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Show I A LAUGHING MATTER. ! 1 We -are glad to sec lhat in this day of apparent political gloom for the Democratic parly, the occasionally Democratic Herald has the heart to i laugh at "anything whatever. Xtr announces, an-nounces, however, that it is laughing at 'Mho cool efforts of Iho Americans to secure credit for refunding lo properly prop-erly owners on West Second South street money paid in somo years ago for asphalt paving." Tho American parly is also glad to laugh at the same thing. Therefore, if the Democratic party has the heart to join the Herald i in its laugh, two parties will be laughing laugh-ing over this matter. And these two I parties arc in vast measure the major- j ity of the people of this city; and when a majority of I he people of a large and growing city like. Salt Lake City can join in a laugh, then everything would appear lo bo well with them. As a mutter of fact, everything is well with tho people of litis city. The public improvements are bciujr pushed at a rate never before known in this city, and -very seldom in auy city. Tho rights of the people as individuals arc taken caro of, and they arc given their full rights and liberties as American citizens without having to render an account to any form of priestly rule or government of what they may do or may think. All is indeed well with the people of Sail Lake City when the American party is in control, and when it is doing- such magnificent work for the people and for tho public as the American party is doing at the present 1imc. With respect to the particular matter mat-ter in hand, the Herald announces 'thai this refund has been delayed by reason of a lawsuit. That, of course, is no news; everybody wa.s aware of that fact. One of tho peculiar phases of the Democratic administration under which this lawsuit, was begun was that it seemed to have difficulties and lawsuits law-suits with everybody. Those lawsuits necessarily delayed business and injured in-jured properly owners. As a matter of fact, it was not progress, it was not business, to have these lawsuits and to conclucfr public affairs in such a miserable, miser-able, incompetent way as was done during dur-ing that administration. Speaking specifically of tho matter of the alleged Cottonwood conduit, the Herald finds fault with the American parly for insisting that that conduit should be water light so that the water taken in at the intake could be delivered deliv-ered at the outlet. The idea of the administration which, with so much reckless and ill-considered speed, let the contract for that conduit, was that the main thing was to get to work so that Iho people of this city could have the fact pointed out to them that work was actually begun on this conduit and that. Mr. Morris ought lo receive their votes because of that fact. This haste and poor preparation in lolling that contract con-tract left the work lo be done in such shape that il. had to be mended if tho cily hoped lo deliver water at the outlet out-let of the conduit. T3ul this was by no means assured in the faulty specifications specifica-tions under which the contract was lei, and so .Iho American party had to take hold of tho work and make, the conduit wntcr tight. t But even worse than that was the failure of the Morris administration to provide water lo turn into the conduit. It seemed to be assumed b3' Mayor Mcrris that he could get the Knudson water right at any time he chose, and on his own terms. But lie found that lifter ho had let the contract for the conduit and tho city was involved at a tremendous expenditure, a higher' value was attached lo Ihc Knudson right than had heretofore attached to it; consequently Mr. Knudson waa not disposed to sell his right lo the cily. Mayor Morris thereupon promptly began be-gan a lawsuit to condemn lhaL right, and lhat lawsuit was pending when the American party look charge. .It is manifest that tho city would have had no hope of getting this water by means of litigation for years to come, aud .yet that was the only recourse of lite Morris Mor-ris administration tho only hope it held out to the people of this eij.y of getting water at all. They were to got it, under this idea, at the end of years of litigation, oven if thoy could thus get it at all. But the American administration ad-ministration took the matter tip, and through the energetic efforts of Mayor Thompson and Councilman Mulvcy, chairman of the water committee, a compromise, favorable to the city, was entered inlo with Mr. Knudson and his water rights secured. So during the past season wo have- had the benefit of that water, which we certainly could not have hnd under any programme that was outlined or had in view by Mayor Morris. - And so "'it is to laugh" all around. The Democratic organ lauglts because the American party claims that to it is due the credit; for the refunding of money lo property owners for paving that was ncivar. ilouo. The American s party laughs because it is making Lhat rofund and is doing such good work for the city, because it achieved such remarkable re-markable success iu nddiucr to tho water wa-ter supply of the city, and because of the discomfiture of the Smoot gang in this whole city business. The fact that the people of this city do not rcl-i rcl-i ish this priestly control of tho "Republican-"' party is manifest by reason rea-son of the exceedingly small vote they gave to the candidate of that so-called party for Mayor at tho last municipal election. And, therefore, that is the only party that fails to luugh at the present time. But there is this consolation; conso-lation; there are very few of that party loft, so far as municipal affairs go. And so although that littlo squad fails to laugh, the absence of their hilarity hi-larity by no means diminishes the laughter of tho largo -majority of the people. |