The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-10-12
THAT RECORD.

AL tne Liberal convention the other day
PooH-BAHPowERs felicitated the party in its
achievements and said the records of Salt
and Ogden under Liberal rule were before
US. And there he conveniently and
shrewdly stopped. To have proceeded
would not have been good politics, and
would have been embarrassing. 1t would
have involved an exposure of those records,
and that wouldn't have been good
Liberal campaign material The record
of Ogden would have read some
thing like this: The Liberal party found a
well governed city, with low taxes, few
saloons, no houses OF prostitution and
united and progressive people working
harmoniously together for public improve
ments and the general betterment of the
town. Liberal control was at once fol-
lowed by the trebling of the number of sa-
looms; gambling was practiced openly, po-
licemen in uniforms not only witnessing
the games, but participating in them; dance
houses were established and maintained
under police protection; houses of prosti-
tuition were opened and publicly advertised
In short, matters became so bad, and the
disregard of national and local laws so fla
grant, that the United States marshal
found it necessary to interfere that some
sort of decency might be maintained and
the clean people of the city not be driven
from their homes by the lawlessness and
filth which resulted from Liberal rule.
Another part of the Liberal record consists
of the fact that the municipal taxes in Og-
den were increased the first year between
800 and 200 per cent So much for the
record before u.s. in Ogden.
II possible the Liberal record has been
worse in Salt Lake. When the Liberal
party went into power it found q quarter of
million dollars cash in the treasury; ii
found the laws being enforced: it found
vice and crime reduced TO the minimum and
the former kept out of sight as much as
possible so that it would be least offensive
it found economy in every branch of the
municipal government; it found exception
ally low taxes; it found, in fact model
city government Within a month from the
inauguration of the Liberals their own
organ openly charged that there were dis
honest men in the council" and that there
were at least four boodlers in the board.
Within six months the quarter of million
dollars had been squandered, and we defy the
closest observer TO say where the money
has gone for the Improvement of the city.
More than $50, 600 has been appropriated. II
is said, 10 street accounts, and today the
roads are almost impassable, being In a
worse condition than ever before since this
was a city. Tho salary account has been
moro than doubled, while the service of in
dividual officials is less than half wha. !,
was under the old regime. The number OF
officials has been greatly increased and
offices have been created with which tc
reward political heeiers and the heaters OF
campaign drums. The saloons have beer
multiplied, and liquor is sold openly or
Sunday, the fact being known TO the police
Houses of prostitution have been estab
lished and arc well known to the Liberia
officers charged with the enforcement n
tie ordinance forbiddirg these evils. Not
withstand:ng the magnificent sum which
the Liberals were given, sum equal Il
three times the annual tax collected b,
the Peoples party, the taxes were at once
ihcIctscu ttu pr CENT, gaming lOrtn Wig
orous protest from more than IS per cent.
of the property owners. Still more ant
worse, with no improvements to show fol
the vast expenditures, the Liberal govern
ment is to-day, eight months after its inau
guration, borrowing money to pay the cur
rent expenses OF the administration.
II was well that POWERS did no NOR,
than refer to the Liberal record in Sal
Lake and Ogden. he was wise not to II
into detail regarding that record, for h.
certainly would have put to the blush the
decent men in the convention. Some Of
those mon are in the papers as protesting
against portions of the Liberal record in
the cities named, and others would appea,
similarly If they had come under the infiu
ence of the Liberal administration. OF
course POWERS has no cause to feel other
wise than pleased with the record. TO,
while no received $4,000 for helping t.
inaugurate Liberal rule, il has not devel
oped that he was SO vcrdant as to put any
Of the cash where it could be affected By
the grasping, incompetent and extravaganza
jberal government