Show STAY BY IT Dont Give Up the Old Fort VIEWS OF CITIZENS Attorney ffleiritts Written I Opinion Against It i THAT BIG PETITION The Idea Would be Snowed Under Submitted to a Vote THE SIXTH WARDERS RED HOT Peoples Party Councilors Against the Scheme The Petition Now Being Circulated Circu-lated and to be Presented This Erenln Tonight the burning question of the hour whether the Old Port block the spot on which the pioneers made their first resting rest-ing place on entering this valley shall beheld be-held for the citizens of Salt Lake as a park or be handed over to the projectors of the alleged Deep Creek railway In Sundays HERALD were printed the views of a number of prominent citizens opposed to the scheme Among those included in-cluded were such men as James Sharp W W Riter John Clark Henry Dinwoodey H 1 Wells C S Burton M A Cum mings County Treasurer Toronto Spencer Clawson Colonel Webber W H Rowe John Morgan W L Pickard L E Hall Henry Heath W S McCornick R W Young and J L Adams This morning are given the views of other representative citizens mostly merchants but all prop ertyowners and taxpayers J W Summerhays sa sStay by it Dont let the fort go All good citizens are in sympathy with THE HERALD in this fight Orson Pettit of the Coop Furniture iompany Its a swindle on the public to give away one of its parks Hugh Watson of Watson Bros Sixth ward Its a shame the way the Sixth ward has been treated about that block I will be a deeper shame than ever if our promised prom-ised park goes fcr a depot I favor having I a school building there it it can be done any way possible J E Evans of Kelly Co Personally I want to see the Fort retained for the people footed Judg SmithI am against selling it fat D M McAllister CoThe people want the Fort I am with the people P W MadsenI guess the city needs the 150000 badly enough if it could get the cash I am opposed to tying up the Fort on an option which I understand the Bacon proposition to be White SonsThink that Mr Bacon could make terminal arrangements with either of the eastern roads Are opposed Fort to either giving away or selling the Old D G Calder If the city ever grows it will need all the public grounds if it remains re-mains at a standstill it makes very little difference what becomes of it I it is to be the policy of this city to give blocks to every person who builds a railway here they ought to deed over half a dozen to John Young rather than deed the Old Fort to a man who has not built a mile of road Of course we believe a road to Deep Creek will contribute much to the business of this city and the person who builds it should be liberally dealt with Edward ScraceI think the city should keep it A good use for it will be found in the future C R SavageI dont believe the city should sell a dimes worth of its possessions posses-sions No set of men have the right to barter with public property The block should be kept and turned into a park that I would beautify she city William Naylor Tho city council have no right to dispose of the citys property They are public servants and have no right to do that which is not in harmony with the wishes of the majority C E Johnson The city needs the block for a park and if the council sells it the people should hans them A F Barnes am opposed to selling the block but would be in favor of making up a purse to assist the road Robert SherwoodWe do not want the depots nearer Main streQt than we now have them I is a big mistake to sell the grounds which have been designated for parks I have some land on the same street farther west which would answer their purpose better and be much cheaper J O YoungAm not in favor of dispos posing the block to a railroad or anyone else it should be converted into a parkA park-A If the block is sold the city should receive an amount somewhere near its value F CoalterI think it an outrage to sell the block for railway purposes The westside west-side which includes more than onethird of the population has no park and they are entitled to one I am not opposed to the Deep Creek railroad but think it could be aided in other ways H S Margetts Dont think it should be sold I anyone can afford to keep it the city can Robert Cleghorn Make it into an ornamental orna-mental park which can be used as a breath ing space for the people C A Carlquist do not believe that the selling of the block will bring the railroad into the city Besides the block is too small smal for depot purposes and more suitable grounds could be secured F A Mitchell It is my opinion that the city council have no right to dispose of that square consequently a proposition looking towards such action is futile I am in favor of railroads and in favor of the Deep Creek railroad in particular and believe the city ought to do what it can to encourage the enterprise but I think that the old fort property should be kept as a memento of the past Utah Stone CompanyDo not think that the selling of the block will bring the road R K ThomasI do not think I would care to sell that block for 150000 if they are going to sell it sell it for what it is worth George DyerI dont think the old fort is large enough for a park i they would sell it for 150000 and put the money in Liberty park I think it would be better for the people I however believe with the man who wrote in THE HERALD that the railroads did not build Chicago but that Chicago built the railroads by building up Chicago Salt Lake is big enough for the railroads to seek itT it-T C PattenThink that if the railroad is as good as they say it is they ought to be able to buy ground for their depotS depot-S P Teasdel If the block is sold the city council should ask their attorney to hand in his resignation in order that they I may get one who will interpret the law to conform with their wishes J D SpencerWould like to see the railroad road go through but do not think it depends de-pends on the disposal of the square Am in favor 01 the city keeping the block and aiding thoroad in other ways O L Eliason think the property is 1 1 worth a great deal more money It belongs to the public and should not be sold Cannot Can-not see how the building Q the road can Qf depend on the sale of this block Eli L Price need the railroad but I do not think this square is the proper place for a depot I the council feel line giving giv-ing this road a bonus let them purchase ten or fifteen acres in another and more suitable locality for half the money We have no parks to give away John