Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-04-22
FEW FACTS

/ peculiar brand az "Amcricalusn.
No sooner had some of our enter
pr.Sng business men decided DO raise
money and secure location for large
business block at the head % Main
street. than that payer put DO the
claim that it was Cts "Americanism''
that fostercd tho enterprise. The paper
So insane enough To- claim that but or
SIS pssudo-Ameucanlsm material
progress. such as that now witness'i.
would have been impossible The papar
might just as well claim that tho suu-
shine. the clear mountom stvams. tho
refreshing breezcs from the canyons,
the wealth n the hills and ths valleys
are am due to the same cause. One
claim would not be amy more absurd
than the other But 10 was bound o.
come The Tribune ia lab1Iine h'rt
Tor tine parpeuouou of Cine anti-"A Nor
mon" sentiment which Sc calls "Amer'-
canism.
But. as usual u supports Boz claims
| by false statements DO says shat Che
thrush OF population ard capital oe-
gan in this city with tnc triumph
OF the so-called American party Oh
1905. that no such "rusa" would have
been possible under the old regime and
that under the former "ecciesiasLcal'
CONTROL mo public improvements were
going on. where evcrything was held
az a standstiIl where the efficacy %
sewers and OF sanitation were ques-
toned. and where mo one was wiillns to
improve his property because the city
did nothing IN the way OF bsttermsnts
or Improvements"
We have quoted this extraordinary
outburst verbatim II the paper hll
added that there were no mountains
here. and no lake. no railroads and no
public buildings OF any description I'M
en- its "Americanism' triumph
ed 81 would not have been any further
from the truth. it cannot have a very
high opinion of the Intelligence OF It's
readers when it premmes upon thcir
credulty TO the extent Of asserting
that there were no public impro, emenes
here until four years ago.
what are the facts7
The spirit OF progress and improve
ment has always been a Characteristic
of the class OF people that FIRST settled
here. ana the Pioneers proved this from
the very drst day they entered the vai-
lev. They explored. plowed. planted,
irrigated. built houses and roads, and
sent missionaries IN an directions, who
brought this region 90 the notice OF the
world They aided settlers to come
/ here from across the seas. and made It
/ possible for them to take up the work
/ of transferring the wilderness into a
/ garden. at q time when the visible MAJ
/ tural attractions were few. They
planned cities and temples and uniyer-
stiles. al a time when starvation and
Indians disputed their rights 90 eN-
lstence Utah. in a. very few years
after its first settlement. was the won-
der of the world, thanks 10 the enter
| prise and progress tcaess OF It's olis nal
settlers. The first ten years of its oX-
iztencc showed more rapid development.
comparatively speaking. than amy sub
ssauent ten-year period That is
matter Of history What good purpose
cam De gained by the denial of uni-
verauy known facte AND such are
! thc 'Mormons" today progressive I'M
dustums. onteprsing
! IfUtoh did rot advance in later years
as rapidly as It's first growth seemed 10
promise. that was entirely duo 90 the
anti Mormon sentiment that was en-
eendered here by fanatics and ambi-
tious office hunters Through that sens
ument factions were created. one class
OF citizens was placed under tho me-
cesslty ~ defending their faith, their
/ liberty. their homes Bitterness often
took the place % public piriiedness.
and during the days of contention Utah
! got "a bad name in the world among
! those who could see mo- deeper than the
surface. The result was that the ma
! teral aud spiritual interests of the
state suffered to some extent critics
younger thau Salt Lake forged ahead
For anti "Mormonism" was "a detri.
ment to Che city
Especially is This true OF tho brand
mat BE- now represented by the Tribune
a. has been and ls sun as FAR az
the influence % that paper goes. an in-
cubus. O. nightmare Some time ag.
the Retail Merchant published iu thi.
CITY. mode the following statement