The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-30
A Claim For Sundry Items Held For
Investigation.
CRAFTS AND FAyORITES
SIMMONS EMBARRAss-
Els NoN-PARTIsAN FRIENDS.
City Councilmen Review His Acts of
Indiscretion The Oregon Short
Line Intends to Erect Crossing
Gates, But the Street Committee
Wants Better Protection.

Some OF the 0Iflclal acts OF Clly oeA-
ton Joseph f. Simmons were presented
in review last evening to the council
committee on claims by Councilman
Weller, chairman of the cemetery COM
mittee. The cause of the proceeding
was a claim in the sum of $3.50 filed
by the sexton. The chairman of the
cemetery committee stated that he had
occasion to frequently reprimand Sex
ton Simmons for exceeding the limit of
official proprieties, but no heed had
been paid to his admonitions Patience
had ceased to be a virtue, and now,
Councilman Weller said, he would give
the city council an opportunity to put
a rough lock on the sections wheel.
Then Chairman Weller produced an
itemized bill from the seXton for I'M
authorized Sundry services rendered by
infantile members of his family. mis-
%cellaneous small payments to various
persons, chiefly boys, for little articles
of supplies used at the cemetery, for
an old secondhand typewriter and for
street-car fare coming to the city
treasurer's office for his salary, the
whole amounting to $76.50. The bill
was fully itemiZed, but no receipts ac-
companied. it. As an evidence that he
is economically inclined. the sexton
wrote with his typewriter on both sides
of the two sheets of paper.
One of the councilmen quietly Sug-
gested to a colleague in the next room
that, because Sexton Simmons is a
counselor on Bishop Romney's staff in
the Twentieth ecclesiastical ward n
because an expose of the sections do
ings would reflect discredit on the o n
partisan wing of the city administra-
ton, Councilman Romney would be
averse to expressing himself on the
subject. But that was Just where the
sturdy councilman disappointed some
body. After reading the claim, he said:
Gentlemen, that is an outrage. l shall
not vote to pay it."
Nor will l." declared the cemetery
committees chairman.
The talk then turned to measures
that would be recommended to the
council to compel the sexton to yield
subservience to the cemetery commit
tees orders in the direction of economy
in the department. Before Councilman
Weller pocketed the bill for presenta-
ton to the council n action by that
body, it was stated that Mr.. Simmons.
was also serving as sexton of the Mt.
Calvary and Hebrew cemeteries. but
for this private work he claimed to re-
ceive no compensation.
Another complaint against Sexton
Simmons is that he permitted the name
of Simmons to appear too frequently
on his payrolls after having been or
dered to employ some persons other
than members of his family and rela-
tives.
THE RAILROAD CROSSINGS.
The street committee expected to
have Chief Engineer O'Melveny of the
Oregon Short Line meet with it and
the city engineer to further discuss the
proposition to require the railroad COM
pany to provide Viaducts or some other
suitable means of furnishing pr0tec-
ton to the lives and limbs of pedes-
TRANS in crossing the multiplicity of
tracks on North Temple and First
West streets. But Mr.. O'Melveny dis.
appointed the committee. Instead of
coming he sent his regrets, and stated:
1--WE are now getting up our plans
with a view of putting crossing gates
at the points mentioned, and these will
be put in as soon is we can set the
gates and do the work"
The committee regarded the message
as a bluff, but until an opinion from
the city attorney is received, indicat-
ing the councils power to compel the
railroad to do something bet
ter, no recommendation viii be agreed
to. The street committee then turned
it's attention to the Saltair and Gar
field beach tracks on South Temple
street. 1t was decided to again, for the
third time, demand of the derelict COM
panies to bring their tracks down to
grade.
Judge w. S. Arnold was informed by
the claims committee that the city was
not deemed liable for the wreckage of
his buggy in a, runaway, and therefore
his lain of $50 as compensation for
damages would be disallowed. The
judge departed with the threat that he
would sue the city for all h damages
he could claim.