OCR Text |
Show THE CITIZEN fM IWIHIHMMNIIUHMHMUI 1MMM WIWMH I IMUMW MM THE CITIZEN A Thinking Paper for Thinking People Published by THE GOODWIN'S PUBLISHING COMPANY 420 Ness Building, Salt Lake City, Utah. 0 Entered as aecond-clas- s matter, June SI, 1919, at the Postofflce at Salt Lake City, Utah, under the Act of March 3, 1879. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: Including postage In the United States, Canada and Mexico, 32.50 per year; 31.50 for six months. Subscriptions to all foreign countries, within the Postal Union, 34.50 per year. FRANK E. S CHEF SKI ED. S. DIAMOND Manager and Editor Advertising Manager CHRISTMAS NEXT TUESDAY is Christmas. What a glorious day for some, while others . But no matter it falls to the lot of nearly all of us that some time during our life we get the full value out of Santa Claus and really enjoy the best day of our life. This city is fully dressed and prepared for Santa Claus. Never did the streets in the business center look so beautiful with their colored lights and stately Christmas trees on the sidewalks, and never have the store show windows displayed so many lovely things that would even tempt the most hardened miser to purchase. It is surely all glorious and it shows a happy mood among the citizenry of the city. On Christmas eve, December 24, at 7 oclock lighting of trees in strategic public locations will take place. City and County building, Liberty park, Pioneer park, State Capitol, University of Utah, Temple grounds, Sugar House park, are a few of the places at which holiday lightings will be used. Church chimes, clock chimes and industrial sirens will announce the time. Prizes will be awarded for the best lighting display. A Christmas eve program will be broadcast over KSL. Official greetings will be forwarded by the governor and mayor and a musical program has been planned. Groups will sing carols throughout the city. A huge midnight mass in all Catholic and Episcopal churches has been arranged. Daily programs will be given at the West High school auditorium. On Thursday night, December 27, 8 p. m., a chorus of 500 junior high school pupils will sing .carols at the Tabernacle with a tableaux arranged by the Art Guild of the University. Concluding the week of festivity is the real headline of the arrangements. The Messiah, Handels great oratorio which will be presented by the Salt Lake Oratorio society, on New Years day at the Tabernacle, 4 p. m. TAX INSANITY THE PEOPLE made a mistake by not sending Mayor John F. Bowman and City Attorney Wm. H. Folland to the state legislature. But they are not to be entirely ignored and will take a fling sponsoring some bills, one of which will be a new automobile bill which will add another tax upon the already overburdened tax paying owner. You would think some of these politicians would have a heart. When it comes to taking punishment we believe the American people are real gluttons and the gamest in the world. No wonder our athletes capture all the worlds records. 3 In order to catch a few reckless drivers in this state, it is now proposed to tax over 90,000 people $1 each for a drivers license and examination to hold a steering wheel. Why all this red tape? The Citizen firmly believes there should be a universal law governing driving. But when the law commences to put collars around the necks of the people who drive autos, the same as they do dogs, it is not only time to holler, but also time to call a halt. There is only one way to clear our highways of the driving criminal element and that is to bar them from driving. Examinations and licenses will not do it. Such methods are politically hatched for a purpose of providing jobs at the expense of a vast number of suckers who have to get out every day and work hard to support one in about every ten people they meet. Selling a tax button for a dollar to a driver will not bring reform, but when you keep him off the highway it does bring reform and is due notice to other reckless drivers of what might happen to them. This new proposed automobile law only provides new and intricate tangles for the courts. For instance the proposed legislation provides that after a person has been convicted three times he may be barred from the highways. Why three times? We take it that the first two old people or small children that may be killed, the reckless drivers attorney may show that it was pure accident and he is turned loose to get his third victim. Under such a law the only thing we can say is for everyone to carry a gat and get the first fellow that tries to kill you. It is stated that licenses can be revoked it does not say must be revoked for any of the following offenses: Manslaughter, resulting from operation of a motor vehicle; driving while under the influence of liquor, etc. Conviction or forfeiture of bail upon