The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-12
WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO.

The city council has upheld the assessor
in his outrageously high valuation of city
property. Not only this, but the council
has determined to enforce the high rate of
taxation agreed upon some weeks ago.
Action in both these matters has been
taken i'll defiance of the open protest of the
owners of 80 per cent, of the property.
The municipal authorities win. therefore,
collect from the people, as city taxes,
S2l3,0eo, IS against $50, 000 collected last
year.
And the p, o lie are asked. by implication,
what they ARE going to do about it. We
think we can tell the council what the
people are going to do about it, IN the first
place they are going to pay the taxes.
They are going to submit TO the extortion,
not gracefully and graciously, but because
they can't help themselves. Men who can
afford it, Will let so OF the
money under protest and grudg
ingly. Another class will mortgage
their property and thus raise the cash
which a hoggish council cruelty insists
upon collecting from them. Some, how
many we cannot say, will sell part or all
OF their possessions, and retire to the
country where the collector viii not be re-
garded as public enemy and laboring men
xviii not be compelled to economic to the
degree of stinginess in order to save the
roofs over the heads of their families and
still satisfy the tax gatherer.
There is another thing the People are
going to do about it. They are going to
bear in their memories the names OF every
member OF the municipal government from
the mayor down. They are also going to
record the names of those who nominated
these men to Office. They are going,
furthermore, TO keep in mind the politi-
cal party which is chargeable with and
responsible for the government which in
six months empties treasury which con-
tanned more than quarter OF a million dol
lars and cannot point to any solitary public
improvement as the result Of the expendi-
ture Of the money. They are going to get
from under the government which, within
six months from its Inauguration, antago-
nizes 20 per cent. of all the people without
regard to property, and signalizes its ad-
ministration by such recklessness, incom-
potency and extravaganza that it finds it
obooAupCiy ASlcSodiy. III lbs biau HILL u
year with an overfowing treasury to
begin with, to treble the regular taxes
to meet the current and ordinary ex-
penses of the government, and to pile up
the special taxes many fold. They
are going to see to it thai
good citizens are not driven
out of the city by outrageous taxation, and
that the worklngman shall still be per.
mitted to reside here, and to own the roo
which covers him.
The people understand what to do il
such cases. They may be bound and gag
ged and held helpless for little time, bu
they know ard when to extricate them
selves and how aud when to revenge them
selves on their oppressors. Itwas a wron.
day for Salt Lake when the Liberal party
took control of this city. Hundreds o
Liberals are now openly confessing thu
fact and sincerely deploring the result o
last February's voting. But the victor,
will prove an equally wrong and NOR
disastrous one to the Liberal party
Yet, the taxpayers know what they ar,
''going to do about it," They realize tn,
present helpiessness of their position, hu
they are not without hope They can wal
few months; they can endure the opprcs
sion couple of years, for they have learne,
their strength, and become acquain tie,
with their enemies, and they will know
upon whom to exercise their power.