The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-08-10
TIE MAYoa AND THE SALOONS.

Mayor BAsKIN has declined to approve
the license bond of saloon keepers who
have been convicted in the police court Of
violating the ordinance forbidding the sell
ing Of liquor on Sunday. We think the
mayor has done exactly right in this
matter, and hope he will stand firmly by
the position he has taken. Before a license
can be issued the applicant must give a
bond that he will faithfully observe the
ordinances, the Sunday law as well as
others. If he does not regard his obliga-
ton in this respect as binding upon him; if
in his opinion the giving Of bond is merely
formal matter which means nothing
to him personally or in the law.
he ought not to be permitted to do business
with the sanction and under the protection
Of the city government The point made
by the mayor is good one. and we sin
cerely hope his honor viii maintain it to
the extent Of refusing 6 license to every
saloon keeper who declines to obey the
ordinances which he has obligated himself
to uphold
III connection with this business Of clos
Ing the Sunday saloons, too many people
20 upon the theory that the matter rests
entirely with the mayor and the chief of
police. They assume that these officials
have the legal right to say whether
saloons shall be kept open the first
day Of the week, ard if the
officials decide against open sal ooDs they
are denounced as exercising discretionary
power vindictively. Whisky sellers and
others should understand that the question
is one with which the mayor and his chief
executive lieutenant have absolutely
nothing to do. They did not make the law
and they cannotrepeal it. They are sim
ply the executive agents of the community
the representatives of the power which
put the ordinance in the book. Mayor
BAsRIN and Chief PAUL have taken an
oath 10 enforce the ordinances Of the CITY.
and If they hold the oath to be binding
they must enforce al the ordinances. They
cannot make exceptions. They cannot say
they do not like the Sunday closing
ordinance, the ordinance against gambling.
that prohibiting the maintenance of NUS
ances. and hence will not enforce them.
but will honor their oath Of Office as to
other ordinances. They are neither legis-
lators nor judges and are not even clothed
with discretionary power when it comes
to such things as the enforcement of the
laws. 1t is true, there has been official
winking at the open disregard of
the ordinances. Officials sworn to en-
force the Sunday closing law have seen
saloon doors swinging all day on the Sab
bath, but have not interfered. Officials
who have taken solemn oath to prevent
gambling have known that gaming
was carried on openly. Yet thew
have done nothing to prevent II.
The head Of the city government once
actually wrote note to the chief of police
forbidding the arrest of prostitutes. 1t is
because OF the negligence, the incompe-
tency, the corruption or the uawarranted
assumption Of authority by municipal Off
Gals that the impression has gone abroad
among the law-bresking class that the mat /
ter Of enforcing the ordinances is discre- |
tionary with the mayor and the head Of the
police department, and that class has also
assumed that the officials ought not to ex-
ercise their discretionary power against
their political patrons.
While The HERALD is not OF Judge RAs-
KIN's party. this paper is interested in
having good government for Salt Lake city.
and we are glad the city has q mayor who
thinks it is his duty to enforce the
law. We hope and believe he
win remain of his present opinion
regarding his official duties till the end Of
his term, and we also hope the council will
stand by him in his efforts to reform the
and restore some of Salt
Lakes prestige as peaceful, orderly and
well governed municipality.