Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1917-10-19
FRIDAY, OCT. 10, 1917.
VANDALISM MUST CEASE!

WHEN in these times of stress and trouble, at
w time when everyone is or should be talking
and practicing strict economy, it seer1s shame
and disgrace that there should be so much ruthless
and uneXcusable waste, as a result of vandalism
Whether or not all sections of the state and ma
ton are as badly afflicted with this malady as we
are here in Cedar City, we are not prepared to say ;
we hope that they are not. For if they are, these
prohigate marauders wasting annually in the
form of broken windows, riddled doors, smashed
telephone insullators and other forms of depreda-
tons sufficient to at least maintain the Red Cross
Society behind the battle lines if, indeed not to
pay for the Liberty Loan Bonds. And this is
waste-absolute, unexcusable waste.
We will refer to one or two specific instances.
Take the County Fair building, north of town. 1t
is a shame and disgrace to the town. We doubt
if there is one whole pane of glass in the windows
A building erected for the benefit and enjoyment
of tn public--owned by the public-and yet there
persons in the community so bereft of the sense
of justice and right that they will wfully and
wantony destroy this property for imaginary,
feeting pleasure of seeing and hearing the glass
crash This structure was built at considerable
expense and portion of the cost has been met
by hired capital for which certain pubc-sprited
stand sponsor and o have it shot or pelted to
pieces to satisfy visciated appetite the part of
certain persons, is too contemplate for considera
ton. The fact that the property stands opposite
particle of difference to the perpetrators of this
outrage. Quite possibly of course, this is the
work of children; but children, it would seem,
are capable of being taught better than to do
a thing like this
And here is anothe A certain house, Just be-
You'd the inhabited portion of town in the opposite
direction, has been vacant for several months.
The owner recently visited the property for the
purpose of having work done and the place made
habitable again. What condition did he find it
in? Every pane of glass shot from the windows,
an expensive hardwood door fairly ridded with
bullet holes, some of them made by large calibre,
high power rifles mirrors and other furniture in
side smashed and ruined. THE owner states that
it would require at least 5000 to replace the glass
that has ben broken while the home has been left
vacant.
The local telephone company is put to a great
expense annually, not only for the nsullators
themselves but for the labor incident to their re-
placement on account of the pernicious practice of
shooting these insullators from the poles.
These are a few of the instances that have been
prominently brought to our notice. There are doz-
ens-perhaps hundreds-of others that we have
not heard Of and which in the aggregate run into
thousands of dollars annually Is it not time that
some of the conservation workers gave little at
tenton to this phase Of our civil and industrial
life?
1t is time when every possible resource
should be turned to account, and it is certainly
time for the wful, Wanton and malicious destruc-
ton of property already created. Let US rs citi-
zens, wage a vigorous campaign against t"S sort
of destruction, and create a sentiment strong
enough against it to hold these vandals in check
thus stopping one important drain on our re-
sources.