The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-18

|
whence the money was to come to satisfy
the collector next month. Even with the
reduction there will be not a little distress,
Tor the taxes are yet exorbitant as COM
pared with those of the past.
! We are told that the city needs the money
which it was proposed to collect. and that
the government cannot be successfully car
RED on without it; that the administration
Will be crippled by cutting off this
~ per cent, and that no improvements can
be made; but that kind of talk don't CO."
Inc government could not be successfully
carried on by the present council with
twice or ten times the money that the high
tax would have yielded 1t isn't in the
council to give successful administration
as the history of last year. with the ex-
pendlture CT $1,000, 900 and the very worst
government Salt Lake ever had, demon
strated. And as for improvements, for
eighteen months people have been asking
where are any not paid for by special
| taxes.
| We do not doubt that some annoyance to
department heads will follow this attempt
10 save the people from oppression, but no
rea. interest of the municipality need suffer
The efficiency of every department can be
maintained If the paid but useless
hangers-on are dispensed with, if unneces-
sary officers are given their walking
papers and money is expended intelligently
and for legitimate purposes.
There is another feature of this tax re-
duction which may be referred to as mat
ter for congratulation. The relief of the
people from unnecessary distress is of first
Importance, and next to this is the welfare
OF the city. 1t cannot be successfully
denied that the outrageous taxation I'm
posed by the present administration did
more than anything else to check the city's
extraordinary prosperity. No sooner
were the booming taxes-950 per
cent. increase over the previous
year-anuounced than the boom"
receded and ever since there has
been study decline in real estate. Buyers
were alarmed and fought shy. They
feared to purchase lest the property might
be left on their hands in which event it
would soon be eaten up by taxes. Even
the extraordinary amount of building done
last year could not encourage capitalists
from the outside to buy our lots and take
chances with US in the progressive city.
This year there was another increase of the
taxes, and the result has been almost
| paralyzing. Everybody feels discouraged,
disheartened; pretty nearly everybody has
protested against the oppression and ap
pealed for relief-relief for themselves in
dividually and for the city, which, two
years age, had a record of being the lowest
taxed city in the west and to-day is known
as the highest taxed.
We say the effect of Wednesday nights
tax reduction, trihing as it is compared
with the outrageous increases of last year
and this, will be beneficial to the city. 1t
will be notice to people that the cormorant
policy Is not to be continued, and that the
municipal government may have some con-
sideration for the Individual property
owner 1t may inspire capitalists who
were driven off by the greed of the ad-
ministration that perhaps they can afford
to own property in Salt Lake, even if they
do have to hold it over tax collection day