The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-05-10
THE CITY COUNCIL.

THE CITY COUNCIL.
If things go on as they have been run
ming since the Liberal council was sworn IN
and assumed control, it won't be very long
before there will go forth a popular and
earnest demand that the municipal legisla-
ture resign. This demand will not be cou-
fined to a political party, but will be sup
ported by all bona fide citizens who own
property within the corporate limits. The
council has been in Just three months, and
it has succeeded in disgusting the commu-
nifty One Of its first acts was to give the
city black eye, and check the prosperity
which was upon us. That was the discon-
tinuance Dof work on the joint city and
county building. That structure had
been started, the money was IN
the treasury to complete 1T, and
people confidently expected that the under
taking would progress. There was some
thing stimulating and encouraging in the
fact that the city and county were going
to eXpend large sum of money and add to
the beauty and attractiveness Of the city.
The council ordered the suspension OF work
and at once a chill ran through the COM
munity Following this order there was
circulated a rumor that scheme was on
foot to undo all that had been done, and in
the interest OF real estate owners select a
new site for the building. Mayor SCOTT
now denies that there was any foundation
for the rumor, uand he may be correct, but
there is getting around feeling that the
mayor is not as familiar with what goes on
around the city hall as he might be. At
any rate he cannot deny that the rumor
prevailed and had its effect Week after
week nothing was heard in the council
concerning the building, and finally the
people, in mass meeting, demanded that
work on the structure be resumed. Much
evil had been done by the delay, however,
: through the Encouragement that had been
: caused. Then the council, with a reckless
i ness that made peoples hair stand on emu,
4 published notices of intention to lay about
r fourteen miles of cement sidewalk pave
s ment at 81 per foot, running the walks
y into the suburbs, past potato patches, and
q where there was not the least call or de-
e mand for the Improvement. Property
owners were alarmed. They were unac-
customed to such recklessness and eXtrava-
Il gance. They feared they would be ruined
r by extreme and unnecessary taxation. We
! know of some who were SO much
It frightened that they tried to sell their
e lots and get away before they were pau
is perized. Meantime there was talk about
extensive street paving. The official sala
ries had all been increased, and some Of
them doubled; the police force had beer
more than doubled, both as to number an6
,, cost; new offices were created and filled
M and big salaries paid the occupants. Reck
~ lessness and extravaganza marked every
Il thing the council did How to spend none,
,g fastest seemed to be the study. And witt
= it all there was a current of Doodle talk
IN jobs and iobbing being charged, until tn
ne council is to-day looked upon with suspl
90 cion, and people do not hesitate to sugges
o that there is crookedness in this measur
10 or that one as it is advanced in the board
an THE HERALD does not believe the council
+o men have been bought or bribed a
no men charge, but we do believe they hav
az shown woful lack of capacity, the cour
at Gil being in no sense equal to the task {
,, managing as they should be managed, th
an affairs of this city. At their last session
of Tuesday evening. they dealt the cit
i'll another fearful blow, by rushing throug
;al without previous notice and without di.
~ cusson as if the matter had been sacretl
so agreed upon, blanket franchise intende
of to depreciate the value of the street raj
he way, and lniure financially and discourag
of the enterprising men who had expende
err half million dollars in building up
nv street rail way system that is the pride an
boast of the citizens, and which has dor
cK more than anything else to enhance tt
zen value of real estate. Can it be expecte
yn that men with capital will come he
he and invest their money if the city will n
on keep faith with them If the new sire
yht car company knew that when its lines we
ow completed and in operation, another co
ion Germ would be granted the right to parall
its tracks and divide the traffic, how mu,
ket money would the Rapid Transit people p
MD into ties, iron and cars Not much, v
,ial take it.
zen There is mighty little that the new cou
eed Gil has done that is not open to critcsl
tat Recklessness and incompetency are mark
the features of pretty nearly everything. E
nee travagance is seen on every hand, and
all that is done. The people, without
of gard to party or politics. are not only losi
SIX confidence as they see the injurious effet
,ra- of the councils operations, but are growi
is indignant as they note the fact that
sgm stead of being progressive the council i!
out hindrance to progress, threatening a
,eo- alarming citizens with outrageous taxatit
neil and frightening capital from investme1
nd that would prove beneficial to the eli
,me here must come halt in the recklessnt
ials and change Of methods, or there will
ock sucn popular lndignatlon as VIII oyerwhe
sus- ana crush the councu. line people VIII
the submit 10 IL, Iney are patent and Ion
are suffering, pnt there is a limit to tn
powers of endurance, and there are in
the ar signs tnat the nnlt mas about DC