The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-02
HOW TAXPAYERSA ARE
GIVEN DOUBLE CROSS
Down in Utah County They
Are Held Up by the
SmOOtites.
BANKER -ECCLESIAST HAS
THEM BY THE THROAT
County Funds Kept in His Bank,
Which Gets Interest
Three Ways.

If there is one place in Utah where
| the taxpayers are given the double cross
worse than they are in Utah coun-
ty, no one has heard of it. Utah coun-
| ty is the home of Reed Smoot. 1t is
also tho home of Senator Smoot; of
| Apostle Smoot; Of Ecclcsiast Smoot; of
Boss Smoot; of Banker Smoot. To all
of these titles the Utah county man
will answer when his name is called.
Is the head of the Provo Commercial
& Savings bank, commonly called
Smoot's bank. In this financial insti
tuition the funds of Utah county are de-
posted. Daily deposits are made and
when $1,000 is accumulated it is APP
| piled to the payment Of outstanding
| warrants. These outstanding warrants
are, however, held by the bank and
| draw 8 per cont interest from the date
of issue and registration until paid. No
warrants are paid by the Treasurer di-
| rect. When a warrant is presented to
| him for payment, if it is for $40 or
more, he registers it and tells the hold
er to cash it the same as check at
| the Provo Commercial g. Savings bank,
| Smoot's bank Here is one of the Utah
county taxpayer s double crosses. On
February Il, 1906, warrant was drawn
| for $l470.41 to pay the Smoot bank the
| interest which had accumulated up to
as no funds were on hand TO pay 1T
and July z, 1906, it was redeemed and
| another warrant issued for $29.20 to
| pay the interest on the interest war
| rant of S1470.4l from February IA to
| July 7, thus compounding interest. 1t
| IS therefore plain to be seen that the
| Smoot bank gets a rake-off in the form
Of interest on nearly all the money re-
ceived by Utah county for taxes. The
| yearly taxes are due in September and
| delinquent November 10, so that the
| bulk of the taxes is received between
| September l and November Is, period
of forty-fve days. This money is de-
posted in Smoot's bank as ii is re-
| ceived whether it be $1,000 or $56 900,
| to remain In and be handled by the
bank from September l, when taxes
| commence coming in, until some time
in January, when warrants are again
registered.
No interest is paid by tho Smoot
bank on these funds, The interest pro-
position only works one way, and that
way is enriching Smoot, the banker, &C.
clesiast, apostle, Senator and boss. to
the amount of S1617.34 per year, as Is
shown by the County Auditor S financial
report.
A warrant drawn for $11477 on
January 3, 1905, was called in and paid
October Il and another one for S35, is
sued March l, was paid August II. Just
why the last-named warrant was paid
before the first can not be explained
but the manipulation is so managed TO
give Smoot's bank more interest.
The County Treasurer is also collector
for all city taxes for all cities in Utah
county and this money is also deposited
in Banker Smoot's bank and paid to the
treasurer of each city when their needs
require it. No interest is paid upon
these funds.
Queer, is it not, that the "Oficial
Organ of the Republican Party in
Utah, - whose payroll is edited largely
by Apostle-Banker Smoot, has not had
word to say about this double cross
ing OF the neighbors of their ccclesiast.
Queer, is it not, that it plucks the mote
out of a Salt Laker's eye, but neglects
to remove the beam from its own
And, speaking Of Utah county, the
home Of Ecclesiast Smoot, the salary
crawled up until it exceeds $4,000 per
annum, but in the report of the auditor
this amount is cut up in such way as
to deceive the taxpayer. The report
shows:
Salaries ............ 2,7o6. .0S
Paid to deputy assessors and
collectors ......-...,,.,. 7,991.T
Total ,......,.. $2O, ,697 .S5
The Smoot ring gained control of
Utah county on platform which guar
anteed a reduction in the number Of
deputies and assistants. and they have
increased the expense to Utah county
IN salaries alone nearly $4,000, or to be
exact, $46lG25. Then there is the poor
and INDECENT account, which has also
increased in proportion, now costing
the county more than $4,000 per an
mum. About one-half of this is for
maintenance of the poor farm and in
frmary. 1t is stated that the county
could keep all of the inmates of the in
irmary at the Knutsford hotel at less
expense than maintaining them where
they are, at the lnfrmary. OF the num-
Der Of INDECENT poor supported in
whole or in part by Utah county. 90
per cent are members of the dominant
church. This in the face of the story
told to tourists at the information bu-
reau in the Tabernacle grounds that
there are no poor among the Mormons
The poor and INDECENT money is given
into the hands of the County Commis-
sioners and each one ls permitted to
dole it out as he chooses. The recipient
of this charity is always reminded that
the Republican party is helping them,
and when they vote they must be sure
wish further favors. They are also told
if the Democrats or any other party
gets control these little checks will not
be forthcoming
Former Bishop E. W. Wade. CONNER
cial agent of the Utah Light and Rail
way company in Ogden, was in Salt
Lake yesterday in conference with
Apostle Smoot and Bre r Hammond
Fussy Jimmy, sometimes called Navajo
Jimmy, and Curly Callister were there.
The conference was prolonged one
When it broke up Curly Callister and
Fussy Jimmy wended their way to the
Oregon Short Line depot and hiked 10
the north 1t is presumed that the OBJ
iective point of their mission was
Logan, but a stop will be made in Og-
den and the situation canvassed there
today.
Cal S. Buckwalter, former deputy