Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-11-13
THE SPREAD OF An IDEA.

To the Editor:
Among the many evidences of the
growth Of non-partisan or nonpoliti-
cal ideas, when associated with city
and municipal rule surely nothing
more remarkable has come through
the press than a speech made last
Thursday night in New York city by
| Governor Hazen s Pingree Of Michi-
gan. The speaker reviewed his adj
ministration as mayor of Detroit, and
1t Is the most splendid record of strug
gle and triumph of patriotism over
politics that has been presented; the
| kilograms give quite a synopsis, and
! the reading thereof is quite an insplra
ton. Friends of local reform can re-
alize how many such questions are be-
| fore this community. As the News"
has already said, there is opportunity
enough for legitimate contest, room
enough for steady and continuous
work, without dragging in "nolens
volens" those issues which are remote,
and outside the reach of city councils
| great and small.
Such Il question is now before the
/ btblllt mere ana now VIA, tllG Ilbh
| school question, which should be de-
termined on a board-a generous scale
/ even, but yet with due regard to all
| associated conditions.
| Without accepting the word of those
! who champion the cause, or question:
| ing their motive, 1t would appear
/ rather unseemy for interested profess
SIGNALS TO be the leading or promi-
neut advocates of the educational
scheme 1t IL matter of experience
| that this Interested element-one con-
| tinuously absorbed in it's a very ag-
| gressive one, and 1t has been demon
trated often that from their standpoint
| such persons are not considerate either
of expediency or Of the ability of those
who provide the sinews of war.
School teaching is in Utah Mt present
quite a desirable position, as is DEM
onstrated by the number of applicants
received continuously from every
state in the Union. The writer is no
| advocate of low remuneration any
| whore for faithful work, yet the eff
ficiency of public schools would be in no
way impaired If general reduction in
salaries took place all through the
schools of this city Noting the eX-
pendture OF a familiar school a while
ago, it was seen that 1t cost the treas
ury about eleven dollars annually for
each registered pupil, exclusive of In
terest on sixty thousand dollars and
annual repairs FOR the DullulnB SO &C
cupied.
1t is believed also by many taNpay-
ers that they should know whether all
the pupils of the city schools are bona
fide citizens or otherwise, and ii would
also be interesting to such to find out
how many parents of the children are
taxpayers, not the payers of non-as-
ISOLATED poll tax, but legally applied
taxes from the possession of real estate
| or personal property.
The public school facilities We're in
cluded in Governor Plngree's improve
ments, but he evidently had looked all
along the line, for in his admnistra-
tion the city acquired its own electric
light plant and gave public illumina-
tion "at less than half the old rate
Gas also was reduced one-third toll
roads unknown here were made pub
lie thorOughfares, street car facilities
We're greatly increased and the cost OF
transportation lessened," and tele.
phone rates We're also reduced through
opposition 'seventy-five per cent
This might seem like eEotism, per.
chance, but the resume was
pardonable in the sunlight 81
patriotism and thought fol-
the interests of the laboring popula-
tion.so a few thousand such"Pingrees'
scattered all through the land would
lesson the burdens of an oppressed
people, and probably preserve social
ebulition and those upheavals that
appear inevitable under present con.
ditions. Such man. unless overpow'
cred by Cabals and rings, would be 9
second Hercules in cleansing the
Augean stables of national ad.
ministration, and making honorable
public life and place, instead Of a:
now. when an official with fifty thou
sand dollars annual salary finds Il
honorable and practicable to retire
{ according to the press) after tive
terms of official life, with a forum,
, reaching into the millions. /
/ so much moral force was con
, centrated into one man as Il
: overcome the opposition that 81
, brave a reformer was called upon L
meet, augmented numbers of tn
same caliber would speedily work
mighty change in this once prosperou
country.
one of our northern neiGhbors sug
gests lin the assumed impossibility o
, government without party to have tw
tickets for all local issues, call
ing them the citizens ticket" and 9TH
! peoples ticket" respectively. But TIL
, political cloven-foot crops out In tn
. | query; why not retain the name Re
publican and Democrat as well as I
adopt a new cognomen for contest
Simply because II is in the very natur
!. and marrow of political parties to drai
: in issues which are of no weight o
moment. rather than to pioneer in tn
, consideration of questions alluded t
! by the brave mayor of Detroit, nov
governor of Michigan.
= Water and sewage in addition I
those referred to by him are all i'm
portant questions here, and will be un
! til SO settled as to command the ap
! probation of the great majority. lie
y the "Reform pHrty,"if such It to be IL
name, continue the agitation already s
! nrsnirlOusly begun, Let the comm
} school election" be pressed upon tn
attention of the people. Every tax
, payer should receive a carefully pre-
! pared exegesis of the present situation
: uncontrolled by that political clamo
which declaims so boisterously agains
impairing the efficiency OF the publ
school system. system which is We
on trial, for no man can predicate ad
AWARDED