The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-10-23
HOLD THE FORT.

The city council has granted the petit on
of the gentlemen who propose to build
railway to Deep Greek, in so far IS the pc
tition related to a right of way. The right
to lay tracks and move cars along certain
streets has been given against the protests
of numerous property-owners. But right
here the municipal generosity should stop.
Right here the council should say that it
has done enough for the petitioners and
their project. The council should say with
emphasis that the Old Fort square shall
not be given away, sold, leased or in any
other manner alienated. We have main
tanned and still maintain that it is beyond
the lawful power of the city council to dis
pose of that block; but whether or not this
view is correct it would be unwise, I'M
popular and morally wrong to let go of
that square; it would be almost crime,
whatever the law may be in the
case, to give the square to railway
company. The square belongs to the
people and not to the city council, and the
people do not want to dispose of it and
especially are they opposed to devoting it
TO the uses of railway. 1t is urged by
other peoples property that the block has
been devoted to truck growing andis doing
the city little or no good; but this is no
argument in favor of giving the land away
The time will come when the square will be
required for park, and when the corpora
ton will be able to improve it and throw it
open for the use and pleasure OF the people.
That is to say, the time will come when this
can be done, provided the present gang of
spendthrifts shall be turned out of the city
hall before they bankrupt the municipality,
and honest, conservative men shall be
placed in control of the government and
given time to recover from the effects
of the extravaganza, recklessness and
incompetency which are playing such havoc
with the finances. Because we are not
able to park the square this year does not
argue that we will never be able to park it;
because the people have gotten along with
out using that ten acres up to the present
time does not argue that for all time the
square for 8 park. Salt Lake is making
more rapid progress with her parks than
New York made with hers, or Philadel-
phia with hers. If the Pioneer square
shall be given away, or otherwise disposed
of, it will cost the people of Salt Lake city
at some time, ten dollars for every one that
the square is worth, and that block will
fetch in the market to-day $3.50, 900. No
city ever disposed of its park grounds
without regretting it, and no city ever had
too much ground for parks.
And, again, why should the city
give that square to a railway company? 1t
has been asserted that the obtaining of the
money to build the proposed road is de-
pendent upon the donation of the Old Fort
block. We say this has been asserted, but
is there an intelligent man in the com
munity who believes it? We trust not
If capitalists will build the road they will
buildit without the block, which will bring
them no revenue. If the road will not paw
without that block as depot grounds, it will
not pay with it. The fact is, and the gen
tlemen back of the scheme know it, the
building of the Deep Greek road is in no
way conditional on the donation of Pioneer
square. Of course, thes- are willing to
take the square if they can get it. Nobody
would go out of his way to avoid a quarter
of million gift. But if men with capital
have made up their minds that
a railway to the mines of Deep
Creek will be profitable investment they
will go ahead with the work regardless of
the square.
In this connection there is another thing
which should be considered, and that is,
justice or fairness. 1t will hardly be
claimed that the Deep Creek road will do
more for this city than did the pioneer line,
the old Utah Central; but Salt Lake didn't
give that company a block, although it
could have done so then at cost of 3d. 900
for what is now worth s250,00O. The city
didn't give the Utah Southern depot
grounds when few courageous men, with
a good deal more enterprise than capital
boldly set out to build road south and
make great section of rich country tribu-
tary to this city. When JOHN W. You've
built the Utah & Nevada nobody thought
Of giving him depot grounds. The Denver