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Show Public Grounds. Editors Herald: Your correspondent 'Tublicui'' devotes about three-fourths of a column in the Herald of Thursday in an tflort, which I hope will prove abortive, to convince the city fathers that it would to wisdom on their part to permit the Deseret base ball club to charge an admiaBiou fee to "thsir ground" on Washington Bquare to wituess a match game between the Deseret aud a club trom Ban Francisco. Fran-cisco. "Publicus" is a special pleader ot no mean ability no doubt, but I hope he will not take ofleuse if I should consider his pleas in this case to be ineraiy pettifogging. If one's premises be false bis rea-soniup, rea-soniup, no matter how platiaible, leads only to error. When your correspondent corres-pondent assumes that Washington square is ground belonging to either the oily or to tbo Deaerul club he takes a false position. That square belongs, not to the city, not to any base ball club, but to the public, the council having merely tbe right, aud upon whom devolves the duty, of preserving the same aud taking care oi it lor ine public. It is Bcarcely necessary for me to enter into tbe question of the right ot the council to rent the square for agricultural purposes, which your correspondent says has boen dona heretolore, though I might dp so, and perhaps furnish good reasons for denying the right. I take for granted that these public squares were intended to be set apart as places of resort for purposes ot promeaade for the people of the city, and have no doubt the city council would be authorized to use public money to fence, embellish and improve im-prove the same, in order that the people might enjoy them. "Publicus" assumes that a portion of these grounds may properly be rented, not only for agriculture, or for a circus or for a base ball club. If he is correct, then they could be let for distilleries, breweries.or indeed for any legitimate purpose to which land ma it ha otinlin I Tt tU; H. ; correct, then the purpose for which these squares are set apart is thwarted and tbe public deprived of a right. I will not amplify on this subject, but content myselt with the remark that the council has no such power, and that should it grant the petition of the Deseret club, and should the club attempt to exclude any member of , the public of Salt Lake city from the i grounds, it is to be hoped that such person will assert his legal right to go upon the grounds without paying a fee. Such course would settle, in a court ot justice, the rights of persons in regard to theso squares, a question wliicii must some time be decided. I do not question the right of the Deseret De-seret base ball club to go upon these grouods, tbey being a part of the public, and to play a game of ball, provided they do not in any way interfere inter-fere with the rights of other members mem-bers of tbe public to enjoy the grounds. A game of croquet may be played there should those fascinated with that kind of amusement desire it, but not to tbe exclusion of the quiet citizen who might desire a pro menade upon the grounds owned by the public. Hence I hope the council coun-cil will not grant, or attempt to grant, special privileges to any claBS. Citizen. Salt Lake City, June 14, '77. |