The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1913-1920, 1917-02-14
SPLIT OCCURS OVER PAVING;
MAYOR AND FLYGARE PART
COMPANY ON PUBLIC POLICY

With the GOODNESS and courtesy Of q
; first class poker player (Which, he
perhaps, is noD, with a courage and
determination that commanded the
admiration Of his opponents. Mayor
Abbot r. Haywood for two and half
hours today, debated with fifty prop
erty-owners, representing themselves
and one hundred and thirty-one others
the wisdom of their protests against
the fourteen blocks Of proposed street
paving-on Jefferson avenue from
/ Twenty to Thirtieth: on
Adams avenue from Twenty-fourth to
Twenty eighth. and on Twenty-eighth
from Wall to Madison. After listening
to every protest. and after replying
combatively to every argument. Mayor
! Haywood was on the point OF demand.
! ing vote on the acceptance of the
paving plans when suddenly Oommis,
sioner Miles l.. Jones arose and softly
stepped toward the door.
MIR. Jones Escapes.
Mr.. Commissioner Jones'" said the
Mayor, in an imperative tone, do you
wish to be heard in this matter?"
Mr. Jones kept going, turning his
head as he replied in a faint voice.
! ''No, thank you" He went away from
there and he did not return. At
o'clock he was last heard of going IN
the direction of Huntsville.
Before Mayor Haywood could de-
mand a Toll-call, Commissioner Chris
F1ygare arose and said that II the
city had to gain the necessary two,
thirds majority by a technicality. he
would vote against the paving. He sat
down to the music of unanimous ap'
plause.
The next moment the Mayors voice
cut sharply through the din in a dlplo.
matte reassertion OF his views, de-
claring that majoritieS frequently
make foolish mistakes; that majority
rule doesn't bring municipal improve
meut: that the evolution OF city gov.
ernment proves this fact, in rocogni
tion of which the law, was made re-
quiring a two-thiTds vote of the prop
erty.owners to make effective a re.
mOnstrance against paving and other
public improvement.
Haywood Stands by Guns.
Thus, the matter stands, until to,
morrow. Until Mr., Jones's return"
said the Mayor, I'VE cannot have de-
cisive vote.' He made It plain TO all
that if Commissioner Jones stands by
him, the paving will be approved
without further ceremony He
ignored Commissioner Flygares yield.
ing TO the protestants and snapped
out this remark: 81 would rather be
Mayor of Ogden two years and get
something DONE, than 10 be Mayor
ten years and get nothing done"
Commissioner FlygaTe's desertion
Of the Mayors program was OF dra-
matte interest because of the intense
feeling on the part Of the audience
and because It was the first time the
commissioner has publicly crossed the
Mayor in an effort to reach the goal
OF his set program and purpose
Afterward, asked to explain to the
public through the Standard, Mr. l7lyg-
are said:
This isn't the first time the Mayor
and I have disagreed, by any means.
We have disagreed on many things,
but this is the first time we have been
compelled TO spring It on the public"
Mr. Flygare a Candidate?
Asked afterward what he thought Of
Commissioner Flygare's vote, Mayor
Haywood smilingly replied:
Perhaps Mr.. Flygare is a candidate
that he himself would never be swayed
for a moment by a consideration of
popular applause and his chances Of
reelection. In the meeting, also, he
said this in various forms of unem-
broidered English and said, in a tone
of withering contempt that cheap
politicians at $40 month could serve
as we'll in the city commission if the
people were going to halt all public
Improvement.
Engineer Springs Surprise.
Mrs. Earl r, Geiger was chief adyo-
cate for the many women of the au-
dience and Seth e. Thomas was chief
spokesman for the men. Before the
meeting opened the protestants were
confident Of the outcome; they be-
lieved they had the two-thirds neces-
sary to knock out the paving and they
182 of the property owners
and the property owners in favor OF
the paving were not represented by
anyone, as far as shown, except Mayor
Haywood
The mayor called the meeting to or
der and asked Engineer Joseph M.
Tracy to read his report on the pro-
posed paving of the fourteen blocks.
Everyone listened intently. Eyes wild
ened in establishment as the engineer
proceeded The total asSessable front
age abutting. he read was 1S,16S.65
feet, of which 12,194.72 feet were pro-
tested. The percentage protesting was
6712. The protestants were short
250.46 feet OF having the necessary
two-thiTds.
Explanations Demanded.
Replying to the chorus of demands
for an explanation, the engineer read
off the names OF various property own
eTs who had duplicated their sigma
lures, or whose frontage was duplicat-
ed in different signatures, naming sew
eral who withdrew their signatures,
and especially naming J, NJ. Brown
ing. whose 332.75 feet was eliminated
because the property. which was own
ed jointly by himself and NJ. S, Brown
ing when the protest was signed aft
erward was conveyed to other mem
bers of their family, namely, Rachael
Browning, John Browning and Rachael
T, Browning, George E. Browning and
Marie Browning.
The whole controversy hinged on
the Browning transaction, Mrs. Gel
ger. Mr.. Thomas and others declared
the Brownlngs signed the protest in
good faith that it should have been
allowed that John M. Browning was