The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-16
BETTER CITY GOVERNMENT.

III
Colonel Z. A Wall. in an interview
given The Herald. voices some rational
objections to the Galveston plan for
city government as applied to Salt
Lake. and suggests obstacles which
have been considered by the trainers of
the measures now before the legisla-
ture. These objections, briefly stated.
are:
That political conditions here do not
insure the selection Of the best men.
That good men do not refuse to serve
either as mayor or councilman an &C.
count of small salaries. so far as Col
onel Wallis residence here affords evil
dence; and that If the hest men have
not been chosen 1t is the fault of the
electorate. not of the individual
That there would be no reason for
more careful scrutiny of candidates
under the new plan than under the old
Taking these primary criticisms in
order. the supporters of the measure
believe that the simpiiication of city
government will improve political con-
ditiops so far as they affect the city.
because the change would eliminate
much Of the political trading. the ap-
pointment Of unfit men TO office as a
reward for political services. which now
demoralizes both politics and city gov
eminent. When sixteen men are run
ming for Office, the number of outstand-
ing promises Of office as pay for po-
litical work is the chief source of trou-
BILE after the election is over. Each
councilman has men to reward in his
own precinct; the city treasurer. the
auditor the recorder, the engineer,
every man who is elective or hopes to
get job. trades with some other man
who has following. The result is a
mutual debauehery of the electorate
and the hypothecation in advance OF
Jobs to men who have no claim in fit
ness or ability for the places
With three or four men running for
office. all chosen from the city at large.
the conditions could not be as bad; on
the contrary, experience shows that the
limitation OF offices and the simplifca-
ton of responsibility tends to stop such
political barter and sale of public Of
fees. Certainly the political conditions
here offer a better chance OF securing
three good men than of securing six
teen or any larger number.
Colonel Wall says. further: Il have
yet to hear OF one man in all the years
Of my residence in this city who re-
fused nomination. or election TO the Of
fee of mayor or city councilman be-
cause of the inadequacy of the salary
paid" That is probably true so far as
ii relates to salary as reason for de-
Ginning; but Colonel Wall must know
that II is difficult to get good men to
run for Office under present conditions
because they realize the impossibility
OF doing effective work for the public
welfare The colonel himself would not
undertake 10 manage q big mining
property as president if he had TO SUBJ
nit all his executive acts to a council
of the Salt Lake kind before he could |
get anything done. He would not toll
crate for a moment the kind of depart
ment heads in a mine that mayor has |
to name or take over when he accepts /
office He would not be responsible for |
the success of any undertaking where
he had no authority to hire or discharge |
men without consulting a political +
or needed council to sane +
ton his action.
Every man who has had to do with /
eity nominations knows that il is next /
% impossible to get prominent business
men ike Colonel Wall to consider a
domination for public office. either as
mayor or councilman; and It is almost
,ut of the question to expect "a compe-
.ent.' honest end efficient man to as
sumo the direction of a department and
ievote all his time to it unless he is a
professional politician. Even when a
FOOD man takes such a department he
$ Immediately handicapped by the ne
'essfty for appointing friends Of coun-
linen to minor jobs, men who could /
lot hold a Job in a business of similar
managed as Colonel Wall
manages his own affairs.
In the interview. the colonel. con-
iudes: Il can see. no reason. why there
'=auid be more careful scrutiny ex-