The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-29
To the Citizens Of Weber County:

county, interested in the judicious dis
! bursement of public revenues and eco
nomic administration of the county gov
ernment, I desire to enter a remonstrance
against the contemplated action of the
county commissioners in the appropria-
ton of a large sum OF money for the
construction of 4 public highway in Og-
den canyon. II such action is cons,lm-
mated, it signifies to every taxpayer of
! the county an additional burden of tax
! alton which must be paid in connection
I with other taxes IN lieu Of which your
property and homes viii be sold 10 sat
| isfy the avowed ends of puBeic necessities,
| unwisely and unnecessarily created.
| The people of Weber county pay more
| taxes than any other county in the state.
| as consequence of which more de-
| linQuent taxes in proportion to the pop
ulation are collected by forced sa'es. But
what corresponding benefits DO they de-
rive? Can anyone point 10 anything that
gives 10 the county and special promi-
! nence or dignity over Other counties. Our
| public improvements, highways, bridges,
| benevolent and charitable institutions,
our sys~em of public instruction. 'etc., ex-
| hibit nothing peculiarly commendable
over Salt Lake. The only thing we excel
| other counties in is the large and regular
production of delinquent tax lists and
! bonded .ndebtedness-two special features
| of municipal excellence that should be
very gratifying and consoling TO a pro-
J gressive community Ye gods, what does
! all this mean? a bonded Indebtedness
| for the city and county aggreSaung the
| astonishing sum of nearly a million dol
! lars the entire sum bearing interest al
| the rate of to per cent per annum- II
! is indeed, a deplorable situation and is
| significant of a gross dereliction of duty
| CT ineXcusable stupidity in official circles.
| What business has a community blessed
with the commercial Importance of ours
| to be burdened with such monstrous in
| debtedness? You have established
financial bondage in local government,
! the sting of which will be keenly felt by
Now. in the face of these conditions.
and of the distressed circumstances of
| the people, the members and emissarles
| of a rich corporation, worth more than
the aggregated wealth of the county. ask
| of a poor, bankrupt but iong-suhering
/ and patriotic community, the appropria-
i ton OF a large sum of money TO assist
them in the completion of their enter
prise One of these wealthy gentlemen,
/ while the matter was being discussed be-
/ fore the commissioners was so migrate
| full as to impute ingrautude 10 the people
| of this county should th.y demonstrate
| against such action, and with such per
sistency and strong individuality did ne
/ argue that many OF the unsuspectlng lei
/ to his way Of thinking and the board
acted accordingly. So distinguished
/ person as the one in question carries
/ much influence. and 1t must be conceded
bv all in his dealings amongst and with
/ a people he has been so long prominently
| identified with, that in the estimation OF
some who deal with him, he sun ae's
and appears in the sanctiiied role OIL an
/ apostle. The writer mas heard certain
very religious people say, Wei, he IS
my spiritual leader, and / think we can
: safely trust him as desiring and Nerkifs===
for the temporal betterment OF the PEG
| pie
The people must know or be apDrehen-
s.ve that this corporation in the prose-
! cut.on of the power dam enterprise, is
/ employing those means and methods
cnly that tend to the enhancement OF IT'S
corporate interests, and that II mas no
/ concern for the public, save only as the
/ interests of the public subserve IT'S
| own Ninteenth century corporations
are souless entities. endowed with none
/ OF those attributes of patriotism ana
humanity that look to the prosperity and
| happiness of the people.
In the contemplated project OF build
! ing county road the power company
/ seek 10 escape a responsibility, an obi
cation already its own and to induce the
/ county to make the necessary contrlbu-
/ ten under the threat or false assump-
/ ton that # they do not, the company
/ VII transmit all their power 10 partS
i other than the place of its generation,
| thereby ruiniOusIy affecting the COM
does any body suppose that for a re-
! fusal of $4,000 Qt Will cost, in fact, not
| dollar less than $4,000 TO build the ROAD
I the company is going to alter or cnange,
/ or that there will be an alteration or
/ change in the appropriation or diversion
| Of 2ower, or in the plan TO be suose.
| cuently executed in the appropriation OF
| ire Dower? Rest assured that If IL is to
4 the financial betterment Of the corpora
! ton to transmit their power to Salt Lake
| or elsewhere, that whether the $4,000 IS
/ forthcoming from the county or not II
/ WI go to Salt Lake just the same.
IN tbs connection note the question
able attitude assumed by the STANDARD
/ - thursdays Issue, complete chahSe
OF front" after having been taken into
/ the company's confidence" a confidence
/ that some predict returning prosperity
/ upon, as unreal and unsubstantial as the
! lnCorporeal air you breathe. The stand
| arcs attitude has been so remarkable
OF late that we may expect change OF
front upon most any question at the
suggestion of most any provocat.on. AS
/ an illustration, just prior 10 the erection
/ when the Salt Lake Herald unveiled GER
/ tain irregularities charged against the
| county commissioners, which were trans
was more exalted than to SELF, the
/ Standard undertook Justification,
/ specially endorsing one OF the lneum-
| belts for reelection. and launching
/ vicious and unjustifiable attack against
/ the most competent and fearless candl-
| date, of its own political persuasion, TOT
| election to that important ONCE. w nat
| could have been the motives? was IL
because John Seaman had no funds to
| spare to purchase press notice? II thai
/ is true the Standard was not innuenceu
by patriotic motives. was II Tor tns
| reason Mr.. Seaman had the courage anu
manliness to publicly insist upon per
| sonal yindication, which was never made
| by the commissioners? Or was 1t a
| trivial personality entertained by the
| Standard? In either event it showed the
| Standard to be no patron of the ElIpic
welfare.
But in the more recent complications
| growing out of the county adminlstra-
/ ton in which that body Disseminated
against the Standard in the bid Tor the
! publication of delinquent tax lists ana
! in which was involved a personal 'none-
! tary consideration for the Standard, IL
| has made a most rigorous exposition
| and demanded in the name of pubic
! Justice that a speedy reparation be mace,
or have a public tribunal investigate lts
operations, all of which was entirety
| cCmmendable: but contrast the two attl-
tudes of the Standard before anu a .i
election, considering at the same time
! the interests involved, and see TO what
an extent the Standard is moved by the
wholesome considerations OF pubic duty
This apparent departure from the nam
question is self explanatory. The IN
| fiuence eXerted by a public journal upon
its readers is often very potent, ana 10
ventilate a peculiar situation the for
going observations were penned. Inc
! Standard writer is undoubtedly suscepu-
bic to the force of hypnotic suggestion
and has been swallowed up in its sooth-
/ ing and mysterious labyrinths.
The Standard protests that its sudden
change of front" in this county road
proposition is due to new information
/ fhat the company had the kindness to
| disclose. and urges the county to make
| the required appropriation 1t intimates
/ that unless the county takes favorable
action the company will grow hostile,
| and disregarding the commercial pros
Il rEar