The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-25

1t is understood the Galveston bills
VIII be reported TO the house by its spe-
cial committee either today or tomor-
Tow. Upon the disposition made by the
house will depend the future city gov
eminent of Salt Lake, and in such an
important matter it is TO be hoped the
members realize the full extent of their
responsibility.
Probably no measures ever had fuller
discussion by The press and public; GER
tainly no proposed change ever had
more nearly unanimous support from
the business community which will be
affected by it. After all the discussion
FOR and against the plan embodied in
these bills. the only serious objection
advanced is that While the plan itself is
All right the city might suffer if the
right men could not be secured.
II Will be noted that this objection is
advanced largely by politicians con-
Hected with the present city govern
ment or by those who are interested in
some other branch OF machine politics
IN the city and state. The sufficient an
swer 10 that argument is the visible
fact that il is impossible under the
present system to get the right men
to serve and the results under the new
system ought To be much better be-
cause both the salaries paid and the
authority granted would be much more
of an indueement to good men than can
TancGfI.ltr l.
conditions.
Everybody knows it is difficult now
10 get the right" men to accept office,
either as counciImen or as appointiye
employees The reason is simple: good
man is handicapped in the council by
the little political intrigues and di-
visions of ,spoiIs, by the men who are
IN the council, not to serve the public.
but 20 get as much as possible out of
public employ. \ self-respecting cit
izer, such man as Ferry, for instance.
is embarrassed by political eaucuses,
by the eXigencies of party necessity,
until he is almost ready to despair of
doing business on business principles.
Why shouldn't Salt Lake get the right
men To serve if it gives them salaries
commensurate With their responsibili-
ties and entrusts them with the author
ity needed TO achieve results? Why
shouldn't conventions representing the
whole city get as good men as are
named for the district judgeships or for
mayor OF for congress? Is public spirit
"a IN, al L nh T.
arouse an interest in city affairs that
shall compel the politicians 10 take a
back seat and let the people take COM
mand of their civic affairs?
The Herald believes that the time is
ripe for such an awakening of the peo-
pie. that 1t viii not only be possible 10
nominate and elect good men, but that
the citizens will have no other kind. II
the Galveston plan is adopted. as seems
likely. il is safe to say that the whole
community viii take part in the af-
fairs of the city, in its nominating con-
ventions. in its primaries and in its
actual government.
Developments of the past few months |
show that the city is rapidly coming
into its own, that it has passed the
small city stage and is becoming the |
commercial and financial. educational |
and social center of the whole. inter- |
mountain region. An era of improve |
inent, public and private, is on, and the /
future of the city viii depend largely |
upon the kind of government it is TO 4
have for the next few years. business
necessity demands that the manage
ment Of municipal affairs shall be in /
the hands of good men working under /
the simplest business system possible.
If the legislature win give Salt Lake /
the form of government it asks, the
citizens will take care that none but
able. honest men are entrusted with
power In this critical stage of its de-
velopment.