Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-04-03
THE MoMENTous QUESTION.

The efforts OF the local press to mis-
lead and mystlfy the people Of this city
over the pending franchise question:
would be very funny II they were not
80 outrageously mendacious, Not day
passes without the publication Of some
absolute untruths In relation TO the
company from which the city desires
20 obtain valuable properties, and mis-
statements of the most pertinent facts
in the case.
one OF the latest Of these falsehoods
Is, that II the company should have It's
affairs placed on such n solid basis as
Ia be able to issue additional bonds a
tax would thereby be folsted upon the
Salt Lake public to pay the interest on
the bonds That Is 80 absolutely alb
surd and grotesQue as to be idiotIc. Ey-
cry business and thinking individual
will at once perceive It's Stiffness and
falsehood. But there are thousands Of
people who do not understand the sub
ject at all, and It Is to deceive them and
excite their opposition that tho nom
sense is printed
That the company which issues bonds
must pay the interest thereon needs no
explanation That this expense will not
fall, even indirectly or remotely, upon
the public, IN the way Of high rates for
light or car-fares will be seen at once,
when the fact is made clear
that the city, by ordinance, fixes
the maximum OF those rates, and that
they win be lower than ever under the
new ordinance which is to be passed by
the city council,
In order to confuse the public sull
further on this matter Il morning pa
per published on Sunday what Is
claimed to be the full text OF the fran
chise, as revised ana to be present.
ed 20 the council. Instead OF being
what It purports to be, II Is a hotch'
potch and mixture OF the old franchise
with some OF the new propositions that
have been suggested by different indi-
yiduals The text Of the new ordinance
had not then been prepared and to-
day was not In sufficient completeness
to furnish It's text to the press. Com
ment upon II Is therefore out of place.
But when II Is given to the public, COM
parson Of It's contents with the mud
ded-up document published on Sunday
win show the mschlevous and shame
ful deception OF the latter
The citizens OF Salt Lake who desire
to be guided by principles OF justice
and equity, ought not TO he led astray
by papers or persons that are COM
PEELED to resort to Misrepresentation
and the distortion Of truth, in order to
give their malicious efforts the APP
pearence OF FEASIBILITY Their desire
60 lnjure and II possible ruin a COM
pany which has been the means Of in
PRODUCING and maintaining great bust
ness interests, for the benefit Of the pub
lie and employing many hundreds OF
working people, without reaplng any
financial profit in return, IS patent IN
harangues, which have no other effect
than to stir up anger and arouse the
animoslty OF the minimizing and east
~ excited populaoe.
They commenced with the assertion
that the company was trying 10 make
grab and work a graft to oh.
tain something worth az least 5000, OOt
without any equivalent when il wa,
established beyond dispute that It wa,
the city which needed certain proper
ties belonging TO the company valued
at the least at 100000, and that III,
company simply asked for a consollda
ton and extension OF franchises which
II already possessed, then the opponents
voered around and declared that Their,
was n secret bargain entered into be
tween certain city ohlcials and the com
pany, and that this was mixed Vi