The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-01
TO FIGHT THE ExToRTIoN.

We hear rumor Of q contemplated COM
hination Of property who can afford
it, to relist the collection CT the outrageous
taxes which have been assessed in this city.
Naturally such action would follow the
work Of the assessor and the city council.
In this connection The HERALD has some
suggestions to make. The first is that the
council will promptly reconsider its action
fixing the rate of tax to be collected, or
viii cut down the assessors valuations
everywhere within the city limits. The
latter would probably be the better thing
TO do, because no matter what the rate Of
taxation may be the citizen will insist that
he is being robbed SO long as he is compelled
to pay tax on s valuation % per cent or
more than he thinks the property is worth,
or than he can get for it. There are hun
creds, perhaps thousands, of instances
where citizens would be only too glad to
accept for their property 25 per cent less
than the value placed upon it by the asses
sor. If the council will make this general
reduction the popular clanor will subside
and the people will pay their taxes cheer
fully. We maintain that the council is in
duty bound, as the servant of the people, to
do this very thing. The taxpayers have
for days, new running into weeks,
been crowding into the council
chamber, exposing ORGANIZATIONS and
demanding reduction of their taxes, They
are doing this not as partisans, but as op-
pressed citizens seeking relief from oppres-
sion and praying for their rights. The
protestants are confined to no party, as
many and representing as much property
of the political constituents of the majority
Of the councilmen as of other partisans
entering their protests against the extor-
ton. The demand being popular one and
the protest general we hold that the council
cannot consistently refuse to make the re-
duction. If the reduction shall prevent
the making of certain improvements the
people and not the council will shoulder the
responsibility
In the event of the refusal Of the
council TO yield TO the popular
will as expressed by the long
lines OF men and women marching
nightly to the city hall to pray for relief
from oppression. Our further suggestion
is that not few outraged property owners
JON TO oppose the extortion, but that all
will combine to save themselves and pre-
vent what will be little less than robbery
in the name of the law. Let the fight for
justice be made in dead earnest, and car
ried to a finish, that we may know once for
sll if it be within the power of municipal
council to impudently and defiantly put
upon the property owners the burden
which the Salt Lake assessor and
the common council are trying
TO saddle upon the good people
of Salt Lake. The resistance here pro
posed might, and undoubtedly would. en-
barrass the city government somewhat,
and for that reason the fight should be
avoided; but if the right cannot be made TO
prevail in any other way, let the embar-
rassment come and the responsibility will
rest upon the councilmen who compelled
the resort by the people TO the law and the
courts for protection. Matters can be
made mighty interesting for the city hall
crowd if the appeals of the people for JUS
Jice are denied in this tax business.