Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-05-05
CRY, DOWN WITH HIGH TAXES
Burden Has Reached the Sranng Point Say Big Property
Owners, Who Declare That is Time to Call Halt
School Board Must Take Warning

For these reasons your committee
finds that II Is inadvsnble for the Salt
Lake county board Of commissioners to
increase the school tax rate In the nlaa-
ner asked and respectfully ventures 10
suggest that timely and ample relief
may be obtained direct from the prop
err source. the state Legislature, which
meets in January next"
THE LEGISLATURE GAVE.
1t IS fact within knowledge OF all
that the Legislature did give the relief
foreshadowed by the county commits
sion. The fate Of the relief measure.
however. when II reached the governor
Is well known. Listening TO the petit
lions Of many taxpayers he disapproved
Of II and the city schools would have
closed their doors on Friday last but
for the recent agitation that has resu :
ed In maintaining them Tor the rea, o.
the season. by popular subscription and
other means out Of the ordinary.
TAXPAYERS TALK.
Said l.. 8. Hills: There should be
no deficit next year. The board OF edu-
cation should see TO that! and they
should see to II without increasing the
taxes The rate IL already too high.
The time has come TO sound note OF
warning and sound II so all will hear
and understand. Let the board do its
duty. pay off the last si5,0 on the Nc
Cornick note, and meet all else hat IL
has 90 meet. AS TO how 10 do 1t they
are the best judges. They must work
out some plan. When the governor
vetoed the so-called relief bill he did
just right / believe It viii have
good effect
W. W. Ritter said, II will not under
take TO say what shall be done speci-
finally, but this l will say, We cannot
endure any more taxation. There are
mLry improvements would like TO see.
we need more permanent water sup
| ply our streets need paving, sewers
should be extended: We need an in
crease In police protection, and we need
an extension in our park system. In
| diyidually we need better houses, better
| food and clothing. and other things TO
/ add 10 our sanitary protection, but
! we can't AFFORD all these at present.
! The same principles of economy We APP
| ply to personal affairs should be APP
piled to public affairs. Any individual
who lives beyond his income comes to
bankruptcy, So, also, with the body
| polite.
II believe am as strongly in Ia
yor Of education as any one. but We
must cut the garment according 10 the
] cloth The weight OF taxation now Is
! gIieyous 20 be bourne. II takes from
! 10 10 80 per cent Of the income OF our
best property TO pay taxes. Any fur
| Their increase OF our burdens VIII not
| only result In checking the influx OF
! capital but will drive capital now here
| from the state: remember the expert
ence Of san Francisco; already q mum
Der Of wealthy men have left here AMI
| acquired residences elsewhere 10 avoid
the heavy burdens imposed on them
I here. We must not XIII the goose that
lays the golden egg. Taxes must not
Doe increased n the state s 10 prosper.
We should seek to increase our revenue
by increasing the quantity Of property
to be taxed
John T. Dooly. ex-president OF the
board of education. said I'VE must
| draw In our sails The immediate du-
ty Of the board OF education is TO make
its revenues come within It's eXpendi-
| lures The man who wants one dol
lar breakfast and has but a half dollar
| In hts pocket must be content with
| "a hfty cent fare. II we cant run our
| schools for ten months. then let us
make u less-nine and a half or even
nine months Taxes high? Well 1
guess they are. a man OF money came
10 me recently and talked about the
! erection of a factory In this city, in
curing very naturally about the rate
OF taxation He was dumbfounded
when he saw what the total viii be,
The result was he win build his factory
across the county line And our coun-
81 viii inse the taxes altogether. That
Is only one ease. There are others
lust as pointed ! think. however. that
the board Of education and county CONF
mission are both right on the PROPOSE
tion Of more revenue last year The
board needed " badly; the commission
ala right IN refusing. The trouble was
in passing the constitutional amend
ment two or three years ago that makes
salt Lake give go heavily Of It's taxes
10 the schools outside OF the city"