Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1919-09-26
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26, 1919.
AN ECONOMIC WASTE

4 Carnival has somewhat settled,
and with clear brains and open eyes
we can count the cost, we cannot help
bit ask the question, "Was it worth
Whie?' Measured ia the balance Of
dollars and cents, it is easy to see that
it was not From an investment stand
point it Yves q very serious economic
waste. From an educational stand
point IL was little.short Of q disaster,
resulting i'm the loss OF practically a
full wcel, Of school both at the dis
tgict and the q. A. c. Principal
Homer of the higher institution
when asked as to conditions
at the school, replied that there was
nothing worth while doing this week;
that tho Carnival had completely dis
solved all their plans and program,
and that il he had known Of it in time
he would have altered the school hall
cndar, and commenced school a week
later The same condition has main
tanned, for the most part, at the dis
trict school, and the children have
been turned loose to follow their own
bents. Practically a full week of non
production on the part of a city of
$500 inhabitants and upwards, spend
ing at least twice the usual amount,
to say nothing of the money lost by
betting to outside persons, will easily
figure loss of from $4,000 to $4,000.
A few people have perhaps made
money out of the Carnival. They in
clude the hotels and restaurants, and
possibly the drug stores, which keep
open evenings. We doubt if the gem
oral stores, which have been closed
more than half of the time, have done
a normal business. We heard a prom
inent contractor, who was being i'm
portuned for contribution to help the
Carnival, offer the solicitor $50 pei
day to call the Carnival off. Many
of the other business concerns which
were asked to contribute, were effect
ed in much the same way. Morally
it is safe bet that the community is
nothing ahead. The gambling instinct
has received a big boost, and the
throwing together promiscously of q
great crowd of people, good, bad and
indifferent, does not usually promote
good morals.
To weigh against all these debts
we have on the credit side Of the led
ger, few days of frivolous wasteful
amusement, and possibly the payment
of few hundred dollars on q certain
note given by some twenty or more
citizens for money two years ago to
erect the grand stand at the fan
grounds, although this is merely q
matter of supposition as yet, because
we are unable to learn definitely
whether the Carnival is a private en-
terprise or a public beneht(?) OF
course, those contributing to the sup
port of the affair did so with the idea
Nlltlb ~ Neo a. DuOllN dliO
that the net proceeds were to be APP
! piled on the note here mentioned. But
in this connection very peculiar sit
uation develops. 1t is usually the
case in such affairs that they are con-
Quoted on democratic ideas, and that
what ever authority is delegated to
the committee" is obtained from the
people of the community. Either the
City Council, the County Commission
ers, the Commercial Club or mass
meeting of citizens is called and 9
committee is chosen to represent the
community, which in turn chooses aux.
iliary committees, the authority thus
conferred being recognized by the peo
pie and a moral obligation, at least
/ being entered into to administer tht
affairs of the institution and render &
bonafide statement of the finance!
and other elements. But in the cast
of the Carnival, we cannot learn OF
any such action on the part of the
people. The Mayor, on behalf of the
City Council, disavows any official re
sponsibility for the appointment o
the Individuals who assumed charge
There was no mass meeting called, II,
Commercial club action, nor appoint
ment by the County Commissioners
Not even were the signers of the not
~ the bank called together TO se.c,
"a committee or to ratify the choice d.
themselves) Of those assuming chr..
Therefore, it sayors more of a priyat
enterprise than of a public benefit.
On such occasions it is common, an,
in the interests of the committee A?