The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-12
THE KNOCKERS AND THE DRoNEs.

morning contemporary. the Herald,
which was advocating, apparently, the
reelection Of Mr.. Morris to he mayor
Of Salt Lake City, but which, whenever
any building or especial signs Of enter
prise was mentioned, any important
deals in real estate, bad TO confess pub
licly and by name that American party
men were doing about all that was be.
ing done for the advancement Of the
city, both in keeping alive the real es-
tate market and in buildings and i'm
provements And vet il was a favorite
dodge of the Herald and Of the opposi
ton generally. in spite of the fact that
American party men were doing pretty
much everything that was being done
for the city. TO decry the American
party men as knockers. -
Similarly this year the same cry goes
out from the opposition. And yet when
any attempt is made to round up the
improvements of the city, it is found
again that these knockers are doing the
most of what is doing for the upbuild-
ing of Salt Lake and the advancement
of its interests.
First Of ALL take the public improve
ments Of the city. The American city
administration, taking the Big Cotton
wood conduit with it's faulty specifca-
tions and its inevitable leak of pretty
much all the water that might be
turned into it, at comparatively small
cost made that conduit water tight, has
completed IT TO the point Of junction
with the Parley's canyon reservoir,
and is about 10 make the connection
complete
In the way OF paving the streets, put
ting in sewers and sidewalks, and
beautifying and adjoining the city gen
orally, no administration that has pre-
tion has ever approached its record in
public work and in advancing tho city
and making a metropolis out Of 1T. That
has been made plain in the few months
that the American party has had con-
troll, American party men are doing
the building this year, as they did last.
The American party men are the ones
who are keeping up the vitality Of the
city, pushing its growth and making it
the mctronolis that nature designed
it to be.
And yet, in spite Of all this the op-
position, which claims that it never
knocks, is knocking the American
party, decrying it's good faith and be-
fouling its own nest by charging cor
ruption, "steal," graft" anywhere
and everywhere, whenever there is any
public work going on, These defamers
Of the city stop at nothing. They do
not even stop to investigate whether
there is anything wrong about any pro-
posed public matter. The mere rumor
that any matter is projected is enough
to start them MI of on the howl Of
"graft" and "steaI'' Some persons
interested in a number of lakes at Big
Cottonwood have revived the former
project of selling them to the city, as
a security against adverse purchase,
and as water supply reserve. The
city has done nothing about it. The
Council has done nothing, but is merely
asked to investigate and see if it wants
to do anything at all, and if 80, what.
And still on this mere incipient PROPOSE
tion to revive former offer to the
city, the cry goes out blindly, unreason-
ingly, stupidly, that a steal is afoot
Now, suppose that these defamers of
the city had any influence or were con-
sidered in the least by any persons who
might be considering the question Of
settling in this city for the purpose
of enjoying the splendid climate here,
or to 90 into business, What encourage
ment would they find in tho claims of
these defamers to make Salt Lake their
should man consider a town attrac-
tive to live in or establish business in
if that town is given over to public
corruption, thievery, graft and steals to
such an extent that not even the sim
plest thing can be proposed as IA mere
suggestion without raising u howl or
Y" graftn and "steal7n What sense Is
there in such defamers claiming to be
friends of Salt Lake? They not only in
jure the city, so far as they can, but
they assail those live citizens who buy
real estate, who improve it, who build
large blocks, who build palatial dwell
ing houses and who adorn the city in
every possible way, putting their money
in here and boosting for Salt Lake, not
by nero empty words, but by actual
cash and the employment Of industry,
and thus engage practically in the eff
fectual building up of the city.
Suppose that the persons who are de-
famed and whose characters are con-
stantly assailed should withdraw their
support from this town. What would
happen7 Where would be the progressf
Who would be putting up residencesl
Who would be erecting big business
bloeks7 What would the town amount
to without the live Americans who are
pushing the town to the front, who are
building it ND. who are IMPROVING il