The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-10-07
ASSAULT ON SALT LAKE.

ASSAULT ON SALT LAKE.
The current number Of Harper S
Weekly has a contemptibly false arti.
Gle on Salt Lake City, ostensihly in
review OF the American party IS admin
istration, author. Oswald Ryan. The
article is false in essence and false in
detail. 1t styles the American party
the antiMormon > party and treats
of it as ''the party which was in
strumcntal in the anti-church crusade. b"
Tt is such foolishly false article that
it draws more contempt than animosity.
AS to the charge made therein that
the American party was an anti
Mormon party, there is absolutely not
the slightest foundation for it. The
American party never at any time made
any declaration against the Mormon
church, nor was there any time hero
when Mormons in good standing in
their church might not also be Jealous
members of the American party. AS
matter Of fact, considerable num-
Der Of Mormons always were active
party.
To the further charge that Nor
mons were ostracised from public office
and city employment under tho Ameri-
can administration, it is sufficient to
say that there was never any time
when there was not a very large mum
Der Of the officials and employees un-
der the American administrations that
were Mormon. In fact, there were so
many Mormons on the city pay roll that
there was fierce opposition among the
radical Gentle element Of the Ameri
can party to the course of Mayor
Thompson, and more especially to that
of Mayor Bransford, because Of their
appointment and employment Of so
many Mormons.
There is sneer in the article at
the "official contractor but since
this official contractor was awarded con-
tracts also by the church, by the city
Of Ogden, by the city of Los Angeles,
and by private parties who had and
have work in his line to do, it is
hardly worth while to bother much
about the charge against him. His
work was always good, and his fulfill
ment of contracts was exemplary. He
"stood hitched'' all tho time on his
contracts and he didn't need watching
to do good work.
The writer speaks Of the fire depart
ment under the American party as
mere political junkshop. He speaks Of
the insurance rate as having gone stead
lily up, when, in fact, insurance conces-
sions had been steadily made. That
writer further gays that the fire de-
partmeut was a "crib for the faith
full" and "became so inefficient that,
according to leading citizens, valuable
properties were allowed to burn to the
ground because the fremen were too
intoxicated or too Indifferent to fight
the fire effectually.' Needless to say,
there is not a particle of truth in that
statement. The fire department of this
city has always been on good basis
Of effectiveness, and under Chief Glore,
in Mayor Bransford g administration,
it was model department in every
respect.
That writer further states that "the
police department was so successfully
dominated by petty politics that all
forms Of vice fourished' Another
ridiculous falsehood.
Tt appears to have been the purpose
of Mr.. Ryan to draw an exceedingly
dark picture Of the American party
administration in order to contrast it
with the brilliant work which he claims
for the government Of the present city
commission. And yet he seems to be
somewhat discouraged about this ad~
ministration also.
The writing Of such sensational and
slab-sided articles has come to be a
good deal of nuisance in the Jour
mails Of the United States; but we do
not know Of any recent publication so
| absolutely reckless in statement, so fu-
tile in allegations, and SO false in de-
&oH 81.