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Show -0000 BUSINESS ABILITY THE QUALIFICATION. , ". . , :.r V.'!: I : r ; ' '. " The business men of Salt Lake should unite to nominate and elect the next City ,CounciL' .and" the sole question of a candidate's, fitness to Serve should be, his. ability 'to conduct the business of the city as befits the affairs of a. modern, up-to-date,' progressive, growing town. BEN DAVI3 to The Telegram. ' ....... ' . " ::;iinent nercbant Declares De-clares Business Element Ele-ment Should Combine to-Elect' Kew. Municipal Munici-pal Legislative Body. Business men af manifesting marked Interest in the question of the selection cf the next City Council. In view of the costly municipal - - Improvements r'mned the personnel of the next legislative legis-lative body Is held to "be, a most Important Im-portant Issue. ........ ... . Ben Davla, head . of the Davis Shoe company, In reply. - to - a , Telegram representative -who had asked: "What kind of a City Council should Salt Lake elect this fall In order to keep pace "with its opportunities?" said today: x"No one need waste time in asserting or - demonstrating that- our present Council Is incompetent and, narrow. The record of .its administration Is sufficient evidence for all who see clear ly." .,..,......;..,' ...i.., , ..' ' An Experiment That railed. "We have tried a CouncU.of politicians. poli-ticians. . so-called, , we have afforded men who have shown inabUity to make a success in business life an opportunity oppor-tunity to make a living at jrabllc expense, ex-pense, ' and the . experiment has been a costly one. V , "Now, :let us try the other .plan. Let ' us elect to the Council the best executive execu-tive ability In the city, and pay salaries enough to the men in whose hands we shall place the city's affairs' to Justify them in devoting time and attention to municipal affairs." .! "Is there not a general Impression now that taxes are too high and the expense of the city government too great?" asked the Interviewer. ., - Cheap Men Are Costly. " ' ' "Precisely." responded Mr. Davis. "Such a step wouki be In the Interest of economy. A cheap man at the head of a department is three times as expensive ex-pensive as a man who is the master of . his work and Is fully paid for his ser-, vices. A Council composed of men of ' executive ability who would work together to-gether for the city's good, forgetting and overlooking personal prejudices, petty - jealousies and partisan politics could save for the municipality many thousands of dollars each year, and at the same time accomplish much the need for which is almost imperative." This suggested another question. -"What do you consider the most needed improvements that Salt Lake may not fall below her opportunities of growth?" Sidewalks Are Needed. . "Sidewalks." sa,id Mr. Davis. "Within "With-in three blocks of the business center you cannot, afterfa rain or in the spring during the melting of the snow. ;pet to your residence without a pair of 'rubber boots or a boat. J"The sidewalks of the city, or rather the almost complete lack of sidewalks, would disgrace a, little town of. 10,000 people. We praise the beauty and attractiveness at-tractiveness of our city to visitors from the East, and when we invite them to our homes our guests walk through t dust or mud to reach them. "There are many other Improvements ! needed, but this question of sidewalks should be settled in the right way first.. !Faitlx in, City's Future. , I "I have great faith in the future of this city," concluded Mr. Davis. "In the expression of the hour, it 'looks fiood' to me. But the city must have a Council that is big enough to keep up with our growth and development, -and not one that Is willing, to live on the memories and prejudices of a past era. Give, us the right kind of a Council, that will keep the city in line with every opportunity for advancement, and we will have ten years of prosperity pros-perity that will double our wealth and population." |