The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-16
ATTEND The PRIMARIES.
To the Editor of The Herald:

To the Editor of The Herald:
1t has been truly said, THAT eternal
vigilance is the price OF liberty" IN
recent issue Of the News 3. Y. Hamp-
ton reminds the people of the necessity
of attending the primaries. I would
like very much TO emphasize this ad-
vice of Mr. Hampton, and hence make
the quotation above.
7 am reminded now of another quota
ton of one of our revolutionary faith
ers and will writa it to suit the times:
Let us all hang together, for fnan-
cially we are being hung separately
The truth, l hope, is beginning 10 l4luIn-
Inc the minds of every one OF US, maj
if we wish to maintain our DoAncal
rights we must go to the primaries
both male and female voters L reler
now to the home owners ana taxpayers
of this city and county. The people
who furnish the money and pay the
taxas which taxes have been in the
nasr expended and sometimes very III
iudiciously so by our county and NUM-
cipaI officers. AS a proof OF Enls we
need only to refer 10 the late prosecu-
tions instituted by the county attorney
for matchmaking the State road. true,
il was found under the ruling OF the
Judge that the men being prosecuted
could not be convicted, nor could YER
dict he had against them; neither on
the furniture contract for the furnish
ing of the city and county building
Vet public opinion has very grave cause
for holding that the cases should nave
been decided otherwise, and tnat the
verdict should have been for conVlc-
ton.
For one, when L view the mad waste
of public moneys, moneys that nave
teen extorled in the shape or taxes L OH
the home owners and honest laoorers
of Salt Lake city and county oul4nS
the past six years, 1 am led to beheVe
that men have forgotten the very proper
reminder of President Grover C4eVe-
land: THAT a public Office is pup
lie trust
When the foundations for our new
citv and county building were pelng
laid on the site where it now stands the
intention was and the agreement De
tween the city and county o1Ilclals was
to the effect, if my memory serves me
nroperIy. that the structure should not
rosf IN exceed $3.50. GOO Then, as the
building neared completion SoOO,OOo was
roooted. but beyond this mark one ana
all claimed they would not 60 FinaIiy'
after appropriating funds for tals con-
tractor and for another contractor ana
then for having for the Walnsc ting GO re
in ONYX. the $4,000 clock, and the SoV'-
600 furniture contract and the $ooo PIT
ture frame. etc, ere.
The city and county ofhclais conciuu-
ed that so far as the expenditures 49,
concerned and the cost of the structure
fhev did not exactly know to what limit
thew had gone, nor could they satlsIy
the inouiring public, until their DOCKS
had been audited by Expert Anderson
at a cost of a probably $1,000 more
And then it was discovered that the
taxnayers of Salt Lake city and county
had paid more than $900,0O0 1or q, strut
tire that should not have cost more
than one-half this amount. For not
ITithstanding the ornament it has been
~ the citv. the thought will still OBJ
tr11de itself into the minds OF the tax
navers we are forced to pay a very
high rate Of taxes with which TO erect
q building that is at least twice as large
oe the needs of the city and county
could possibly suggest for present pun,
poses and though we all under tdAu
that the building is nomlnally pau 4oI,
vet every home and farm IN lne SltS
and county limits is heavily bonded 10
,,,sa+ this and other needless extrava-
pances. For the universal Verolct anu
Statement of those who occupy the OF
fees. court rooms and council cnam-
hers is that they are all too large; ana
this enormous expenditure on the oulid-
inc does not include about S90,OOO or
more expended in that hole just west OF
the old city hall and fire department
Apropos. there is something more 70
be said in reference to the macadanlll-
ing Of the State road. When the Worh
was being discussed between the coun-
10 selectnen and the first contractor /
for the first mile between Tenth and
South streets, that $1,000 should /
he the Nnit Of cost Of that mile of road. 7
And if it could be done for that price /
per mile. and pass inspection then pos
sibly the matchmaking might have
been continued on some miles further
south. Work, however. was continued
on the State road as far south as the
town of Murray, costing (the already I
overburdened taxpayers Of the county, !
as admitted in the recent trials insti- !
tinted against the selectmen who were
connected with the contracting and (
working Of said job of roadmaking
from Twelfth South to Murray $4,000
This distance does not exceed six miles
and as per agreement and pledge OF the E.
county officers that more than So,UUO /
per mile should not be expended, ana
that amount should pay for eacn ml1e
of thoroughly macadan4zeu IOdu tli1s
should bear inspection OF special
committee appointed for that purpose
And until such committee reported TO
the county court that the road was
each mile in a thorough
and proper manner, as macadamized
road should be- no money should nave
been paid. But large portion Of this
road never was completed and remains
to this day for loaded teams, almost
in an impossible condition. The main
highway itself for several miles being
strewn with stones and boulders from
the size of a common drinking glass to
the size of a half gallon measure. 1t
may be properly asked, what are the
taxpayers going to DO now2 Are they
willing to sit supinely down and see
these things continued? We shall see.
The present administration Of this city
heralded forth TO their constituents
that $4,000 would be saved by the
present administration. discharging
some needless officials and helps and
cutting down expenses generally Of
their predecessors. Some of them don't
seem to remember, however, their
promises For within a few months
after, the News makes these very pro-