The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-11-02
THE BOUNTY QUESTION.

II is necessary to refer once more
to the bounty question, because our
Republican friends and Liberal enc
mics are stir misrepresenting it. Do
they propose, if elected, TO vote large
sums of the peoples money, to be paid
by taxing everybody in the territory,
to aid certain private corporations?
If SO, they should tell the taxpayers
now much they intend to give away
and for what purpose. They have no
right to dispense a dollar of public
money except for the purposes for
which the taxes are levied. Where in
the revenue law do they find autho-
rity to do what they hint at but never
fairly state2
Their sole object of sympathy just
now appears to be sugar. Not that
the present enterprise needs public
funds to keep it going. It is an adj
mitted success. The relief that some
of its projectors need is some one to
take part of the stock they have had
to carry and which is now worth dol
lar for dollar. That is not taking
public money for private purposes.
But why do the Republican stump
speakers stick at sugar?
There is a valuable wooden factory
lying idle in this city. There has been
one factory in the south shut up for
long time. The Provo factory has
been crippled and so have two others
in the north. They have all gone
down under the operations of a high
protective tariff. Why should not
they have a bounty offered for run
ming? They would employ a good
many hands. They would be of great
benefit to the territory.
There is a splendid institution for
the manufacture of boots and shoes
and overalls in this city. It has been
very successful in turning out goods
that competed in price and quality
with the manufactures of other places.
That has met with reverses. Why not
give that a bounty to keep it running
and thus give employment to people
who are out of work, keep money in
the territory and aid home industries
Are not clothes and boots and shoes
as necessary as sugar?
Why not do the same with the tan
neries, the broom factories, the coop
erages. the canneries and number
of other enterprises that anguish and
which would be a boon to the COM
lmunity? The shelters, on the same
principle ought to have bounty to
keep them going. And there are
numerous enterprises that could be
started if they were helped out of the
public treasury.
But what would be the sum of our
taxes? There is complaint now. What
would there be then? Every dollar
paid out must be supplied by dollar
coming in. Where is it to come from
Why from the taxpayers, of course. II
lis easy to talk of giving bonuses and
bounties out of the public purse, but
that can only be done by increasing
the taxes that would have to be forced
from the people.
When you once begin this bounty
business there is no telling where tc
stop. Lift up the wrong gate and out
runs the flood The principle is incor
rect that money collected from The
people for public expenses shall bt
given for any private purpose. YoJ
may talk expediency, plead for new in
dustries, use plausible arguments as t.
individual cases, but that principle
stands unmoved that public funds are
only for public uses. Any departure
from it is dangerous and liable t.
abuse and to such engagements a;
may be ruinous to any community.
So far as we know there is no defin
tie purpose proclaimed to devote public
Il icy to any particular industry. L
there is, tell it outl What do yol
want, Republicans Is it not a fac
that you merely want to put the Dem
ocracy in a false light before the PEG
pie in order to catch some votes? 1
that is not the case, define your polio,
and disclose your purpose.
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