The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-14
WITNESSES ON
SIDE OF MAYOR
But Eight Councilmen Vote His
Statements False.
GO WITH "vIKING" LAWSON
THEN SUSTAIN VOTE OF AS
PHALT PURCHASE.
| n the face of the testimony Of four
witnesses substantiating the state

.
witnesses substantiating the state
ments made by Mayor Richard =.
Norris in his message VetoinE the pur-
chase of the X. NJ. Pope 100 acres OF
asphalt land near Westwater, Utah,
the city council last evening in com
mittee of the whole adopted the follow
! ing resolution:
Resolved. That after a thorough inves-
tigatiOn find that the charge made in
/ the mayors veto is entirely without foun-
dalton in every particular, and that the
/ to The special asphalt comrnittt,e, for 81 ,9Gj
or any other sum less. than $1,000.
The vote was as follows:
Ayes-Black, A J. Davis, Dean,
Fernstrom, Holiday, Martin, Wood.
/ Hewlett.
Noes-Barnes, Hartenstein, Preeee,
/ TUddenham.
Lineup of the Witnesses.
I The witnesses heard on the subject
! last evening were divided as follows:
COrrobOTatinG the Mayor--W c.
! Nebeker. Milo Clark and Councilman
w. J. Tuddenham.
Admitting hearing the offer. but
I thinking it a josh. T.
=. FeTnStrOu.
Lawson, Of Viking league nOtOriety.
After hearing this evidence Coun-
cilmsn Davis. Martin and Black and
their followers agreed that q ground
less attempt nSlu Deel IldQG 10 STAN
their hitherto unsullied honor and that
the mayor should be censured. This
they proceeded to do by vote.
At the regular meeting Of the council
that followed the meeting Of the com
mittee of the whole the report Of the
committee containing the resolution
and recommending its adoption was
adopted
Mayors Veto Sustained.
Then an attempt was made to over
ride the mayors veto, but it failed, as
seven members voted to sustain the
mayor and only five could be mus
tered to sustain the action OF the cOun-
] Gil in deciding TO pay R NJ Pope $4,000
for his asphalt beds
The council met in committee OF the
whole at o'clock with all the members
present except COuncilmeu r. H
Davis. NeuhauSen and Wells and Presi-
dent Hewlett. The last named came in
/ half an hour later, ia time TO take an
active part in the discussion that en-
I sued.
Councilman A. J. Davis was chosen
/ to preside. He stated that the matter
I to be considered was the investigation
o. the asphalt proposition Councilman
Hartenstein arose and corrected the
chairman by saying that the matter To
; be considered was the mayors veto
message
/ Councilman Black asked that the
+ message be read. and when this was
done he asked that the letter from w
/ G. Nebeker. read ut the last meeting OF
the council after the veto message had
/ been read, be read asain. This also
was done
Councilman HartenStein moved that
the letter he received and filed and that
the council concur in the mayors mes
sage He did this, he said to bring the
mayors veto before the committee for
discussion.
Councilman Fernstrom conteuded
that the veto was not properly before
the committee. and that the matter to
be considered WAS the statement in TN,
VetO message that the council had
authorized the purchase of the Pope
/ property for $4,000 after 1t had been
offered to the city for 81 0Oe. He said
I this statement was not only an injustice
/ to the members OF the special asphalt
COMMITTEES that recommended the pur-
chase. but to all the members of the
council who voted To make the pur-
| chase. of whom he was one He OBJ
Jected to the consideration of the veto
in committee. saying it would proDDerIv
come up at the meeting of the council
The chairman ruled the objection well
taken.
Then . resolution offered by Council
man Martin at the last meeting Of the
council. reciting the grave injustice
done the members of that body who
voted To buy the Pope property that
was contained in the ma yOr'S message
and providing for an investigation
by the committee Of the whole
or the charge that the pur-
chase was authorized to be made for
$4,000 after the property was offered
for $1,000 was taken UP and discussed.
w. q. Nebeker was present and was
asked to make statement. which lie
did. but not until after he was inter
rupted by Councilman FernStr0m who
told his fellow members how pure his
own motives We're and how earnestly
he had tried TO do his duty He said he
remembered that Mr.. NebeEer had
made an offer of asphalt property for
( $1,000 at a meeting of the committee of
the whole one night last fail, but Mr..
Nebeker did not specify the Pope or
any other piece of asphalt property. He
said the special committee would have
I been guilty Of engaging in A steal if its
members had recommended the pur-
chase of the property for $4,000 after IL
had been offered for 81 600. and so would
the other members Of the council who
sanctioned the transaction.
Says it Was Offered For 81 900.
Mr.. Nebeker was finally given the
floor. and in response to question by
Councilman Black. said he had offered
the property TO the special committee
upon behalf of Mr.. Pope, who was pres
ent. for 81, 900. He did not specify just
where the property was located or say
/ Ihdl II belonged 10 MI POPE. II TACT
he did not know the property al that
time as the Pope property" That
name was given to it subsequently. The
meeting of the special committee was
held the night of Wednesday, Oct. 3.
and the asphalt matter was taken up
after the Mailer interurban railway
franchise had been considered.
Councilman FernSurOm said the meet
ing was not held the night of Oct. s.
but the night of Oct. Il. and read from
a morning paper to prove that il was
on the latter night the Mailer franchise
was considered. Mr. Nebeker read
from the same paper TO prove that the
| Mailer franchise and the asphalt mat
ter were both considered the night of
Oct. D.
Continuing his statement Mr.. Neb-
eker said that Mr.. Pope had offered 10
sell $50 acres of asphalt land at Book
Cliff. Utah. to be chosen out OF several
tracts, for 1,500, and to give Mr.. Neb-
| eker $500 fer making the sale. he hal
| told Mr. Pope that he would submit the
| offer at $1,000, and would not charge
! him the $500 or any sum for doing so
Mr.. Pope had previously made q prop
osition to him and TO Mr. Clark. whose
| aSr,ba7f r,T-oDprtN- "a Thistle Utah