The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-06-07
lip TO THE COMPANY.

Having passed the substitute fran
chize. the council has left the final de-
rision in the whole matter to the light
and railway company, a step IN the
direction Of settlement and rest from
the harassing agitation of the past few
months. II the company accepts the
substitute. we'll and good; if II refuses,
all right: let the council 20 ahead TO
condemn the rights it wants in Big
Cottonwood and, if necessary, negoti-
ate for an extension Of the options of
farmers water rights which expire by
limitation on July L.
The terms of those options are so
very favorable TO the farmers that
there should be no difficulty in secur-
ing such additional time as may be
needed TO determine the validity OF the
bonds and accomplish the cOndemna-
tion Of the power company's property.
While the delay due to the company's
effort 10 get a too-favorable franchise
is exasperating, the magnitude Of the
water extension plan, and its import
ance to the city, justifes every effort
10 carry it to completion; and no mat
ter how serious the delay, it is worth
all it costs now that the grab fran
chise has been sidetracked. The city
could better afford to postpone indef-
nitely the plan for an adequate water
supply than TO give the company the
enormous privileges it asked originally
and would have secured but for the
fatthfulness Of the majority Of the
council
Monday nights debate in the council
developed one thing worth noting when
Fernstrom threatened political death
for those counctlmen who had dared
vote for the peoples interests and
against the company's demands Fern
strom may usually be expected to speak
for the corporation. but his sudacity
i'm making threats on behalf of the
company shows his peculiar unftnsss
for any public trust
BE it remembered that FerustrOm's
grievance against the majority of the
council was not due to any betrayal
OF public confidence. on the contrary.
his attempt at intimidation was be-
cause his opponents refused to betray
their constituents and kept faith with
the people. Evidently. Ferustrom-s
conception of his duty as a council
man includes no obligation to the city
OF 10 its taxpayers when their inter-
ests conflict with the wishes of the
Utah Light & Railway company
FernstTom, too. had the bad taste to
suggest that the franchise question was
a religious issue. The less he and the
men who voted with him say about
religion IN public affairs. the better
for them Very few Of the masses who
opposed the franchise cared farthing
for the fact that the Mormon church
controls the management Of the power
company, although it is a minority
stakeholder. The vital thing to the
people-the only fact of real signff-
cance-was that men like Fernstrom.
who were elected TO act as agents for
the people in their municipal business,
stood ready to take salary from the
city and still give the company every
thing It asked. When a citizen sees
a prospect of betrayal by his own
agent, IL is Of little concern to him
whether the traitor is Mormon, Jew
or Gentle.
Fortunately for the public, the Fern
stroms work so openly there is little
danger of deception; and once their
system is understood there is some
chance to prevent them from consum-
mating such impositions as had been
planned in this instance.