three charges of reckless driving, and conviction of a driver involved in an accident resulting in death or injury to another AUTOS ESCAPE THE RECENT delinquent tax list published in the Salt Lake Telegram might be shorter than in former years, but it took more paper to print the names. But that part is not worrying us. Take a slant at this: There were 48 columns of taxes on automobiles, involving in round numbers something like 6,000 automobiles that have escaped taxation in this county alone. PREDICTS FAILURE. THE SWING-Johnso- n Boulder dam bill has passed both houses and is now up to President Coolidge for his consideration. It is a great victory for Senator Johnson and California and we hope it will result in the prosperity predicted for it. If it helps Califoma, it should certainly help Utah. Republicans from Utah were solidly against the bill. Senator Smoot said that it did not embody the necessary protection for the states involved and he could not be for it in 4ts present form. Representative Leatherwood nearly killed the bill in the House by his attack upon it and closing with the remark: I desire to let this statement stand as a prediction and as my final blessing upon one of the most unwise measures I ever hope to see. Representative Colton also voted against the measure. However, Senator King sees much good in the bill and predicts it will be a success. Governor Dem says he must first read the bill before he passes judgment, although he has made many trips in its support and has been in Washington several times in behalf of the bill. As stated by Leatherwood, the future will tell the true story, unless President Coolidge vetoes the measure, in which case the bill is referred back to Congress. 1-c- ent person. How many chances are you going to give the law abiding person to save his life? Such a law in effect would be similar to the prohibition law, which prohibits but does not stop drinking. The proposed law is only a makeshift to further abridge the personal rights of the citi- WELLING SECURE. MILTON H. Welling, Democrat, who captured the secretary of states job by a small vote, compliments the Republicans for not demanding a recount of the ballots in the hope of securing enough votes to beat Welling. Well-iriposition is one of the most important m the state. Whenever the Governor is away, the secretary is the acting governor He also has many appointments. zens. We gs cant understand why any sane man would want to punish at least 90 per cent of the people in order to get the 10 per cent. But for many years past most of our legislation has been in facitivor of the crook and against the zen. If one goes to trial the burden is invariably placed upon the law abiding person. The criminal walk the streets and laugh and even defy the oflaw-abidi- ng WHICH ONE? EITHER our pardon board or our judges should be abolished. Why should taxpayers foot the bills for officials who can differ so greatly on law. The judge says, I sentence you to ten years at hard labor. The pardon board comes along and says, Poor misused man, you have suffered enough in the first year and are entitled to your liberty. No wonder many criminals head for this city, and many more make it their perpetual home. ficers. Mayor Bowman, we ask you in all fairness, why is it that you and your city courts are afraid to punish reckless and drunken drivers and clear our highways of them? Are you a reckless driver that you have compassion on them? Just remember that most of our people who drive automobiles try hard to obey the law and are careful drivers, but there is a small per cent who openly defy the law and who hit everything that comes in their way. It has not been so long ago when a prominent citizen was hit by some drunken sots, and on top of that they nearly killed him by a severe beating, but so far nothing has been done to the guilty ones, yet you expect this man to respect your law as well as to contribute to the support of such an administration. We have boys and girls 12 and 14 years of age in this city who can be much more trusted at the auto wheel than some people twice their age. A drunken driver should never be allowed to drive an automobile any more than should a crazy man, three and any law that would give a drunk times to redeem himself, why such a law we cannot respect. 4 RUMOR has it that C. Clarence Neslen is to quit his new $10,000 job and take one of the jobs in the secretary of states office. THE FARMERS of Salt Lake County are asking for a sugar duty but at the recent election they voted for a free trader. Now what do they really want? 4 SCIENTISTS say that ten million years will bring little change in the human race and that Americans then will look just as they do now. Maybe so, but we would suggest that the scientists study how the women looked from thirty to sixty .years ago. |