The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-04-23
AN OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR
EZRA THOMPSON.

My Dear Ezra-A short time ago re-
ceived notice Of the contemplated paw
ing Of Second South street, on which
! street l am a property owner. desire
publicly to enter my protest against such
expenditure Of the taxes OF the people for
any such purpose, for reasons which
must be apparent to any intelligent man,
much less yourself, who, 1T is supposed,
know Cor should know how every dollar
of the peoples money is expended Mr.
| Mayor, do you not know that in Saany
cities asphalt pavements are obsolete.
out of date, expensive to lay and more
costly to keep in repair than any other
material used for public thoroughfares.
and that macadam is now universally
used for residence districts?
~ Let me remind you; MT: Mayor, that
you were It elected TO this high honor be-
tolerated, no useless expenditure per-
mitted, but more especially because
your administration would be one of
economy. You have acknowledged to
me that to the Socialists were you large
ly indebted for your election. This was
so, because they believed the American
party would at least be honest and eco
'Tis true, the platform upon which you
stood was an abortion, and only arrived
at the supposed or real influence of the
Rnt tbaL 6 chqreh IN municipal affairs
] penditure of the taxes of the masses
would have been largely devoted to de-
Greasfng the tremendous debt hanging
like avenging Nemesis over this beau
| tiful city, and the present tax rate of
81 per cent would not in the near future
! previous administration had squandered
the peoples money; had granted fran
counted the future and mortgaged our
children by longtime franchises: that
/ the counclInen mad accepted passes from
every corporation, for which passes IA
vors would be returned; had increased
| the salaries of their henchmen in the
The trusting people believed these
statements. and you were elected the
chief executive Of this city Yet what has
]
in your behalf? How have you and the
present council fulfilled the campaign
! little over ninety days, and in this short
time the present council, more ignorant
! city, and more arrogant than any pre-
V1ous council has granted more fran
chises, and longer ones, than any pre-
vious councils in the same length Of time
] in our history a city. You have in
part contributed to bind and gag the peo-
pie by permitting another soulless cor
poration to plumber us for fifty years to
| come; have contracted for so-caIIed i'm
| provements to the amount of nearly
| last year your organ informs us You
have increased the salaries Of favorites
| political ward heelers;" have held Sc
! cret caucuses, not in the interest of the
! people or of justice or right. but in the
J interest OF the party Of which you are
| the official head Mr. Mayor, there is
now a debt hanging over this city of over
S5,Oo0,O00, or about $500 for every poor
family in the city. Not in your lifetime
nor that of your children, or children 3
children. will this debt be lifted from
about the necks of generations yet un-
born. Do you not know that almost
terest on our great debt, and yet you
keep piling on more Every public util-
ity, which would have brought money
into the ctty's treasury, has been bar
tered away for less than a mess of pot
tage- This last amended franchise was
given without a single restriction on IT:
protection DPOnl6- a
ton to the city Today Salt Lake stands
stripped of all her property, naked, de-
bauched and betrayed, and with a coun-
Gil ignorantly piling up a further debt on
the plea of public improvements
| Mr.. Mayor, what fnducepent can Salt
Lake offer to investors or home-seekers
| with a tax OF 31z per cent a 20 per
cent valuation on every home in the
city? That there are honest men in the
city council I do not doubt. but IL you
would sit and listen to ne senile drivel of
some of these city fathers, whose knowl-
edge of municipal affairs and civic pa
! triotiSm consists Of securing and riding
on railroad passes, junketing at the peo-
pies. expense, and pOCketiug their $50
per month. you would rise to the occa-
stion and exercise your prerogative and
the demands of few political henchmen.
The debt limit, Mr.. Mayor, has nelHly
been reached, and retrenchment is abso-
This council, if permitted to go on.
will bankrupt the city, for many Of them
are absolutely irresponsible and mental
ly incompetent to comprehend the moral
and financial disaster that surely is APP
preaching.
Mr.. Mayor, do something for the tax
payers just once.
Instead of increasing employees in the
city hall and comforting on favorites the
hard earnings of the toiling people, do
| something for the poor burden-bearers.
who ignorantly, though innOcentIy, threw
their hats in air for you and the Amer
lean party. Do you think, sir. this last
amended gas franchise, given away last
month, would have received the sanction
/ servants YOLTSeif
and the council are? Is this administra-
ton wiser or greater than their crea-
tors? All civilized people guard with
jealous care the right to tax, for the
power to tax means power to govern.
Address yourself to reforms which you
promised us. Decrease eXpe1~<tures alb
sOlutely unnecessary.
Open a city coal yard, where the Door
can procure coal at actual cost.
Open a free employment office, and
thereby protect the daughters and sons
of Zion from the dens of infamy always
open to receive them.
Annul the lease of the Warm Springs.
and give back to the people that which
Mr. Mayor. these trucking peanut
you that they may suck the life blood
of the people and serve their own unhoIy
purpose, should be cast aside as unclean,
, unclean.
Look over the republic today and note
the constant cleaning of the Augean sta
people have any civic pride. Note how
the executives of these cities are be-
loved for their upright honesty and cour-
, age and interest in the public welfare
Note the agitation for the initiative and
referendum In city affairs, which gives
the people the right 70 protect them
selves against graft and corruption. The
time has come. Mr.. Mayor, when fifteen
men can no longer barter away our
, rights and squander the result of the
sweat and toll of the people. This agita-
ton will go on, and the voice of the
overburdened people must and shall be
heard. Mr.. Mayor, I write as 1 do in the
kindliest of feelings toward you and
= many of the city council, who, though
Ian