The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-21
THE REAL CRITICISM.


The American" city administration
and its sponsors in the press seem to
be labOring under a misapprehension
as TO the grounds for public criticism
of their management of city affairs.
Object to their expenditure of more
money than the city can possibly COL
lect from every source, and they reply
with an enumeration Of streets paved;
call a halt on the issuance of war
rants beyond the legal limit. and they
that conservative management is need
ed to escape the penalties OF extrava-
gance, and they call you an obstruc-
ZIONIST. Suggest that the overdrafts
Of June 80 are ominous, and they tell
you they have been raising wages, and
that overdrafts are unimportant mat
tiers. anyway.
The administration ought to know by
this time that the people of Salt Lake
are willing to stand for public i'm
provements up to the limit of their
ability to pay, so long as the mayor
and council do not create an indebted
ness outside of the legal limit. 1t is
evident now, by the American" au-
ditor's own figures. that the total rev.
enue for this year will not meet the
obligations already created by the
council and under contract, by at least
500, 600. In the face of its own figures,
knowing the exact situation, the ad-
ministration is going ahead as If it
had millions of surplus money, incur
ring obligations it cannot meet with
out issuing warrants in defiance OF
law, impairing the city's splendid cred
II and inviting a catastrophe sooner or
later.
That is why the public is criticising
the Americans" and demanding a re-
turn to sound business principles in
the management OF public affairs. 1t
is no defense to say the council is
spending money iberaIly-everybody
knows that, particularly Mr.. Moran
it is a poor plea to say that every
thing will be all right" anyway, be-
cause everything cannot be all right
at the end of the year if the income OF
the city from all sources falls short OF
meeting the expenses for the years.
it will.
All that Salt Lake has asked OF its
business managers is adherence to the
plainest precepts of sound finance. II
Ooao u1jtbout Sa1rfpg fbot eOz,o.bfrr. e
awry when warrants issued for special
improvements cannot be sold save al
a heavy discount. The banks of this
city are full of money seeking safe in
vestment at low rates of interest, vet
not one of them viii accept these spe-
cial improvement warrants at par
Warrants on the contingent fund and
some other funds are still negotiable
on good terms, because they are pro-
tected by the taxes to be collected in
November; but the day is not far OF
when the total amount Of the taxes
will be covered by warrants issued
and then somebody will have to suffer
Salt Lake City's credit has Away:
been gilt-edged, because its standard:
have been high. It has never before
had an administration that ISSUED
warrants in excess of the legal limit
Its people would not repudiate a deb
OF any kind, even If there were lega
excuse for IL, because they know re.
pudiation always means financial sui,
eide. For the same reason, they vii
not question any Indebtedness the pres
snt administration incurs, but they will
repudiate the men and the party tina
trihes thus with the city's best asset
its credit-and the Americans" would
better recognize the fact at once.