The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-01

There was a meeting of the Pioneer
Jubilee commission last evening. at
which no heating stove was needed,
the temperature of the members pres
ent being ample for all needs.
At times the session was quite trop-
ical The discussion was intensely ear
nest 1t was what may be truthfuiIy
designated a warm meeting.
1t was q special session. 1t was
ostensibly called for the purpose of dis
cussing published statements concern
ing the finances of the commission. 1T
convened per request of the chairman.
who sent out special postal cards early
yesterday morning In fact, the first
work Assistant Secretary johnson did
was TO write postal cards and take
them 70 the office pursuant to instruc-
lions given by Chairman ClaWson
When the commission was called 70
order II. G. Whitney, Bishop Preston,
Judge Colborn, W. A. Nelden, Jacob
MorIlZ, Mrs. Wallace. John D. Spen-
Ger and the chairman answered ia
their names. They remained during
the meeting, save when the chairman
lied to his private Office after some doc
nments and when John D. Spencer took
fhing.
EXECUTIVE SESSION.
When The Herald man appeared at
the meeting he was informed BIZ the
chdlr that II was an executive SEES
sioh- Ihe reporter was about to re-
TIRE, when Judge Colborn prompted him
20 wait a minute. The judge then said :
Mr.. Chairman, this commission is a
public body and was created hV law.
It's business is the pubAc's business
and l believe the gentlemen of the
press should be permitted to remain
al us sessions. The public has an in
9erest IN what we do and are entitled
TO know of our transactions. 7 move
in the future that the reporters of the
press be invited TO attend all our meet
jngs,''
Mr. Whitney seconded the motion
in order to hear what remarks there
were to be made upon it," but after
wards withdrew it. During the dis
cusslon Mr. Whitney, Mr.. Spencer and
the chairman took ground against the
motion, the chair stating that he did
not see why all the discussion on mat
tiers of business should get into the
papers From the infection in the
chairs voice it was evident that he
dad not care for newspaper reports of
the proceedings of the sessions
Mr. Spencer remarked that they had
done very we'll in the past without the
presence of newspaper men, and
thought they could get along in the
future.
COLBOBN SPEAKS.
Then it was that Judge CoIborn made
another speech. He said that during
the course of preparation for the ,Jll-
bilee il was wisely decided that the re-
rh Ia
were matters Of detail which ought not
to have been published; but now that
the commission had performed its work
he believed that reporters should be
admitted. He added that whenever in
the judgment of the commission there
was anything which it believed would
not be best by being published a re-
quest to the members of the press
would be sufficient.
Mr. Nelden also declared in favor Of
open meetings. and after a little mora
talk the question was put to a vote and
carried.
The Herald man was invited to take
a chair, which he did, and occupied it
long enough to hear a motion made
that the commission go into an e1ecu-
tive session, which carried He was
then invited TO retire TO the cool shade
of the front porch of the Hall of Relics
and amuse himself looking at the
sphynXes and the. old cannon and by
endeaToring, in the dim light, to read
the list Of the pioneers who first came
to this valley
PUBLISHED REPORTS.
The commission then took up the
business which it was called to discuss.
1t was stated by the chair that reports
had been published 10 the world which
pretended to- state the cost Of the Gale
brafiOn and the amount of money on
hand This was incorrect, and the
question before the house was whether
the commission should undertake 10
dens7 these runners. Nelden made 4
speech on the subject, in which he said
that he did not see any reason for de-
nying the truth 1t was a fact. as had
been stated IN the papers of the city,
that the celebration had cost abcu.
1000. and ii was a further fact that
tolere was something like 5000 in the
treasury at this time. and the bills were
nearly all paid. The commission had
published d notice to the effect that all
bids which were presented later than
Aug. 20 would not be paid and why
there WAS amy reason for secrecy on
the part Of the commission relative to
Its finances was beyond his llIai ed
comprehension. He saw no reason for
=,
and fer one would not vote for ANY
such measure. Judge Colborn also took
a hand sn the discussion. and spoke
earnestly and vigorously The Judge s
words were sharp and to the point. He.
TOO, saw TO reason why the coFnFnSssi ION
should take the trouble to deny any
thing which was fact. It could not do
1t without stultifying it's members If
tn press gets hold of statements of This
character and prints them. it is doing
70 more than legitimate business. II
is a fact that the commission has q
balance on fand-and also q fact that
nearly all the accounts are settled.
True, there are some subscriptions out
standing and when this information
gets out who shah say that the publfca-
ton has any effect upon the collection
thereof?
DO NOT DENY IT.
The result of the discussion on This
matter was that the commission would
not undertake to deny anything pub
lIshed in relation to the sum of monev
on hand which virtually admits the
truth of the assertions made. 1t viii
be remembered that some time ago The
Herald published the cost OF the ceIe-
bration.
COLRORN'S BILL.
But the discussion of the publica ton
was not the only matter in hand. II
appears at the meeting of the commits
sion on Monday evening Judge CoIboTn
presented bill for s25 for expenses in
CURED. which he believed were legiti-
mate charges against the commission.
IT was an aggregation of small ac-
counts incurred from time to time by
him. The chairman of the commission
opposed The payment of the same and
Coll3oFn got a bit wFathy and tore UP