The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-20
DON'T WEAKEN.

The Mayor is displeased with the action
OF the City Council last week, in voting to
reduce the assessors valuation of real
estate and Improvements 20 per cent. 1t
was TO be expected that his honor would be
displeased. He couldn't very well like the
proceeding and be the representative of his
party. Besides, the expenditure of the
city's money is largely under the direction
of the mayor, and it is naturally annoying
to take the expenditure of say $40, 900 from
a man.
Fortunately for the people the mayor
does not control in this matter, and he can
not reverse the action which the council
has taken. IL is also fortunate that the
councilmen who voted TO relieve the tax
payers from the oppression of the assessor
are a majority of the body. The
subject is to come up for dis
cussion to morrow evening, but we
take it that the debate will amount
TO nothing more than the giving OF
few members of the council an opportu-
nifty TO publicly declare that they have no
consideration for the taxpayers. OF course
The gentlemen who declared by their votes
the other evening that they believed the
taxes were oppressive and should be re-
duced 20 per cent, will stand by their action
and thus afford some relief to the helpless
people.
The mayor says the city needs the money.
OF course it does. 1t needs ten or twenty
times as much as the council originally
proposed to collect this year. Three or
four million dollars could be expended
right now to good advantage. But the
mayor should understand that corpora
tions, like individuals, cannot always
have everything and all they want.
Salt Lake could tiud good use for lot OF
money, but Salt Lake property are
Just now in no condition to contribute any
thing like the sum which might be elm
ployed to excellent advantage Indeed
we are inclined to think that next month
will witness greater financial distress
among the people of this city than has ever
before been experienced. Next month the
taxes must be paid when between quar-
ter and a half a million dollars must be
scraped together by the property holders
and handed over to the tax collectors
Hundreds of people are wondering whence
the cash is to come. IL should also be
borne in mind that in a good many in
stances, these general taxes are following
close upon the heels of heavy special take:
levied for the payment of Improvements a:
sidewalk pavements, water mains, and 81
on.
We sincerely wish the mayor had what
money he thinks the city should have q
this time. but inasnuch as this cannot bt
we may suggest to his honor the proprietJ
of making the most of what he has. IF thert
be not enough 20 do what he would like Il
do he must content himself with doing less
always conscious that the poor taxpayer
will hold him 5lameless if he fails to cree
the Joint public building and fails to max,
other similar improvements, provided b,
viii dig no more half acre hole
in the ground to be abandoned
Meantime, if the cash in the cit,
treasury should run short, why no
trv the plan of making ends meet q
discharging portion of the loafers, bosses
and bumners who are drawing pay from
the municipality. This city has been run.
and 'run'' good deal better in every de
partment than at present, for much les
money and with 1.-THE of the salaried fore
now employed.
The HERALD urges the councilman VIII
voted for reduction of the taxes to stan
firmly for what they have DONE and not b
bulldozed or talked into reversing thei
action. Practically, all the people are wit
them, the protestants against the outrage
Gus taxation proposed coming from ever
party aud all classes. The councilmen ar
the peoples agents, and in this matter tn
former have simply done the bidding O
those who put them in power