The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-25
SAL1AIR RAILROAD
BEING CRITICISED
Refusal TO Grant Low Rate to
Wearers of Bronze Buttons
the Cause.
OTHER CITIES HAVE
EXTENDED C0URTESIES
Great Crowds Will Be Brought
Here in Addition to Wearers
of the Blue.

The refusal Of the Salt Lake s. Los
Angeles railroad to grant lower rate
to Saltsir, than the usual 90 per cent
reduction for all organizations. 70 tht
Veterans OF the Grand Army Of The Re
public at the fortytbird national en-
campment, has aroused a storm Of criti
cism among the old warriors who arc
citizens Of Salt Lake, aud the news
has spread that Salt Lake corporations
under. Mormon control arc attempting
to make money out OF the nation s
saviors.
This attitude will hurt Salt Lake, IN.
less the officers Of the Saltair concern
eau be persuaded to see the folly Of
their way. Comment in many quarters
on this situation is far from compi.
mentary TO the men who are reaponsi
BILE for the refusal
Com mercislism has no place in q pa
triotic celebration, say the old soldiers
and their friends.
Tho action taken by the Salt Lake
g. Los Angeles railroad IN this matter
is unprecedented IN this country. Here
tofore, every city in which j &. 4. r.
national cncampmcut was held Gu
deavored to extend every possible hos
pitality 10 the veterans.
Treatment in Denver.
"When we met in Denver said one
veteran. ''that city did all in its power
20 make us comfortable and happy. 1t
made us mighty proud 10 have hun.
dreds Of thousands Of people from all
over Colorado standing and cheering ms
as we paraded by for hours. But the
hoo no
big public utility corporations OF Den
yer and the Colorado railroads treated
US The conductors on The street cars
wouldu t look at our nickels, and we
rode everywhere, as often as we wanted
10. Everybody in Denver would lust
push back our money and point to the
little button in our lapels. That 8
enough pay for us, they say, every
time. The resorts and places Of amuse-
ment received us with open arms, and
We had Just az much money when we
came out as when we entered Those
Denver people made us feel that they
really felt grateful to us. -
Col. Frank NJ. SteTrett, executive di-
rector Of the encampmeut, wrote to the
Salt Lake & Los Angeles railroad. stat
ing that the money demanded. $4,000
for 10000 tickets. is too much and ask
ing for free rides for the wearers OF
bronze buttons, but so Tar mas had no
reply.
The fact that Saltair is under Nor
mon control intensifies the situation
disagreeably, for it is notorious that
the church has never betrayed any con-
suming love for the BOYS in blue. Busi-
ness men who want 10 clear Salt Lake 9
name say that the only way In which
it can ne doue is for the Salt Lako 6
Los Angeles railroad TO rescind It's de
cision. and consent TO either give a
decent rate, OF else DO the wholly grace
full thing and allow the veterans to 90
TO Ssltair for nothing. This would uot
be at all extraordinary. iuasmucb as
IN other cities have done
the same thing many times before. 1t
would also he a paving invest
ment, as each wearer Of the button is
usually accompanied by two or three
others who would expect to pay their
way. The resorts also will profit large
" by the thousands not veterans that
the low encampmept rates will bring
here. II is said that other Salt Lake
resorts viii not he as shortsichted as
church controlled Saltair