The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-03-25
FOR BETTER SCHOOLS.

We have heard of no objection in particu-
lar to the authorization of the school board
to borrow $500, 900 for the erection of addi-
tional school buildings in different parts of
the city. The people realize the urgent
need of larger school houses, and fairly ap-
preciate the value that several fine school
buildings would be to the city in general
and to each householder in particular Four
large buildings at 200 each, let us say,
and fourteen primary buildings at $4,000
each, will be no doubtful gain to the people
of this city. No other tax that could be
voted would prove more satisfactory in its
results than this one will. The money is to
be voted for certain definite purpose, and
there need be no fear that it will not be
judiciously used. The school board is la
boring with commendable zeal for the i'm
provement of our school facilities, and the
voters should second their endeavors by
adopting the present proposition in no
doubtful manner.
The tax, as has been shown before, will
be light one-half mill on the dollar on
the present valuation of the taxable prop
erty of this city. This light tax both pays
the interest on the bonds and constitutes a
sinking fund sufficient in ten years to re-
deem half the bonds, and in twenty years
to redeem the other half. The tax will no.
be burdensome, and compared with the
special taxes the people have voted in
nearly all the districts in recent years for
school purposes, it will be scarcely appre-
ciable. Moreover, if the tax be not voted,
! 81 ~,
people to about one-half of the proposed
tax, for the payment of rents. Even as a
matter of economy, the issuance of the
bonds ought to be authorized.
But aside from this, we think the people
will take real pride in voting for the issu-
ance OF the bonds. The people are de-
cidedly in favor of good school houses and
good schools; and experience has shown
that good public schools must be supported
by taxation.
Once in while, however, a rumble is
heard to the effect that the property
owner who has no children should not be
taxed for the education of the children of
others. This claim, apparently just, is
really far from equitable. If the children
of others did nothing for the property
spoken of, the case might be different AS
it is, however, the chief value of taxable
property arises from the presence of a
numerous population around it, and the
security of that property lies in the duty
of every able bodied citizen to defend it in
time of war and invasion Wars are no
longer carried on for the enslayement or
murder of families but for the destruction
of armies and property. The man with
property is the one whose interests are
chiefly at stake, aud for the security of this
mans property, his poorer neighbor is ex-
pected to shoulder musket and march to
battle. That this property should in turn
be taxed for the benefit of the probable
soldiers children, seems merely a partial
compensation.
But it is too late to argue the question of
the justice of school taxes. That has been
decided for US by the enactment Of the free
school law by our last legislature The
thing to do at present is fully to carry out
the spirit and letter of that law by
thoroughly perfecting our school facilities.
Progress is the word; vote for the school
bonds.