The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-03-06
DAVIS TRIES TO
GRAB CONDUIT
President of Council Springs Coup
to Throw Down Fellow
Americans. IS,
WAR AMONG THE PATRIOTS
KELSEY-MORAN COMBINE GETS
JOLT FROM CITY FATHERS.

President 4. ]. Davis and his immedi-
ate cOterie in the city council attempted
last night to seize control of the Big
Cottonwood conduit work. Had the plan
prevailed. their fellow Americans
would have been left out in the cold
The attempt. which came in the form
of a resolution introduced by Council
man Thomas Holiday. was smothered.
and while to all outward appearances
the American" party serenity was not
disturbed by the incident. it simply gave
TO those aware of the inward jealOusies
and heartDurnings among the Ameri-
can majority visible evidence that all
is not serene in the party councils.
Holidays resolution provided that the
president Of the council should appoint a
committee OF five members, to be known
as the committee on water supply and
conduit" and that this committee should
have the power, along with the mayor
and the city engineer, to employ. at d
cost not to exceed $500 consulting en-
gineer and push the conduit to compile
ton.
In brief. the resolution meant that a
committee named by Davis, who is rated
as being closer to Contractor Pat Mo-
ran than any other member of the cOun-
ell. would virtually dictate expenditures
in connection with constructing the con-
duit
MuIvey Jumps on 1t.
The recorder had scarcely finished read
ing the resolution when Councilman NJ
E Mulvey was on his feet to oppose
the attempt of his fellow Americans
to leave him without a voice IN the Dig
project. He moved to refer the reso-
luton to the wateTworks committee OF
which he himself is chairman Holiday
moved the adoption of the resolution,
and Councilman A +. Barnes, Democrat,
seeing that the Americans We're ABOUT
to get into a beautiful row among them
selves. seconded Holidays motion
MulVey made speech ana con-
demned utterly the plan to turn the work
over TO a special committee He said IL
was the business of the whole council
and that no favOritiSm should be shown
HOLIDAY protested that a disinterested en-
gineer must eventually be called in and
argued for mis- resolution.
Councilman FeTnstrOm protested
against further delay. He wanted to get
down to work and settle the conduit mat
ter without delay. and said that reference
to a SpeciaI committee wouldn't help mat
tiers. lie warned the cOunctlmen that they
were frittering away valuable time ana
that there would be no additional water
supply for next summer.
Martin Against 1t.
Councilman Martin. an American who
has not vet been IaSsOed by the Kelsey
Moran-Davis combine. kicked against the
resolution. He protested that too much
money had already been spent for expert
legal and engineering knowledge, and Op-
posed any further expenditure IN That oil
Fernstrom's speech had shown the
Davis contingent that the Democrats
would probably vote against the reSOlu-
ton. despite Councilman Barnes sarcas-
tic seconding of the resolution and 50
Holiday consented to the reference
The conduit matter Will probably come
I'D in the WaterwOrkS committee Thurs
day night. If an American" party star
chamber caucus is held to settle the queS-
ton, it VIII probably be a warm meeting