The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-02
TWO OFFICIAL RECORDS.

IN tie official TSCofuS Oh Ezra Ihulllp-
son and Mayor Morris presented by
The Herald yesterday, the real issue Of
the coming election is defined perfectly.
Ii is the question whether an obstruc-
zionist who has officially opposed every
step toward a greater Salt Lake is to
be preferred as mayor TO a man who
has already achieved progress for the
city on a large scale and is committed
10 a completion of the work.
Thompson's four years as mayor is
record Of incompetent obstruction, be-
ginning with an insiHcere recommends
ton that the city enlarge its water sup
ply by acquiring Big Cottonwood wa
Ter, continuing through futile efforts to
block the pumping plants which saved
the city's only dependable water, Par
leys canyon. and ending with the ex-
penditure of $250. 0O0 which was wasted
IN violation Of specific pledges and re-
suited in the acquisition of a lot of
iron pipe without an additional gallon
OF water to now through it.
Contrast with this the Morris admin
istratiOn which has built over thirty
miles of permanent sidewalks. two
miles OF street pavement, seven miles
of sewers and several miles of new wa
ter mains; an administration which has
provided for more public Improvements,
including work under ordinances
passed. than has been done before in
the entire history of the city in the
years since its organization.
Contrast ThompsOu's waste of a
quarter Of a million without securing
any additional water with the success
ful work Of Mayor Morris by which the
city has secured half of the flow of Big
Cottonwood and is in position to ac-
quire "a still larger supply from Little
Cottonwood and other sources.
Contrast, finally. the total achieve
ments of Thompson's four years with
the tangible progress toward a greater
city in the two years Of the Morris
administrauon-and you need no other
reason 10 prove that where Thompson
was a fiat failure, Morris has been
practical success.
If Thompson had made any attempt
10 carry out the pledges he made in Sc
curing a vote for S25O,O0O of water
bonds, there might be some excuse or
apology for him. if il was only the poor
f.F
As it was. he made pledges only to dis
regard them deliberately; he promised
TO spend money FOR water and threw it
into Unnecessary pipe; he bought lands
in Parley's canyon ostensibly for their
water rights, and paid the money for
land without the water. His disregard
OF pledges was so fragrant. the record
is so clear, that the bad faith shown is
enough of itself to justify defeat. No
business manager of a corporation
could hold his job ten minutes on such
a showing as Thompson made when he
was general manager for the corpora
ton of Salt Lake City.
one of the strong pleas for Thompson
has been made by the man who fought
the Big Cottonwood plan and called
loudly for the immediate development
and use of the Liberty park wells, yet
Thompson, after an open pledge to uti-
lie these wells, after securing money
for the purpose. made no effort to use
the well water or install a plant for his
successor to use. He got thousands, os-
tensibly for sprinkling stand-pipes, and
built no pipes. He Numbered when he
tried to do anything and broke his
pledges when he promised to try.
That Is the simple official record of
two candidates, both Of whom have
been tested in Office. Now as to their
platforms:
Thompson is named by the "Ameri-
can" party on a platform which makes
no reference TO its municipal policy. It
can only be judged by the personnel of
its leaders. It's chief organizers have
for their platform a warning to all men
that Salt Lake is unfit TO live in: that
property and life are unsafe and at the
mercy of hierarchy; that society
here is "A menace to the nation. and I'M
desirable generally. The only persist
ent antagonism TO "a greater city has
come from the ranks of the "Ameri-
cam party. and its success would mean
the execution Of ito programme Of ha-
tired, revenge and exclusion.
One of the charges against the Demo
cratic adminlstration-the only charge,
indeed-is that it has been dominated
by the Hierarchy" And the charge is
made by a party which has for its lead
ing candidate the one man who could
rightly be accused of accepting and
prohting by ecclesiastical aid. Ezra
smilingly nominated by an apostle, and
smilingly accepting apostolic help, is
now Indignantly opposed TO church in
Auence.
Back Of the platform of humbug,
back of the humbug candidate. stands
a coterie Of men who have, in their
day, solicited church influence in poll
ties and business. and taken the pro-
ceeds. political and commercial. smil-
ing the while at the Democrats who
protested vehemently There vas no
talk then of "hierarchs.' or CONNER