Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-07-17
THE TALE or A LETTER.


| A morning paper on Thursday con-
tanned story to the effect that a
councilman had Stolen a letter from
the Mayor to the council, appointing
Mr.. Devine chief of the Fire depart
ment. In order to give the American
party official accused OF stealing, an
opportunity of defending himself, the
News" promptly, through re-
porter, offered him whatever space he
would want for denial or explanation.
If American" party officials. who are
asking for public money to spend. are
not above tampering with an official
document, the public ought to know It,
But the gentleman did not deny the
ugly charge, though in explaining the
transaction he used less ugly term,
He took the letter He did not
steal" it. And he did not take it on
his own initiative. The American"
majority, he said, in caucus voted that
the letter in question was not to- come
before the council The American
caucus decided this. aud it was put up
man is quoted to have said. After this
explanation sit Is to be hoped that the
public will look upon the little incident
in It's proper light as Ally sloper OBJ
served when taken In for vagrancy.
The manner in which the gentleman
ed to him was told by himself as fol-
lows:
II went TO SANDY Fowler for II. He
said he had TO deliver il TO Recorder
Moreton, pursuant to the instructions
of the Mayor before he left. / went
to Recorder Moreton. He said that
he had not seen It, hut II Sandy had
left II on his desk 1t was no doubt
there. He and Sandy both knew my
intention to take it, and saw me do 1t,
but both wished formally to be ex-
cused from the responsibility Of its
getting out OF the regular channel The
action was one of friendly concern for
the Mayor"
The diplomacy displayed is no less
admirable than "the friendly coycern''
for the Mayor.
But the incident should cause some
serious reflection. The Mayor of the
City Of Salt Lake sends an official com
munication to the council According
to- the explanation offered, an "Ameri-
can" caucus decides that that COM
munication must not come before the
council and delegates one of the coun-
cilmen to abstract It from the Re-
corder's desk. And yet, il anyone dares
to question the honesty and integrity
of the power that dominates the major
lty he Is denounced as an outcast!
If the Mayor wants his letters to
reach the council, he will have to take
the precaution OF sending them through
the mails. According to the statutes,
any person who shall take any letter,
postal card, or packet which
has been In any postoftice or branch
postoflice, or in the custody of any let
ter or mail carrier, before 1t has been
delivered to the person 20 whom IT was
directed, with design 10 obstruct the
correspondence shall, for
every such offense, be punishable by a
fine of not more than FIVE hundred
dollars. or by Imprisonment at hard
labor for not more than one year, or
by both" II the Mayor wants his
official communications 10 reach the
council, he must, It appears, ask Uncle
sam TO deliver them.
There is something IN the statutes
about the offcnse Of carrying away any
record or any paper, or document, or
record filed or deposited In any public
office, and the story OF this letter might
properly be the subject of an inquiry
by the city council,