McDonald jrIt is good enough for a hay yard and this traffic should be removed re-moved thither and the Eighth ward square parked A C Brixen We dont want the railroads roads near the centre of the city The Deep Creek road can be just as much a success if the depot is located near the Rio Grande Western I the city does sell the block they should get more money for it F E SchoppeI am opposed to selling this block because I believe it should bo converted into a park M Hirschman I is a potato patch now Either soil it or appropriate 20000 to make a park of it George Arbogast it would bring the railroad I would favor the sale but I am opposed to giving away our public parks J D Criss I am not sufficiently acquainted ac-quainted with the facts to intelligently express ex-press an opinion now IT IS VIEWED IX TiE SIXTH WAKD I the feeling of indignation asrainst the proposed outrage is warm among citizens up and down Main street it is boiling hot among the Sixth warders themselves and it is safe to say that if the city council does override the protests of big property owners and the opinion of its own chosen attorney the Sixth warders will oe on hand to take prompt and peremptory measures meas-ures in the courts to checkmate the scheme For years there has been a slumbering indignation in the breasts of Sixth ward citizens at the way they have been ignored when they have petitioned the council to rescue the block from being made a vast stink hole of decayed cabbages cab-bages One moro railroad added to tho network of tracks that now cross and re cross the Sixth ward and the devoting of the square which they have always looked forward to as their future park to 3 depot is apt to form the last straw that will break the camels back How would the people of the Sixth ward vote if this proposition were submitted sub-mitted to them a HERALD reporter asked of Bishop J C Watson who presides pre-sides over the ward in question They would snow it under was tho emphatic response HI have met no one at least no one who owned property in the wardwho did not consider it an outrage upon us We havo been regarding that as our park for years and trying and trying to get the city to devote it to the purpose for which i was set apart We are ovor run with railroads already Another in I our dooryards would be a shame I the railroad wants a depot why dont they 1 buy a cheaper block or if the city wants to help them why dont the city do it for them Other prominent citizens of the Sixth ward were seen and the reporter learned that the people of that section hail been cherishing the hope that the board of education edu-cation wouid secure the square and erect a fine school building in the center fit f-it leaving the grounds to be made into a park under the control of the city council just as had been done in the case of life University This is favored strongly in both the Sixth and Fifteenth wards where they have no district school land SIXTQWARDERS PROTEST The follow petition was being circulated cir-culated in the Sixth ward yesterday TUE HERALD is assured that nearly every property ownr in the ward signed it and that it will be presented to the city council tonight A counter petition is said to have neon circulated out i got but few signatures among tho taxpaying tax-paying element To tho Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council of Salt Lake City Utah GENTLEMEN Your petitioners property owners own-ers tax payers and residents of the Sixth ward in thIS city understanding that a petition has been presented to yu honorable body asking that the Old Fort block be sold the property 10 be used as a railroad depot we desire to Sty that we are decidly opposed to the sale of this property and hereby enter a moat solemn pro tet against granting the petition asking for tho sale The section oj the city in which we live where the block referred to is situated is nl ready a network of railroads thereby rendering the streets in that locality almost lmpas able and certainly very dangerous Our children are in constant danger when in the street Our property pro-perty has already been greatly depreciated in value by reason of so many railroad tracks running run-ning on different streets I the block is sold and used for a railroad depot our property will be virtually worthless for homes We have already al-ready been sorely afflicted with all kinds of railroad rail-road nuisances but have not complained being satisfied in the hope that some time in the near I future the Old Fort block would be opened to us and our children as a place where safe recro j ation could be had i the petition Is granted our I hopes are blighted and a further injustice is heaped upon us The block should be reserved for the benefit of the public Therefore TVC humbly ask your honorable body not to sell thin Old Fort block but to reserve it for the use for which it was intended and your petitioners will ever pray HOW THE PEOPLES PARTY CITY COUNCILORS WOULD VOTE I the outrage should be consummated and Mr Bacon secure his option what figure fig-ure will it cut that six members of the council hold their seats illegally and that the rightful owners of those seats i they had a chance would vote against the proposition propo-sition with Messrs Hall and Pickard and thus give eight votes against the measure enough to throttle it Attorneys think this has a very grave bearing on the case To ascertain the views of Messrs Young Smith Tuddenham Hardy Hyde and Folland who received the majority of the votes cast for city councilors coun-cilors last February in the Third and Fourth precincts and who would be in the council now but for some judicial jugglery that only legal experts can account for a HERALD reporter called on each of them and asked how he would vote in case the Bacon proposition came before him Richard W Young said he was on record already against the scheme and he favored fighting it as long a there was a leg left to stand on Eli A Folland am decidedly opposed to selling the Old Fort block for railroad purposes or disposing of it in any manner Frank Hyde said be favored holding the Fort for the peoples uses J Fewson Smith said the transfer couldnt be made legally and he wouldnt favor it If it could The people demanded the park and they needed it badly Oscar Hardy said park in that part of town was a crying necessity and he would vote against using the Fort for any other purposo dW J Tuddenham am against the proposition pro-position |