Salt Lake Tribune | 1910-01-25 | Page 4 | What "No" Will Mean

WHAT "NO" WILL MEAN. A vote next Saturday ngainsl. tho Issue of $700,000 in 'school bonds by tho Salt Lnko City school district will not hy any means bo a vote against a needed high school. Much loss will it bo a vote unfavorable to education or adverso to tho schools. It will simply bo a vote of Inck of confidence in the grafting control of the present school board. This grafting control continues right up to tho present time, tho December De-cember payrolls carrying the Newman crowd at exorbitant rates of pay just as before, save only that the proper names of the employees wero givcu in place Of falso or fictitious names, as formerly. The civic committco of tho Federation Federa-tion of Women 's Clubs is zoalons in advocacy of tho bonds. Tho Tribune has been giving thorn such space as they ask in advocacy of their ideas. It has not been manifest, however, lo any reasonable person, that it would be safo to trust the present grafting control of the board with the expenditure expendi-ture of this inonoy. Thoro would be too much opportunity for rake-offs in tho purchase of sitos for those graft ors to resist. There would bo too much opportunity for collusion and participation participa-tion in tho building contracts for tho grafting members to neglect. The civic committee, in a plea printed this morning, urges that a num ber ot tho members oi the school board aro mon of high character, good business busi-ness ability, and trustworthy. Which, of courso, is true. There is not the least dispute about that. But the predominating pre-dominating influence in tho board, as is shown b- tho passago of tho scandalous scandal-ous resolution whitewashing Bridwcll, is a grafting control. So that honest members of tho board, those who would wish to do right, aro not only helpless to enforco the right, but they aro helpless to prevent wrong nnd grafting being perpetrated. Mr. Mat Thomas was helpless in the face of tho opposition of the grafters in got-Iting got-Iting tho Bridwcll investigation pursued pur-sued to tho end. Some of thoso grafting graft-ing members .saw thnt tho noxr. development de-velopment would be their public implication, im-plication, and they were influential enough to slop tho procedure just where it Was liPCftminir nrnsi : j i -- muat UllLTUSL" ing, but not until after wrong-doing, nepotism, and grafting had boon fully proved. Under thoso circumstances, to give Mr. Bridwell a bill of clearance was to convict the board itself. A vote against tho bonds on Saturday Satur-day next will simply bo a calliug of tho grafters to a halt, a notification to them that tho public of this city do not condone their evil practices, and that they will not give assent to the proposition propo-sition to approve, minimize, or in any way excuse, the graft which has been shown to exist in tho board, and the nepotic and disgraceful influence that appears to be in its control.