The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-13
THE IMPROVEMENT STOPPER.

And now the Smoot mouth the
organ OF the conspirators who plotted
to deprive this city Of public improve
ments for at least two years 10 come,
and Of its right TO self-government,
comes forward with the insane plea
that the American party administra,
tion is glad TO see the work stopped
and to have the excuse of the new law
| for stopping it. That is to say, the
/ especial and malignant foes of the
/ American party have done 1t this ser
| vice; knowing or foreseeing that it
, did not wish TO proceed with public
I improvements in tins city, these enc
mics of the American party provided
I it with this excuse for stopping work
| and lying down. That is about on
| plane with the Intelligence and candor
/ of the Smoot .'mouth' in its discus
! sion Of public questions generally. Here
| is the American party in power, hated,
( rev!led, charged with everything under
( the sun, mostly untrue, every effort to
| decry and defeat it INDUCED in, and
| yet these very assailants, having in the
7
. Will to do as much damage to the
American party cause as possible turn
away from their anger, forget their
] hate, and lovingly and soothingly pro-
vide for the American party this ave
nue. of escape which the American ad.
ministrajion found so convenient, so
acceptable, and so altogether aluring.
| fao &C of
could hatch up this conception and put
it into words is pitiable, but his freak
notion is quite on par with the usual
Smoot argument.
The American party went forward
with large plan for public improve
ments; il advertised for bids, it made
awards on those bids, it drew up the
contracts accordingly, signed on its
own behalf, or is ready to, and passed
over these contracts for the signature
Of the contractors, These demurred
upon the ground that this new leglsla-
tion would invalidate their claims for
compensation, and that they dare not
sign and proceed with the work under
/ the contract; this demur being the re-
/ suit of changes from the old law; CON
/ ditions governing the work had been
entirely changed, as they aver, by the
new. The city has done everything in
its power with respect to these improve
mcnts; it still desires to have them
done; its signature TO the contracts
still holds; It's part is done and is
ready; the only thing lacking is the
signature of the contractors There is
nothing further possible that the city
can do in this matter until the con-
/ tractors sign; then it is ready to pro-
ceed and pay for the work according
to law. And now IN idiotic "mouth -
representing Senator Smoot's personal
interests alone and no party at all, has
the insolent gall to suggest n crawfish
ing on the part of the city. If the
claim were not so utterly preposterous
and silly, IT would be worthy of resent.
meut AS it is, it is worth nothing but
the scorn and contempt which its state
ment unmistakably demands.
1t will be in vain for the plotters
against the city's progress to evade
the issue. either By pleading some other
portion of the law or by undertaking to
place the blame for the arrest Of i'm
provements upon other shoulders than
their own. There can be no mistake
about where the blame for this arrest
of improvements lies, if indeed the ar.
rest is made effectual But we do not
believe that the city administration
should confess that the arrest of public
improvements has In fact been made.
We believe that it should proceed with
all diligence and energy to put in such
improvements as are possible, and if
necessary test the question in the
courts to see whether, considering all
the statutes, this would-be paralyzing
proviso for the separate treatment of
every piece of property is, in fact, a
lawful rulc. We do not know that the
Council would be justified in calling
of public improvements even il this
clause is found TO be the rule of law
II is true that to make for improve
ments upon every individual piece Of
property separate advertisement, call
for separate bid upon it, and to make
a special contract on each for doing
the public work contiguous to 1T. would
considerably increase the labor and ex"
pensc attached to making public i'm
, provcments We do not consider, how
ever, that this added cost would neces-
} sariJy be prohibitive. 1T would, for
, the most part, be charged back upon
the property; and the owner of that
| Dropprty cuuld understand and would