The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-14
THE TAXPAYERS RIGHTS.

One of the little bits of sophistry in
which our Republican friends indulge,
when attempting to apologize for their
attempt to exclude from the state con-
stitution the Democratic safeguard
against loaning the credit of the state
and of its counties and cities for pri-
vate enterprises, is the plea that they
were only endeavoring to permit the
| people of the state TO do what they
| liked with their own" That has a
very plausible sound, and is used to
deceive those who do not investigate
very closely.
What the Republicans endeavored to
bring about would have endangered
the credit Of the state and of all its
departments and made them a prey to
the rapacity of corporate greed, as
they have been in places where no
constitutional inhibition prevailed.
This evil became so gigantic that the
constitutions of several states have
been amended. so as to insert similar
provisions to those successfully fought
for by the Democrats in our constitu-
tional convention.
The plea of doing what they pleased
with their own, simply means that the
legislature of the state should be at
liberty to vote away money collected
by taxes for public purposes to pri-
vate individuals and corporations, and
to pass laws authorizing the issue of
state and county and city bonds in
aid of private enterprises. 1t will be
seen that in such acts the rights of
taxpayers who objected to such a
misrepresentation of public funds could
be overridden. A majority, influenced
in favor of the money power, no mat
ter by what means, could rob the min
GRITTY and there would be no redress,
unless by tedious litigation the power
of the courts could be invoked for the
declaration of principles that go be-
hind all statutes and all state ccnsti-
tutions.
One of those principles which is fun
damental, is that the power of taxa
ton has its limits, and che of the
limits is that:
ct cannot be exercised in aid of
enterprises strictly private for the
benefit of individuals, though in a re-
mote or collateral way the local pub
lie may be benefited thereby"
That is the doctrine enunciated by
the supreme court of the United States
in the celebrated Topeka case. 1t
DRY that public money may be di-
verted to private uses, when the pub
lie will be indirectly benefited by the
enterprise thus assisted. That notion
is completely overthrown by the de-
cision from which we have quoted
above.
The court further declared that:
"A statute which authorizes town
to issue its bonds in aid OF the man
ufacturing enterprise of individuals is
void, because the taxes necessary to
pay the bonds would, if collected, oe
a. transfer of the property of individ-
uals to aid in the projects of gain and
profit of others and not for public
use in the proper sense of that term"
Thus the plea that 1.-THE people have
a right to do what they please with
their own" falls to the ground, be
cause 1.-The property of individuals"
which is taken from them by taxa
ton for public purpose. may not be
transferred to aid in anything which
is not "a public use in the proper
sense of the term" While there is
one taxpayer who protests against
that prostitution of the taxpaying
power and invokes the aid of the |
federal courts, protection will be af-
forded and the fundamental principle |
will be upheld that public money can
not be lawfully appropriated to any
thing but a public use.
Democrats should keep this unalter- /
able principle in mind. The people Of |
Utah should be indoctrinated with it. |
1t is essential to their welfare. The |
Republican doctrine is full of danger
to the commonwealth. 1t favors the |
power of plutocracy. That is the /
hydra-headed and multi-tentailed mon I
ter which is preying upon this re-
public. The vital issue in this nation |
will be the money power fostered by
Republicanism, against the rights and /
liberties of the masses championed by
Democracy. Let Utah be wise and
IN entering the Union stand for popu-
ar government and state and indi-
7idual liberty.
LABOR IN VAIN.