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Show CONTEMPTIBLE OPPOSITION. The discussion of the city taxes by the opposition press is of the most contemptible con-temptible and dishonest character. The figures as givon by tho Mayor for the extra work of tho wnter department are harped upon as an enormous, unprecedented, unpre-cedented, nnd unexplained steal. The fact that the whole matter was fully explained, ex-plained, that the prcciso work done for this money was given with exactness, the beneficial and necessary nature of that work fully oxplainod all this is ignored by that press in its raving against the increase in iho lax levy. Tho evening church organ gives out a scrios of hysterical shrieks about it with a lot' of general nnd absurd charges of loot and extravagance that are absolutely abso-lutely ridiculous when the fact, is fully known "that every dollar ' collected is fully and honestly accounted for, and tho city gets honest work for all of its expenditures. Tho truth is that Salt Lake City has made extonsive nnd far-reaching far-reaching public improvements nr. a cost far jelow that of any other city similarly sim-ilarly situated, and its economical administration" ad-ministration" ns compared with other cities of tlie country is fully known, appreciated, ap-preciated, and acknowledged by those who arc honest, and have an intelligent interest! in and knowledge of the facts Tho morning Mormon paper is also in hysterics over tho matter, holding that "There is no excuse for the criminal crimi-nal earolessnesK and wastefulness of the city council'' and that by another year "instead of .jiHT.OOO deficit the amount may reach a million or more." Tin's, of course, is idiotic frenzv and is well known to bo such, and dishonest besides, be-sides, by the one who wrote it. "We pay for tho water we use," says the ovening organ, "though it' belongs tc t.lio pcoplo; and then we pay some-thing.oxtra some-thing.oxtra for water supply," probably meaning the water distribution, and so on as if there had ever been a time since the pipe system was begun that wc didn't pay1 for these, and glad to get it by the paying! All of tho outcry is porverse, unenn-did, unenn-did, and in fact unintelligent. It is simply partisanship run mad, and bias in its most' stupid and uncommcndable form. Salt Lake is a growing city. It has forged to the front' in the five years of American administration as never be fore in its history, and as no one knowing know-ing its condition five yours ago could havo thought possible. "With tho in coming of the American administration there came (o tho city a spirit, of progress, pro-gress, of growth, of enterprise, of independent inde-pendent commercialism that it had never known before. Its cit'izons began be-gan to take a pride in the city. They saw with satisfaction the incoming of thousands of new settlers, with the impetus im-petus for progress, .bringing their wealth with them. Whatever progress Salt Lake City has made in the decennial period it has made within the fivcyenrs of American rule. Up to tho time of the wresting of the municipnl government govern-ment from the priesthood, there had been practically no growth over the census of 1000 In fact, a great many people were moving away. There were man- empty houses in tho city. Property Prop-erty was offered for salo at a small price. Peoplo were discouraged, were losing faith in the civic ability of those iu control to bring the city into the line of modern progress and metropolitan metropoli-tan lifo and greatness. All. this was changed as by magic when the American party took charge, and ever since tho city has been moving to the front with rapid and splendid strides. Every one now recognizes the greatness of Salt Lake, its imperial situation, situ-ation, its commercial greatness, and its sure future. Despair has been succeeded by hope, and hope by confidence, until now cveiy one is a booster for Salt Lako. All this regeneration could not bo made, of course, without the expenditure expendi-ture of inonoy for improving the city, without doing something to show that the city is ready to help itself to bo really the great metropolis that nature designed it to bo. Tho people of Salt Lake City do not get groat things for nothing, any more than peoplo do iu other places. They have to pay for public pub-lic improvements. They have to pay for the great municipal benefits conferred; con-ferred; but these benefits have been economically provided. ,Thoy arc worth every dollar they cost, and every dollar spent for them has been spent honestly, faithfully, and to good advantage. The progressive people of this city are not' complaining. They are willing to "'ay the difference that it costs to spring from death into life, and at a very small cost comparatively they have seen the city do this. Under the old dead-alive conditions the city government was not worth what it cost. It gave the neoplc nothing. noth-ing. The officials simply absorbed their salaries and administered affairs in a routine way. without responding to the demand of the times for adyancement, and without showing anything of progress pro-gress from year to year. This lias been changed under tho American administration; changed radically rad-ically and beneficially. And everyone is satisfied witli it. except the moss-backs moss-backs and the fanntical zealots who arc discontented with progress and who are bitterly hostile to tho American party, no matter what it docs or does not. It would be well for thos'o bigots to open their eyes, look about them, and realize that the city is growing, that it is doing a groat work, that it is expanding ex-panding by expending sums of money honestly, beneficially and all of it to good purpose; that contiguous populations popula-tions like the city's strides and want to come in. When they realize this as tho progressive elemont of the population popula-tion realize it, then tho papers that make such bigotod howls ns the present rcact'iouary organs do against progress and against tho betterment of the city because it costs money, will Jbc relegated to tho rear as the public enemies which in' fact they are. |