The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-08
ADJUSTMENTS TODAY.
THE METALS.
A STATE STREET pELusIoN.

~ = - 0@-O
Residents OF State street who have
had to suffer the inconvenience and ex-
pense of a bottomless mud road where
there should be a good paved street
seem TO have the queer notion that a
city government is responsible for the
state of the eity's thoroughfares. OF
course these people are excusable to a
degree because they have been assessed
for. the cost of paving their street, the
city has their money and a banker is
getting the benefit of it or is sharing
the benefit of some public Off
eial as the case may be.
II any of the State street complain
ants will consult Jake Raleigh. SUPERB
visor of city streets. Mayor Ezra
Thompson, American" mayor, and p
j. Moran. contractor in ordinary for the
Americans" he will be cured Instant
ly of his delusion that the administers
ton is responsible for the unbearable
condition of the street. He will dis
cover. among other things. that the
street supervisors chief business in life
is TO Draw salary from the city and get
jobs for his friends. Occasionally he
feels impeiled by criticism OF his de-
partment to make a bluff at cleaning
up the main business streets where his
works can be seen of men; but this is
only an incident to the salary-drawing
end of his job and is not to be taken
too seriously. Having secured his own
and some other votes for the 'Ameri-
can" party Raleigh feels that he has a
cinch on his office, no matter what
happens to the streets, and so far his
impression has proved to be correct.
The mayor, who is supposed TO be
Raleigh's chief. is apparently as indif-
ferent to street conditions as Raleigh
himself. which is saying a good deal.
In spite OF complaints, in defiance of
the public demand for an improvement
in the street service, and against the
Judgment of sentiment in his own party
ranks. the mayor has held to Raleigh
fatuously and is preparing to carry
him as a handicap throughout his adj
ministration
Nor is this the only count in the State
street Indictment Moran has had the
contract for paving State street long
enough to have completed it before
this. Unfortunately for the city. he
also had the contract for the Big Cot
tonwood conduit with a promise of $50
bonus for every day he finished the
work ahead of time. Naturally he let
everything else go while he went after
that $3.50 a day; his machinery and men
were concentrated on the conduit. State
street and South Main street could
wait under his contract with a COM
PLEASANT administration-and they did
wait. The sequel Is a claim in court
for $3.50 conduit bonus and about five
feet of mud on an impossible State
street.
The property owners and residents OF
the neglected street can see readily how
they have been misled when they sup-
posd the city authorities were RESPONSE |
bic for the condition of their thorough
fare. What business is it of Raleigh's
to alleviate their sufferings? WHY /
should a mayor concerss himself with
such trivial things IS the preservation |
of a passabie roadway when he is en- /
gagged in saving the nation and purify |
ing its homes? Why should Moran /
rush work for their benefit when he
can make $3.50 a day rushing a con-
quit that pays fat profits?
Go to, The end and aim of this adj
is to get offices for all
patriots, furnish good jobs for Raleigh
and Moran. collect taxes and reform the
government. In the present status OF /
the police department there may be
some doubt as TO what needs reform
ing most, but there can be no doubt as
to the advantage-to the Americans"
-of retaining Raleigh and encouraging
Meanwhile IL the State street folks
win ponder awhile on the results of a
'referm" administration headed by
Raleigh and Sheets and Thompson
md Moran, they may learn a whole lot
about the way not tc vote at the next
.ity election. The information may be I
and expensive. but it |
'ught to be worth while. Il