected the popular right in the pre-
mis-s, ami which was enacted to pre-
vent just such invasions as the |
one now about to he perpetrated.
Liberty Park was purchased with /
the peoples money, and is their
property, the officers OF the corpora
ton being merely their agents to
transact their business. fairgrounds
in question were procured by the
city TO be used as n public park,
place 10 which the general inhabi-
tants could resort for innocent /
pleasure and recreation, and was
never intended for class uses. Horse
racing, which is inseparable from bet
ting, 4 dangerous form Of gambling.
Is not popular but distastefuf@t 10 the
mass Of the people.
II there are public pleasure
grounds used in any part of the
United States for horse-racing and
It's Objectionable and inseparabIe
we are not informed
Of the fact. II there are any such
instances they are rare exceptions,
and necessarily so. Race courses
are, a 4 rule, owned by private
jockey clubs, or other
organizations Of that nature, not by ,
corporate bodies.
To perpetuate such an act of class
in favor Of owners Of I
asst horses and sports to the injury :
4 the peoples rights is nothing G
hort Of being n high handed and ]
lisgraceful outrage, and we doubt !
il would stand a legal test. I
The transaction il none the I
more consistent because the petit J
ion for it is headed by the signature :
fthe Governor Of the Territory. 1t
imply shows that either he is be-
ng used by 4 certain class 20 enable :
hem to accomplish their purpose !
q the premises or he voluntarily 8
nsages in 4 business that do es him
10 credit. The latter idea is not
kelly to be the correct one, for the |
sasOn that Mr.. Thomas has no 4
nputation As n turfman.
The summary disposal Of this sub
ct 50 far as it has proceeded ADDS
the grow ing impression among
Il classes OF the community in re- /
ard 10 the City Council as
: hole - that it is the most
thumbs up'' or "thumbs down"
ndy Of the kind that ever laid claim
being a deliberative entity in the u
.7cSy Mountain region. 1t is a x
latter Of remark, the judgment 2
eng based on facts and appear l
noes, that when matters of the 5.
eightiestimPortance are placed be- :,
ne 1t, especially when the subject 2
hased upon requests from presum- 2
lly important persons Of its own 4,
ATTY, the Council simply and :
Mechanically opens its mouth and