The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1894-03-21
MUNICIPAL CHARITY.

It is always delightful task to wit
ness the exhibition of genuine charity
by county and municipal bodies, but
Monday evening the city council Of
Provo missed a chance to do very
small bit of charity work which would
have cost the city, nor single tax
payer therein, single nickle in money.
It is true the matter was a very small
one indeed, but it seems we have truly
fallen upon the time for exceedingly
small things, and this action of the hon
orable body is of the smallest. The facts
in the case are as follows: The Odd
Fellows lodge of Provo is maintaining
the widow and three helpless children
of deceased brother. To accU mplish
this, in these plnching times, they
have at short intervals given parties or
balls to which = 6f iesssrt,,- 49,
cares of this poor widow, of wiping
from her eyes the tears of anguish.
removing the terrible fear of the suf-
fering of her fatherless babes, by rea-
son of her helplessness and Inability to
adequately provide for their wants. 1t
is the law that the city may assess q
tax OF three dollars for every such en-
tertainment where money is collected
or price for admission is exacted.
The lodge applied for the remission of
this tax in consideration of the charit-
able disposition of the proceeds and
the committee whose duty it was to ex-
anime and report on this application
reported adversely. This refusal
which robs the poor widow of three
dollars for each occasion of these balls.
does not put single nickle into the |
city treasury. We feel sure
the committee did not and
does not understand all the
circumstances, or surely they would
not have SO reported, or they will
move to recall the question and make
a report recommending the desired
concession.
The late legislature did better than
this. 1t passed bill permitting the
leVying Of certain tax in each county
so that poor laborers might be usefulIv
employed in improving the roads but
mainly that they might be employed
and paid modest wage to assist them
in keeping the wolf from the door in '
these days of general poverty and dis =
tress which bear so heavily on the :
poor. Such enterprise will cost each
taxpayer pittance more, but one J
bears no dissent because the holy pur- b
pose of the act is seen and recognized d d
by all, and we might add, approved bv ii
all. With this worthy example before
It we fail to understand the act of |
lhe council in refusing the favor even y
he wicked and worldly minded
newspapers of the city advertise these te
charitable enterprises free of cost to a
he lodge, land surely the city can afford n
o remit the license for such an object
when it costs it not one cent.
VIII not the council reconsider the tt
question? 1t is but pittance they IL
i've up. But this pittance is allim- al
'ortant to the poor widow and her Ill
ender babes. We haye faith to be-
ieYe they will act promptly, because
+ the urgency of the case. The lodge di
) poor and it feels the pressure of the go
Imeg as does every individual in the ia
and cannot carry on work "
this kind if it is compelled to paw ."
license for the privilege. To make
pod the loss let the council cinch som e
5her enterprise, especially those deal iro fro
lg in luxurles, a little closer. The mn
eople will applaud. wo