The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-11-03
HIS HEROIC ACTS.

HIS HEROIC ACTS.
The attempt of the Smoot orgau u
make heroic figure out of MI. Park
in connection with his duties on the
probably meant to cover him with fidi'
culc. II goes ON 10 state that, when
the new technical building of the high
school WAS completed there was 4 an
ference between the contractors and
the board of education us to its sc
ceptancc. IL appears that tho board
could do nothing about it. that the at
torncy of The board was helpless, ana
that the president of the board was
useless. But in this crisis Mr.. Park be-
took himself to the scene, called the
contractors together in the new bnild-
ing, and with II threat to forfeit every
penny which the board could declare
forfeited, he reduced the contractors to
humble submission i'm an instant. 1t
is curious that nobody had thought
about that before, but il appears that
they didu t. That sort Of heroic ac-
tion on his part, however, does not
speak very well for the rest of the
board, or for The ncumcn Of those who
arc IN charge of lis building operations.
The contractors were claiming that oc-
cupancy was acceptance. and MT. Pafk,
ii seems, threatened them with for
fciture under their contract if they
persisted in their claim This threat
bufaIoed them 1t appears. therefore,
that there was forfeit that was ell
forcible against the contractors, but
which Mr.. Park agreed to waive If the
Of the building without considering it
a formal acceptance. There can easily
be two opinions about the value OF this
sort of a procedure so far as the board
is concerned, aud it was possible that
the contractors got the better OF Mr..
Park. The board evidently lost its
claim Of forfeiture, and the occupancy
was, III Il measure, forced. Before any
heroic figure appears iu this trausac-
ton, it VIII be necessary TO first ind
out whether the board gained or lost
by the transaction. 1t appears TO be
a case of trivfality and technicality al
together, and the idea of founding any
thing heroic upon it is absurd
But there was another feature to it.
Mr.. Park, it is claimed, showed him
self to be a boss mover beyond com
pare in further prosecution of the
work of occupying the schoolhousc The
matter went over until the next day, it
is said, and Mr. Park was there to
see that the building WAS occupied ac.
cordlng to the understanding of the
day before. But nothing had been
done. The principal of the high school
had done nothing, although his right
to occupy tho building had been fully
established the day before The iani,
tor had done nothing by way of occu.
pancy; the instructor in charge Of that
particular work in the high school had
done nothing; in fact, nobody had done
anything; all were waiting for the con
querlng hero TO appear. Seats were not
IN place, and il would take all dav Ia
place them. In this emergency Mr..
Park came and conquered; he took
charge III place of the ianitor, called
Tor volunteers among the husky str
dents, took them away from their
studies, and put them on to the ianitor
work OF carving in the desks and pIac-
ing them. 1t took very short time
with fifty of the husky lads in the
upper forms to do this work. Aud so
again Park WAS triumphant, a heroic
figure, with the regular janitor's nose
completely out Of joint.
And ont of such trivialities We are
expected TO fall back in admiration
Surely there can be little to urge in
Mr.. Park S behalf when trjdcs like
these arc brought forward AS his he
roic actions. Save me from my
friends, y said a harasscd public man
ON ono occasion, and | will take care
OF my enemies myself This is an
ontburst that Mr.. Park might well
quote at this time But are thcv his
friends who thus bclittlo him9