The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-20

! offered to the party who would pro-
Utah grown cane, and think Mr.. Ar
thur Stayner of Harrington obtained
/ that reward.
ask, can either of those instances
be classed in the category of boun-
ties, as advocated by our governor, and
| asked for, as he claims, by a majority
| of the voters of the state?
1 suppose as the governor has conf
IDENTIFY asserted the policy of the pfo-
neers of the state and that the statutes
of Utah are full of the laws providing
for bounties, ETC., for new industries,
1t will be very easy matter for you
to cite chapter and verse so the general
public may be more thoroughly ad-
vised. Outside of the law of 1890, some
people challenge the accuracy of the
governors statements quoted at the
beginning of this article.
1t is not good for the citizen to feel
that he cannot accept as strictly true
public utterances of our chief execu-
tive, but rather to feel that strained
constructions are placed upon historical
facts to bolster up purely partisan
theory by claiming for it the support of
those now slumbering in the dust,
whose memories are endeared to all by
their purely patriotic labors.
Now, Mr.. Editor, as many do not have
the laws of Utah at hand, and have
been told that the statutes Of Utah do
not reveal what the governor claims,
and knowing you viii do all in your
power to uphold the hands of the chief
officer of our state, will you kindly re-
fer us to the laws the governor al
luded to? Yours for the inuuirers,
JOHN SEAMAN.
Relative to the subject of the above
communication we do not think the
governor of Utah accurately repre-
sents the policy of the founders of the
state of Utah when he saddles upon
them, as he Goes In his message, the
Republican theory of bounties. 1t may
be true that there can be found in the
early statutes of Utah grants of special
privileges to those constructing roads
into our canyons-the privilege Of col
lecting toll of those who used them
In other cases there was granted free
dom from taxation in certain pursuits;
and bonuses were granted for produc-
ing certain articles by the territory
purchasing so many pounds of sugar
or iron if manufactured within a GER
tain time and under given conditions.
The object of such proceeding is
obvious. It was that it might be
demonstrated that we possessed the
elements within our borders for the
manufacture of articles on which the
bonuses were paid. that capital might
be encouraged to undertake the work
Of manufacturing the articles. But
that the pioneers, the fathers of this
commonwealth settled down to a
policy Of paying bounties within the
Republican meaning of that term is
not accurate. The very fact that the
encouragement to a given industry
came by the state purchasing so much
infant industry a bounty for nothing
bears witness that there was operating
an idea in the minds of the pioneers
adverse to the Republican doctrine of
paying hounties.
The followers from the message Of
Governor Brigham Young, addressed
to the Utah legislature on the End of
December, 1850, more nearly outlines
the policy Of the pioneers than the
language of Governor Wells. And the
very guarded manner in which the
chief pioneer of them all, Brigham
Young, recommends the granting of
privileges to encourage the construc-
ton Of works Of magnitude" and the
warning he sounds against the use of
such privileges as to create monopo-
lies, is hardly in keeping with the
spirit Of Republican ideas on the ques-
ton of bounties.
There is no doubt but that the de-
mand and price consequent upon the
distance of any successful competition
will prove sufficient inducement for the
capitalists to invest their means in
whatever will necessarily prove a safe
investment, and insure an abundant
return; any and all kinds of encour-
agement by throwing around them an
energetic and efficient government
should unquestionably be given. 1t is
wisdom to let capital be associated in
infant settlements, because there is
necessity for it for a time; but to lay
the foundation for monied capitalists
to monopolize against labor is no part
of my policy, politics or religion. To
encourage enterprises in constituting
works of magnitude it may be well to
grant privileges, but they should be
so guarded as to be made amenable
to the power granting them at all
times, for the abuse of that power or
directing them to another object than
the ona DESIGNED"