Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1906-06-08

the peoPie IN mass meeting to be sent
to tne sufferers from the San Francis
co disaster, terrific roar has gone
up from one or more members of the
council We have also received an
eight page manuscript indited by the
recorder by request of the senior
couucllor, much of which is foreign
to the points at issue, and In which
II Is sougnt to show that Councillor
Cory was favorable to the PROPOSE
tion, but baked only ON the legal
status of the case.
1t is Tar from our purpose to place
anyone In false light, and we are
willing TO correct any wrong impress
sions we may have created. We will
therefore make the following supple
mental statement to our previous ar
ticle, based upon the facts as we are
able to CLEAN them from members of
the council. Unfortunately there was
no reporter for the paper present:
The mass meeting was held April
25tb. The council did not convene
until May II, over two weeks later.
In the mean time, however, the may
or privately ascertained the feelings
of most of the councillors and found
that there was some opposition to the
matter, both in and out of the coun-
Gil. When the council met, Mr..
Armstrong was absent, and those
present were divided two and two on
the question. Councillor Cory stated
that he was opposed to giving away
the peoples money for such a pur-
pcss that the city was already |
involved by reason of the water sys
tenn, the installing of new steel cage
in the jail and other expenditures
that be did not believe that the PEG
pie OF San Francisco we're any wors Q
off than great many of the Cedar
people were, and that he did not
favor taxing the people to death in
order to donate for such purposes.
He stated, however, that he should
like to see a public subscription
: started, and that he would be willing
to contribute something individually.
Councillor Rollo favored the PROPOSE
ton IL 1t could be done legally, but
did not believe it could, and conse-
quently was not prepared to vote for
the measure. Councillor Wood was
ready to vote for the appropriation,
but felt that the famount was rattle r
large. Councillor Foster was in
) favor. As The vote was certain to
8 result in a tie, the mayor recon
: mended tina, the matter be deferred
y until fuIipouncrf was present. NJ
0 special meeting was called to con
slider the matter, and no report wa
made to the people of the action
: Thus the question drug along TO
: about month, and was finally settled
by the councillors informally agreeing
to the sending of draft for $3.50
which was done.
This, briefly stated, is the whole
transaction. On the whole, it re
fleets a lack Of executive ability oil
the part of the mayor and council
An expression of the people in mas
meeting, even though the ATTENDANCE
o was not very great, should have bee
= sufficient to warrant the converting O
a the council in special session, an
then If it was found that the council
~ could not egree, or there was an
q legal obstacle in the way of carryin
out the expressed will of the people
!, another mass meeting should hav
been called, or statement of tn
n situation made through the newspaper
% so that the people would have had al
"a opportunity of taking some othe
means for raising the money.
But as a matter of fact the maiorit
q of the people we're in ignorance
the situation aud great many SUI
posed that the money had been sen
in accordance with the request mad
by the people.
= And nov word in realtion TO tn
70 man who cannot stand TO have b
y public acts criticised or made public
70 1t must be borne in mind that sue
An matters are public property. III
= people have right to be informe
or in relation to them, and it is Il
y business of newspaper TO give the
30 publicity, when the general welfal
= or interest demands. We have
- right to publish the attitude of an
no public official on any measure
which the public is interested, an
rr If man ia too thin skinned to endu
od little criticism, he has no busine
80 in public Office. A public otiici