The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-22
ADVOCATING PUBLIC RoBBERY.


1t will be remembered that the only
Republican legislature of Utah en-
deavored to pass law giving q
bounty to beet-raisers. This was OPP
posed by the Democrats of that body
and the Dill was vetoed by the Cover
nor. Other bounty bills as unreason-
able as that were also passed and met
the same fate. In attempting to legis-
late money out of the public treasury
for private uses, the Republican MEM
bers did not attempt to proEde
revenue to meet these expenditures
except by an endeavor to cripple the
public institutions of the territory.
In order to provide money to give
away to beet-growers, the cultivators
of canaigre roots and the raisers of
silk worms, they proposed to reduce
the amount of money TO be paid out
of the public treasury for the support
of the public schools. They did re-
duce the amounts necessary for the
support of the reform school, the in
sane asylum, the University, the Agri-
cultural College and other public in
situations.
1t would seem that the folly of the
course of those Republican legislators
would be so palpabIe that even papers
and persons of their own party would
be ashamed of it. But now comes a
Republican paper published at Lehi
with the advice that
Every beet-raiser in Lehi and in
Utah county should see that his vote
goes this fall only for men who are
favorable for the sugar beet industry
They should note and note it well that
any man who has expressed himself
as against bounties and feels glad that
the beet-raisers are only getting $4.25
and 81 per ton instead of So of last
year is no friend to the Woodworking
farmers
It also calls upon farmers and beet
raisers to look to their own interest.
That is Republicanism pure and simple
It appeals simply to self interest and
greed. There is no principle in it.
Justice equity, legality are utterly.
ignored. Beet-raisers are to vote, not
for the public welfare but for their
personal, private interest only. In
arguing on the benefits derived from
sugar-making, these advocates of tax
ing money wrung from the people by
enforced taxation for a public purpose
and giving it away for a private pur-
pose cited figures to show that beet
raisers obtained from an acre of land
returns three or four times greater
than those obtained from the same
area by the raising of wheat, oats,
barley or potatoes, yet they would
have the farmers who still raise the
latter commodities taxed for the pur-
pose of giving bounties to beet-raisers
who already obtain so much more
than they from the cultivation of the
SOIL and they eau on these same
farmers to protect their own inter
estsr'
Now we have to say that every
person who votes for a man for public
Office because he would, if he could,
take money paid by taxes for the ex-
penses of government and give it
away, either to rich corporation or
to men who are already getting great
er profits from their land than others,
makes a misuse of the elective fran
chise and votes for public robbery. It
matters not whether one dollar or a
million dollars is taken out of the
public funds and diverted to a private
Use to promote private profit, it is
theft just the same
The men and women voters of Utah
should see to it, that no man goes to
the state legislature who entertains
the views enunciated by the Lehi
paper. Legislation must be for the
public welfare. Not to grant special
privileges to any class, firm or indi-
vidual. A barrier has been raised in
the state Constitution against any
excessive misrepresentation of public
funds in the shape of bounties, and
even if the heresy promulgated by Re
publican sheets on this question
should be entertained by a majority
of the people, tfai k Coo and the
Democratic party it ccnnot succeed in
efiecting very extensive public evils.