The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-22
WHAT THE BOND ISSUE rs.

| II,
need of a high school building, con
doning the graft certain to ensue, for
the sake of getting some kind OF n
school building on some kind of pro
gramme that so far is not disclosed. AS
we have said whenever discussing this
question, there is evident need of the
high school. There is also dispos,
| tion on the part Of this city, and al
WAYS has been, TO vote needed money
for school purposes the taxpayers recog
nizing the need and advantage of hay
ing good public schools.
But in this case the sclf-sceklnG-
grating propensities Of those in control
of the board of education have been
made so manifest, their brnzen ellron-
terry in wbitewashing and condoning
graft in the case Of the cx.superinten-
dent of buildings and among themselves.
that there is absolutely no trusting
them, They have been peculiarly unfor'
tunate, too, in their making of con
tracts for school buildings. In the mat,
ter of the Onequa school, north of the
away from the lowest bidder and given
TO a bidder 10000 higher. for no reason
that has ever been explained. The nat
ural inference is that somebody got a
rake.off on account of that $4,000 In
letting the contract for the Jefferson
school. there was difficulty. bidders de
faulting. and nobody seems to know
much about how the school was put up.
1t was under Mr.. Brldwell S superln-
tendency, and that superintendency rs
bv no means guaranty of. good work.
Quite the reverse. 1t guaranteed moth
ING except that certain favored ones
were admitted into illegal participation
where they had no right TO figure at all.
The Tribune yesterday morning PRINT
ed from the records certain items of
supplies furnished the board. partly
without any competition, although the
sums were considerable, and the money
was paid to then foreman OF one
Of the members Of tho board, Mr.. Giau-
que. II appears also that MI Newman
continues his nepotism right along to
the present time, and that number OF
his sons and relatives were on the pay
roll even as late as December at eX-
travagant prices for the services rem
dered. Mr. Martin also continues his
supply of coal to the schools. he being n
member of the board and such supply
by him being in direct violation Of the
law.
The fact that this nepotIsm and graft
control in the board is evident from the
passage of the resolution whitewashing
superintendent Bridwell, though he
was plainly guilty of Irregularities and
of conniving at nepotism and graft
on his payrolls. it was, in fact, eX-
ceedingly difficult to get some of those
payrolls at all, Bridwcll claiming that
they had been lost, and afterwards ex-
planning that one or two of them had
been found in an extraordinary and
unusual place Mr.. Mat. Thomas acted
the part Of stalwart, honest public
official IN trying TO get to the bottom
of these Bridwell mysteries. But he
was not supported by the board, In
fact, the board seemed from the first
more disposed TO persecute MIR. Thomas
for his zeal in the service of public
efficiency and public honesty than to
deal with the uufaithful official who was
under investigation; and finally, as the
inquiry began to get hot about ono or
two other members of the board, the
prevailing sentiment in that body was
that the investigation must proceed no
further and it was stopped. Latter,
BY reason of that cowardiee and dere-
LECTION TO public duty the board had the
gall a couple of weeks ago to give its
unfaithful superintendent clean bill
of health because nothing had been adj
Judged against him, The board did not
dare to pursue the investigation TO its
legitimate conclusion, for fear certain
other members of the board would be
involved in public shame and disgrace,
and il actually had tho audacity to
plead this dereliction on its own part
as reason why Bridwell should be eX-
culpated,
We do not see how ii is possible
for any taxpayer to vote In favor Of
these bonds under these circumstances.
The only reason imaginable is that such
taxpayer so voting considers the urgcn-
cy of having high school building
sufficient TO take the risk of the graft
certain to cnsue, and to condoue the
stealing if only the high school can be
had. But since the control of the board
is evidently under grating influence
and is also incompetent, the hope Of
getting worthy high school is so very
poor that it surely is not worth while
to take the risk. Better wait year or
two until the board can be purged Of
its graft propensities, and then VIC can
have high school honestly built and
one worthy of the city and Of the school
work TO be done therein.
THE DANITES ADMITTED.