Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-05-07

nom progressive?
The Pioneers came here In 1s47 ans
found a desert. Destitute though they
We,a they went to work with improve.
meats the very first day. In March
i ts4S, this City had 423 houses and 1877
inhabitants, an Increase of l,52S souls
IN eight months They had already ola
acres OF land under cultivation. Of
| which SID acres were sown with win
ter wheat. About that time a post
office was established.
In 1850 the first number Of the Des.
scret News was published.
In 1858 there were 1919 Church mem
bers in Salt Lake, and in 1850 the popu-
lation had Increased 10 about 5000
1t il true that the first settlers here
had difficulties 10 overcome of which
the ,aAople now, who see only the
fruit of their sacrifices, can have any
idea, But they were untifins in their
work of Improvement. IiilS51 the Saints
decided to buiid the great Templc, and
lin 1868 the Temple block was dedicated.
in 1851 sclloolhouscs were built in most
of the wards in the city. In 1851 work
was begun On the Old Tabernacle. The
University Of the State of Deserct was
opened In the CITY, Nov. II, 1881. In
glS5e the Territorial Librury was opened
In the Council House. a Perpetual Emf
grafton fund was established for the
benefit OF settlers, and in 1852 the first
assisted company arrived. In 1888 a
wall l. feet high, 6 feet thick at the
base and . feet 6 inches at the top.
and nine miles In length, was con
structed as q protection against hos
atile Indians.
The spirit Of progress and improve
ment was noted by almost every WISH
tor In the early days. Ex-secretaiy of
& the U. S. Treasury. Hugh Mccullough.
wrote in the New York Tribune, March
20, 1877:
.'The ride from Ogden to Salt Lake
City, over the U. G! r. r., built and
owned by the Morrnons, Is pleasant
one. | fornear a description of this
singular, and III many respects, beauti-
full city. have to admit | never gazed
:turesque as the one presented in look
ing over Salt Lake Valley, from the,
bench behind the City. There are,
among the Morrnons, many clever peo-t
5ple--scientifie architects, skilful arti-
sans, and tasteful landscape gardeners.
This is indicated by their public build
ings, their. workshops and factories
grounds. The roof of their Tabernacle
5(15o by $50 feeD rests upon the walls
,,t@l. tte,
Temple, when completed, will be sur
passed by no building in the western
hemisphere, in solidity, or appropriate
and beautiful architecture. The organ
built entirely by the Morinons. Is sec-
ond in size to only one in the United
States, md is exceled by none in tone
or beauty. Many private dwellings are
handsome, and gardens are models OF
taste and culture.
Il In view of such testimonies as to-
the spirit Of progress by which the
early settlers here We're animated, 1t is
rather late In the day for the Tribune
to offer the g.ratultous insult to the.
descendants of those men and women
who laid the foundations of the State.
that they We're non progressive and re-
sisted every proposed improvement"
IT is a falsehood, of which it seems to
us, the Tribune, on second thought,
ought to be thoroughly ashamed.
The Church members have always
been the first and foremost in the work
of Improvement, and tho News" has
consistently voiced the general senti-
inent. But we have opposed the pirate
policy Of some party manipulators,
whereby the City has been plunged into,
debt for the benefit of grafters. We
have opposed every proposition to rob
tho people, as has been done, ut times.
in the matter Of public work. Our OPP
position has been directed against fraud
and false pretenses, and not against
improvements We have counseled the
people to elect honest, capable men for
office, and pleaded for sufficient funds
to enable them TO carry ON necessary
improvements. When 1t became clear
that an increased water supply was
needed for the development of the CITY,
we We're among the first to support the
Council In its request for a loan of a
million dollars, because we believed in
the honesty OF the men in charge
When, later. another crowd had OBJ
tanned control--a crowd not even elect
ed by the peopie-which did not use the
money borrowed according to the
pledges made, we opposed another loan
which was asked for ostensibly for iln-.
provements but in reality for the per-
3petuation of that crowd in power. Why
not try to be fair in the treatment of
even an opponent?
Tho Tribune, speaking of the so-called
American party, continues:
Then came the vitalizing leaven of
the American party victory of 1905. re-
peated in 1907; and from the first news
of that first victory going to the coun-
try, Salt Lake leaped into new life.
Every one in the United States under
stood that this city had shaken off the
priestly chains, and was in line as a
progressive, splendid American city"
AS we have shown, there were no
.priestly chains to shake off. That
kind OF talk is only II bid for the vote
of the most ignorant of bigotted party
followers.
The leaders of the soecalled American
party simply We're determined to obs
thin control of tho City government.
They had no nobler end in view than
the capture OF the County and finally
the Legislature for the purpose Of
sending back 10 the United States Sem