| Show BY THE DRY BENCHERS A Rousing Mass Meeting Held Last Evening AN ALDERMAN CENSURED A Threatened Appeal to the United States Courts Unless the City Comes to the Front The mass meeting of the Dry Benchers I Bench-ers of the Eighteenth Twentieth and I Twentyfirst Wards fairly filled the Twentieth Ward Schoolhouse last evening even-ing They had evidently assembled fully prepared to assert their rights as such motto as the following adorned the walls of the building 8 L C OKDINANCE Whosoever shall give a drink of cold water to a Dry Bencher shall have it cut clean off OH And whomever shall receive a drink of it shall be fined 110 ten dollars AH And still another read Whosoever will give a cup of cold water to one of the Least of these shall receive a disciples reward Inisrnuch as ye have done it unto the Least ofthese ye have done it unto meA me-A very funny feature of the evening was three lengths of stove pipe fastened fas-tened together and painted black sealed at both ends locked with a padlock on each end and labeled A Dry Bench Water Pipe Mr Calmer the peoples chairman called the meeting to order and Mr William Willes was chosen secretary The chairman to give the meeting a start stated that he had never asked to have a pine put down but that it was put down by the City Council The speaker was working for the famishing families on the Dry Bench Before those pipes were laid he had pleaded with our alderman to urge the Council not to lay them as the people could not stand the expense There was not a spill for the benefit of our thirsty people from one end to another of this long stretch of piping He spoke of the reservoir system submitted sub-mitted to the city some time ago The city could not see into this system but they expended 5 THEEE TIMES THE AMOUNT for these pipes which the reservoir system sys-tem would have cost and no benefit has been conferred upon the Bench people He spoke in no flattering terms of their alderman Mr Patrick He had a vote as large as any man and he would vote for those who represented the voters as they should be represented Mr Will Culuier moved to appoint a committee of three to draft resolutions expressing the opinions of the Dry Benchers on tbe course of Alderman Patrick Mr Gunn moved to amend the motion mo-tion by including all tbe members of the Council who were obstructionists to the Dry Benchers It was carried amid deafening applause The committee then retired to an adjoining ad-joining room to prepare their resolutions resolu-tions Mr Triplett then spoke upon the subject sub-ject of providing another watermaster lor the west end of the bench He was of the impression that the water was being stolen at the east end he thought this meeting should take some steps to remove the watermaster from the welt endMr Mr W H Bywater spoke in favorable favor-able terms of Mr Caffall the present watermaster but thought the west end should have one of its own Mr Stevenson knew from personal observation that the water was being stolen from the west end let the city take part of the burden from the present watermaster It was unanimously carried that this meeting demand they petition no more the Council for an additional watermaster for the upper ditch one who will distribute the water as it should be done The committee on resolutions here entered and submitted the following which were read amid uproarous applause ap-plause COMPLAINTS AND RESOLUTIONS Adopted by the ens of the dry benches of Salt Lake City ass meeting assembled on Wednesday era the S7th of Ju ly 1837 WUEEEAS The city Council of Salt Lake City about twenty years since had surveyed an extension to the city on this bench land arid sold thereof to the increasing population popula-tion building lots upon said tract of land claiming then and ever Since equal taxatin according to valuation of property foot for foot as in any other part of the city And whereas We the inhabitants and possessors pos-sessors of said tract of land within the limits of the city extension have frequently petitioned the said government of Salt Lake Oityfor water if only for culinary purposes that our lives might be made endurable and that we might obtain our rights in the peacable pursuit of life liberty and happiness And whereas The government of this city has ignored our petitions and applications and does now continue to do so and does not accord to us our equal rights with other citizens cit-izens but act as considering us a surplus population upon surplus land And whereas The city government acting as contractors have placel a pipe acrcts this portion of the city ostensibly for the purpose of conveying water for their use and profit And whereas Said government has conveyed con-veyed tho water from said pipe down hill to the property which has been for many years provided with waer thus desroying our source of supply And whereas We have been since the advent of said pipe unjustly discriminated against by placing us in this dry district under bans contrary to law in that we are forbidden to use sprinklers for lawns and other purposes while other portions of the city are exempt from uch restrictions thereby inflicting uron us unjust and injurious in-jurious punishment different from the already passed laws and ordinances of Salt Lake City relating to the distribution of the waters which flow into said city And whereas Throughout the city there are placed at intervals upon the public streets for the use of horses and dogs as well as for the benefitof suffering humanity troughs or spillswhile upon this dry ben n there are not any outlets for the relief of the public as fountains for drinking etc I in this we are discriminated against as no person can obtain a drink except under I pains and penalties And whereas Several parties have located brick yards for the manufacture of brick oa I the clay lands beneath and contigoons to our source of supply for Irrigation we In mass Kjeeiog assembled protest against snv I such suply being dvcrted from the orf beaches while we who have the prior ricfit are in distress I And icherca We who comprise a considerable consid-erable vo lag p pulatlon and whose real Krieranceb are no I ngr bearable bae i e been represented in the Citv Council br direct di-rect eneraie to our inheres s as a pcop e re desire ha their names bi no lunger pu i i in the convention as aldermen or cotm emors of 8alt Lake City but I that we have the selection of men who will hODor their constituents and have their heart in their interests at representations with equal rights o all citizens Therefore be it reolted Thatwe joints we the inab property owners and voters of these dry parched benches who suffered have so long through this discrimination shafi place our grIevances shall again before the Council of Salt City Lake City for their Citl ate consideration and our immediate And bc 1t resolved That 1f this application relief is Ignored ns all thers have been then place that we our grievance before the States courts that we may understand United our position under the laws thereof In which we agree to employ competent counsel to carry our case through on the behalf of our selves and our heirs forever And be it resolved That we the under signed pledge ourselves to advance the sum placed opposite our names in order to successfully carry out these measures and procure our rights in the United States courts for ourselves and for our heirs for ever V6rHero Here will follow subscribers names Mr Willes moved to give the committee com-mittee three cheers for the resolutions submitted and the building fairly trembled from the deafening yells AFTEE ACCEPTING THB RESOLUTIONS it was carried that a copy of this report be given to the local press so that the people at large and of the world could understand the sentiments of the Dry Benchers toward those who were supposed sup-posed to administer equal justice toward to-ward all Mr Walsh spoke in no flattering terms of their enemies in the Council Mr Gunn said it was twenty years since he moved on this bench He once went to a ditch below with a yoke on his back to get two cans of water wnen an individual told him he was stealing water He had a few rights left him and one of those was an equal share of water He thought it would he a good idea to draft a resolu tion and submit it to the Council that we may be admitted as citizens of Salt Lake City Mr Murphy thought the City Councilors Coun-cilors had more mean traitsabout them toward the Dry Benchers than any other body of men could possibly have He was in favor of forming a company and taking the water out themselves and let the city do what they will The chairman here said everyone knew that the city had been petitioned so oIten it was useless to petition longer We now demand and if it is impossible to receive our rights then we must sue the city for twenty years damages The people could learn from the press what the sentiments of the Dry Benchers were against our city fathers Mr Willes said the people had asked for water and they had been given a pipe Are we to dance to the water or are we to dance to this pipe Unless we are determined he thought we would be compelled to dance to the pipe He was not alone in this matter His religion was one thing and his rights were another Great applause Several other gentlemen made lengthy speeches in regard to the way they were being treated at the hands of the City Council and judging from the tone and spirit of the meeting the thirsty people are in earnest and mean to take steps of their own in case they receive no satisfaction from the city |
