The Utah County Democrat. [volume] (Provo City, Utah) 1898-1909, 1898-10-22
DEMOCRATIC FINANCIAL RECORD

statement OF Utah county finances
under Democratic administration. We
believe that we can say conserve lively
and conscientiously that the Enquirer
answer" is in no respect an answer
1t is simply juggling of figures which
should not deceive any careful reader.
In tho first place let us look at the
salaries paid county officers during
1902, which year was chosen by the
Enquirer We state the salaries Of
that year were SS5l303, and we now
take pleasure In reitcraling our state
ment, which can be readily proven by
"A consultation of the record for that
year In the Official files Of he county
The difference between the Enquirer's
item of S30l7 10 and our correct state
ment is due to the fact that the com.
pensa'ion of county selectmen and
other officers is carried into the gen
eral statement under the heads for
which the services were rendered, such
ss "highways," "crimlnal prOsecu-
TONS" etc These items for services
carried in the general statement were
paid to county officers by the county
and are properly classified by us as
salary expense, making the actual
salary list in 1892, Ss5l3.O3, as given in
our former list.
We stated the difference between
the old and new system of making re
ports, the change being made 10y a
Republican Legislature, but the En-
Quirer seems TO desire to ignore the
change.
On the financial statement for the
year ending June 30, 1898, appears the
item, "For salaries, $50, 0S0.S7," No
sane man will, however, contend that
this item should not receive the deduc-
ton of all amounts paid back into the
county treasury, for the taxpayers are
certainly not out the amounts which
they receive back. When these proper
appoints are deducted from the salary
list and the actual salaries paid shown
at s9037 %, we think considering the
changed conditions under Statehood,
ana the increased duties of officers
attendant on the increasing wealth and
prosperity of Utah county, that the
salary list OF Utah county is most re-
markably small and speaks most highly
for the economy OF our last two Demo
cratic ADMINISTRATIONS.
The Enquirer says that we have adj
1ed amounts TO former salaries which
we're paid by the territory. The state
ment is upqualihehly false, AS the
Enquirer or any taxpayer can ascer-
tain by looking at the record. We have
added nothing, or deducted nothing in
any case except whore such item Is a
proper deduction in order 10 show ex.
act costs To the taxpayers.
The Enquirer SAYS that in computing
salaries during the last year we should
not deduct tie fees of officers which are
turned into the couny treasury. Such
n contention Is so absurd that IL would
be laughed at by child, In the days
before Statehood all fees of county
officers were reUained 10y them and
were part Of their emoluments. or In
actual truth, salaries. Now, under
Statehood the county officers receive
only salaries aud their fees are turned
back into the county treasury. Are
they not aud must they not be con-
sidered as an offset to the salary list,
and therefore TO be deducted?
Now as 10 the county Indebtedness,
as we formerly stated tho floating iu-
debtedness OF Utah county Is Si5. 900
and before The end Of the present. year
will be reduced 10 $4,000. In fact
considering the amount due Utah
county from the State aud other items.
the actual Indebtedness at present is
only about si0 600. In our former article
we nscrbed the cause of this indebted
ness 70 the highway improvements.
such AS the canyon road, the Provo
river bridge, also the county Jail, and
expenses Of elections. etc, under new
Statehood laws, as well rs u debt ow-
ing by the former Peoples party adj
ministratlon. The Enquirer says 1--WE
have not the exact amounts of those
improvements at hand today, but they
are in our memory etc. 70 show the
remarkable memory Of the Enquirer
editor we may state that where be re-
members the cost of tho Provo river
bridge at between two aud three
thousand dollars" the actual cost was
about $1,000, On other points his 'mem.
ory'' is equally defective.
Now as TO the actual condition OF
Utah county, the second in importance
Ia the State, we may say that u is ia
better financial shape than any other
county in tho State During the two
Democratic administrations MI the
material and lasting improvements we
enumerated in our Issue OF October
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