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Show Smoke from the Weekly Pipe Whr vas hanging around the penitentiary peni-tentiary Tuesday at daybreak besides Morris? The public may no longer bo in doubt as to the exact manner in which that esteemed gentleman was bumped off for it is related by the two warring morning papers that one printed print-ed an "open" account of the affair and the other printed a censored narrative. So the public may take its choice if the public be interested in the morbid details of the last few moments in the life of the murderer of Axtoll. The fact of the matter is Sheriff Joseph Jo-seph C. Sharp, anxious to comply with the law in every particular, invited all the papers to unite upon a common representative who would witness the affair and give out the actual facts, ' passed upon, of course, by prison and county officials. Local dailies usually rely upon their outside news from a common agency, the Associated Press, one of them supplementing this service ser-vice with a very fine news report which has a different viewpoint upon most things and covers everything of importance. The same theory of supplying sup-plying the press with information of the Morris hanging from one source was carried out at the penitentiary, the Herald-Republican alone refusing to go into the combine. The result was that one paper printed a "wireless" "wire-less" report and the other three presented pre-sented '.he facts. Upon the assurance that they are to save over $70,000 a 5 ear by the effect ef-fect of the consolidation of the two telephone exchanges the people of Salt Lake are more than usually patient with the absorbing company In Its present transition period. The tele-1 tele-1 phone seivice is abominable, chiefly because of the great amount of work that is being done night and day to get the amalgamated system into working order. The installation of equipment in one exchange, the connection of lines with another, the transfer of phones from the defunct Independent company com-pany to the new operating service-all service-all have a tendency to upset the aveu service we have been getting and make the average patron cuss the operator. ' Of course, it isn't the operator's I fault. If the Mountain States com pany hadn't absorbed the Independent in the first place there wouldn't bo I all this griof. But it did and is going 1 to make a good job of it beforo the gigantic task is completed. In the meantime, the patron of the phone may find the $70,000 nice to contemplate contem-plate and have patience until May 15 1 when the officials of the company promise that the gangway will bq open for good service. ! And if any one thinks the ongin- j eoring and construction forces are not busy as so many one-armed bill post- era in a gale of wind, let them try to got hurry-up action on a now phone. this age of wireless telegraphy and a few other advanced frills created cre-ated by human agency nothing, ap-t ap-t parently, Is impossible. Yet there come from time to time certain things that amaze and awe. Here in Salt Lake an organization has formed which will actually pay Interest upon all money spent, providing it Is spent for the necessities of life at certain places. There is no limit to the field and almost al-most any man who spends money for grub can now expect to draw down his interest at a pretty rate. If the scheme is extended to include all necessities ne-cessities of the human body it will bo a tremendous thing. If it includes the expenditures for the luxuries, foi the unnecessary things accumulated through vice or desire what a monstrous mon-strous proposition it will be. If -we should find a woolly taste In the water, don't blame W. H. Korns, commissioner of water works. The city commission actually reversed itself it-self tho other day and decided to let sheep owners drive their flocks over Big Mountain trail across Emigration Emigra-tion and Parley's canyons. Sensible action by the city commission was taken some time ago when this preposterous pre-posterous privilege was turned down, but tho last word uttered seems to be the last voice heard since prominent wool growers went before the commission com-mission and protested against tho ban placed upon tho herds. Korns protested. pro-tested. Usually when Korns Is In favor of a proposition the rest of the commissioners turn him over their knees. They followed this practice in the case of the sheep crossing city streams. This water comes into the city mains, eevntually, and Is consumed con-sumed by the people who pay for pure water. If you get a mutton cocktail out of the faucet, you'll know that the sheep are moving up tho mountain. Turn on the sheep tea. Salt Lake's club women are nothing noth-ing if not versatile. One week they sail Into tho city commission with a demand that they keep the streets clean and wipe out some of the scenic grandeur repiesonted by divers and sundry billboards about town. Then they invade tho sacred confines of tho city commission's throne room and demand a motion picture censorship with quite as much conndence as though tho board had time to listen to suggestions from any constituted body of tho people. Let us kindly and gently smoke a suggestion that before any censor work Is done on tho motion pictures themselves tho authorities turn their hands toward editing the audiences that attend these playhouses. Here Is some woik. There is room for the juvenile court officers to edge their way into tho crowded aisles and yank out of seats far down in front about 10 p. m. of almost any night half a dozen youngsters whoso mothers are worrying about their absence. It is a nice thing for us to know that property values are Increasing all the time, but an au, ouncoment that would sound a whole lot more like getting a check from homo would be that of a decrease In. the rate of taxation. The county commissioners have raised the assessed valuation of Salt Lake county from $09,304,020 to $71,062,963, an Increase of more than a million and three-quarters. That's au evidence of growth, but it merely brings into the public treasury more money at tho existing rate of taxation taxa-tion If tho tax rate were reduced in proportion to the valuation increase, the big rents that business men have to pay would not be such an almighty burden. |