| Show TIlE SITE SCRAMBLE I It might as well be understood right c now that unless the schemers call a halt on themselves Salt Lake will in all probability prob-ability lose tho appropriation for a federal building The bill is in excellent shape t It has passed tho Senate and the amount i appropriated is all that has been asked The House threatens to reduce the sum not particularly through a spirit of economy l econ-omy but so as to pacify other cities of equal population which are asking for public pub-lic buildings It is believed however that such representations can be made as will induce the House to pass the bill as it came from the Senate thus providing for a structure that will be a credit to the government gov-ernment and to the city and provide the t room and accommodation demanded But the bill has not yet passed the House and E it is not likely to RO through if any ccnsid I erablenumber of members cet the impression impres-sion as they are apt to get it that local parties are a good deal more interested in the location of the building than they are in the structure itself that is to say that they care less for a federal building for Salt Lake than they do to have the building build-ing situated in tho vicinity real estate owned by the schemers It is generally understood that one crowd or syndicate is working quietly and cunningly to get the building west of West Temple street as the property of the syndicate is lying thereabouts The building would put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the pockets of a few gentlemen who are said to be doing some very clever work at the Washington end of the line Our Washington correspondent on Friday brought to light some interesting facts regarding re-garding the working of parties on the east side The latter bring the powerful argument of economy to bear It is an argument which will be likely to have its influence especially with the Democrats in Congress who see that the majority is extravagant to the degree of recklessness with tile public money Now wo dont think for a moment there is anybody in Salt Lake who is so conscientious or who is so considerate of the national treasury that he will trouble himself to pro vent the expenditure of the government money for local improvements It is possible pos-sible that wo are favored withpeople so unlike un-like their fellow citizens elsewhere that they would object tq tho expenditure of a million dollars of the government cash if a hall million could be made to answer the purpose Wo prefer to believe that our people are like other Americans in this that they are eager to get all they can from the government The east sidcrs propose that the Industrial Home that monument of local fanaticism and Congressional ignor JUIce and stupidity shall be given up to the use of the federal authorities they point out what an immense saving itwould be and show that tho home is useless for the purpose for which it was erected The representation is decidedly clever and will have influence with those Congressmen who think it is g statesmanship to carry economy into the L dominion of stinginess But clever and seemingly patriotic as is the work of those who are urging the utilization of that monumental mon-umental folly the Industrial Home we will venture the assertion that they either own or have options on real estate in tho neighborhood neigh-borhood of the home Other schemes for securing tho ito of the federal structure all with real estate booms an the background are on foot and it has been hintfcd < that gentlemen who swing positions they occupy should v 11 7 t I be extremely careful to avoid connection with any of these schemes are closely allied al-lied to some of them Now we are neither saying nor intimating intimat-ing that such a thing is true but what effect ef-fect would it have on the public building bill if it were charged though not proven that officials had bought land with the expectation ex-pectation of increasing its selling value by using their influence to get the bill through Congress and afterwards inducing the selection se-lection of a site within the neighborhood of their property 3 The result would be that Salt Lake might whistle for a public building build-ing so far as this Congress is concerned Suppose the rivals in this race for the site get to quarreling publicly telling who they are and exposing the schemes and methods of each other wliat will be the effect Why the scandal will reach Congress and thenjgoodbye to any appropriation The fact is the greed of individuals is endangering the bill which Congress is disposed to pass If rival interests cannot be quieted and held in the background until the appropriation has been made all the work that has been done will go for naught and Salt Lake will be in a worse position in the matter than she was at the beginning of this Congress THE HERALD knows whereof it speaks when it proclaims pro-claims this warning to the parties |
