The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-27
q HUMsUe CANDIDATE.

'lNWDRN NNNhlbNl *
Yesterdays American party convep-
ton illustrated exactly what The Her
aid had In view Sunday when it said
the Americans were working on plat
form OF humbug. Organized ostensibiy
as a party Of reform, and practically as
"A party of revenge, the Americans
nominated for mayor yesterday the one
man OF an candidates in recent years
who has benefited most by church inhu-
ence In city elections. the one man
whose friends sought that influence.
and the one man who should be barred
by favors received from ever protesting
against the evil OF ecclesiastical infu-
ence in politics,
Like all his chief sponsors in politics..
the real organizers OF the so-called
american party, Ezra Thompson had
no grievance against the Mormon
church so long as he and his associates
were its beneticiarles, Like his friends.
too, he could not see the dangers of the
hierarchy" until he and his friends
lost control OF the Republican machin
cry and so were deprived of the chance
10 utilize church influence for their own
ends. Like all his chief associates, he
chuckled and chortled with glee at the
angry protests of the Democratic party
against the Republican solicitation Of
aid from the leaders of the church and
thought the protest a great joke.
Now things have changed. Ezra out
N the cold has become a refotmer.
Looking Wistfully through the windows
Of the pie counter, ThOmpson's point Of
view got Il new light; the beauties OF
church Influence in politics no longer
appealed to him, the joke on the Demo-
Gratis which was SO ludicrous when he
was elected no longer seemed humor-
Gus: nothing but reform with a big r
would suit Ezra-and straightway he
hiod himself to the American" party.
The Democracy could ask for no bet
ter issue in this campaign than the rec
ord OF Mayor Norris compared with the
record Of Ezra Thompson in the same
Office. Thompson was mayor for four
years. As the chief executive Of Salt
Lake City he was a lamentable failure
Either because his large private inter-
ests occupied SO much of his time that
he had none left TO devote to the city's
interests. or because he could not bring
himself TO the close attention to details
that is so necessary in any supervision
of city affairs Mr.. Thompson contented
himself during the four years he spent
in Office with signing Official documents
and approving occasional veto MESA es
that were prepared for him by an ell
Cient secretary.
The eX-mayors friends cannot point
out one single proposition originated
by Mr.. Thompson for the advancement
of this municipality We challenge
them TO show one case in which the
city benefited by his mayoralty. Dur
ing both of his terms there vas a Re
publican majority in the city council.
Yet Mayor Thompson. elected as a Re
publican. spent the little time he gave
to his official duties ian pickering and
quarreling with the council over unim-
portant matters.
During one of the Thompson admin
istrations the citizens voted $3.50, 900 in
water bonds. The people were prom
ised that il they voted for those bonds
Mayor Thompson and his associates
would give the municipality an abund-
ant s1pply of water, The money was
spent. Every dollar of it was dis
Gursed in one way and another. Can
Mayor Thompson or his friends show
that the city gained d single drop OF
water from the outlay? Thousands
were frittered away in experiments,
other thousands went into a pipe line
for which there was no water. The
money was wasted by handsful.
If Thompson had kept the specific
promise made 10 the taxpayers, the city
today would have more water ana less
useless iron pipe. II Thompson had
been a competent mayor. there would
have been no necessity for the sale of
city property to meet current running
expenses of the city under his admins
tration. And if he had been as anxious
TO fight church influence then as he is
now, there would have been no occa-
sion to accuse him Of bad faith, as there
is now. in the platform on when he is
named.
The Democrats ought TO be pleased
with ThomDson's nomination, since II
affords the best possible chance for con-
trast between an inefficient. weak and
incompetent administration. and q
management OF affairs which has sent
the city forward by leans and bounds
improved its streets and sidewalks, ar
Tanged for u real water supply and
modernized II in every direction.
Thompson OH a humbug platform
against Morris on platform OF results
achieved ought to bring easy victory L
the Democracy.
THE COUNCIL NOMINEES