The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-01-16

period of poverty and isolation; it had lived
down the SANDERS spread abroad by these
men who now claim to have given it all the
prosperity it has ever seen, and under
these circumstances it was bound to grow
its climate, resources and the character of
its people aud those of the surrounding set
Elements, all went to make up attractions
that could not be resisted by those seeking
homes or a place for the investment
of capital. Its present stage of ma
terial prosperity would have been reached
as well under Mormon as under Gentle
rule. Indeed, the tide of our present pros
perity had already set in when the city
government was in the hands of the
former.
But to return to the other questions. If
the city has not improved in the particulars
indicated by the questions, of what benefit
has been 1.-THE overthrow of the Mormon
power'' in Salt Lake?
Our city, while in the control of the peo-
pie who founded it, gained world wide
reputation for its order and decency. 1t
was known to be singularly free from those
evils that make other cities sink holes of
lniquity and impurity. That reputation it
is rapidly losing. As it was in Ogden so
has it been IN Salt Lake city. No sooner
had the city government gone into Liberal
hands than there was an in gathering of the
lawless, the gambler, the black leg, the
saloon keeper, the woman of the town, to
ply their trade and fiaunt their shame upon
the streets and in public haunts And now
q StranUa thing ooouru in Golf T o1-a NH
better class of citizens in the Liberal party,
after electing to office those who were to
redeem Zion," find themselves under the
dire necessity of calling mass meetings and
passing resolutions calling on the city
officials to do theirplain duty, to close up the
Sunday saloons, gambling dens and houses
prostitution. And after much persuasion,
and with great fear and trembling, these
officers have said saloons must be closed on
Sunday, but whether it is to be the perma-
nent policy of the city government or is
only temporary, until the wave of virtuous
indignation shall have passed by, remains
to be seen.
Where never before has it been neces-
sary to use such spur on the city officials
to prick them on to performance Of their
duty! Never when the city was in Nor
mon hands; its officers were invar ably on
the side of good morals, decency and order.
They never favored through fear the vici-
Gus classes. They were not dependent
upon their votes for their election to Office.
They were never put to the polit-
ical straits of taking thtm
into their counsels and promising
them immunity from the operations OF
law; and the city ordinances were en-
forced up to the very line that marked the
limit of municipal authority. The result
was, few lawless thugs to Turk in the
shadows of corners to way lay honest citi-
zens hurrying homeward; few saloons,
and those respectable-as such respecta-
bility goes; few gambling dens and pros
titution at a minimum. But all that is
changed Low. These evils run riot now
and meet you at every turn. But taen,
Mormon power has been overthrown in
Salt Lake, and Christian civilization has
taken its place, for which we pay double
the taxes Let the world rejoice!