The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-28
people, from. believing that the bogus
prophet is man of God,
THE SMELTER BILL VETO.

for their use land subject to damage by
smeter fumes and smoke, was precisely
what had been anticipated. The farm
ers in this valley have put up tire
mendous fight against the smelters for
good many years. and many of them
have realized double crops each year;
first, in the raising and marketing of
their crops, and thon in collecting dam
ages from the smelters for the dcstruc-
tion of those crops IL was in obedience
to the demand of the farmers, coming
through the usual ecclesiastical chan
nes, that Governor Cutler sent in his
veto.
1t is curious situation The farmers
hold their land at fabulous prices; Will
not sell Mt any rate comparable to the
rate that land is valued in portions of
the valley where tho smelters admitted
ly do no damage. The anomaly is thus
presented. The farms III the damaged
belt, ruined as claimed from smelter
fumes and smoke are ut Il premium
above farms which are outside of that
belt, and that otherwise are equally
desirable and productive. Further, ii ii
is known in any locality, as In Toocle
county for example. that the smelter
people desire to buy n site on which TO
erect n smelter, land in that vicinity
Immediately scars TO balloon prices.
! These facts seem to put a snuifer on the
! farmers claim that the proximity of
! the smelters is damage to the value
| of their farms. But if the value of the
/ farms is enhanced, why is there com
plaint7 Surely it doesn t help them to
have the crops destroyed year by year.
| If such destruction were ms claimed,
surely the land subject to the damage
would dcteriorate in price in place of
soaring; and land where smeltcrs pro-
| pose to locate, would fall correspond
ingly, in place of rising so tremendous
ly as it does,
The county to be especially benefited
by this bill in case it had been one of
general operation, would be Salt Lake
county, A general bill allowing the
condemnation of land on account of
smelter operations would allow the
smelters TO buy the land outright at a
to pay full price for it every three or
four years, over and over, in the form
of damages for the alleged destruction
Of crops. But the bill did not apply to
Salt Lake county even if II had been
signed. 1t expressly exempted from It's
operation counties Of 10000 or more in
population; that is to say, smelters in
Salt Lake county, either in present
operation or to be constructed. could
not avail themselves of this right Of
condemnation Of eminent domain, but
smelters in Tooele, Davis, Utah. or We
Der county could avail themselves of
that right.
We are inclined to agree with Cover
nor Cutler in his veto Of the bill. Not,
however, because Of the reasons which
actuated him in so doing. The bill
would have afforded no practical relief
for a situation that is acute in this
county. the chief county concerned
practically tho only county concerned
The Governor claims that the bill would
have been special legislation and un.
constitutional, which may or may not
be so. We have not the slightest idea,
however, that he vetoed it because of
any views that he or his advisers may
have entertained as TO its constitutions
ality. He vetoed it because he repre-.
sents the farmers IN the continued fight
they have made against the smeltcrs.
under church direction. He would have
signed the unconstitutional fire and po-
lice bill without qualm IN case 1t had
been passed, as to that he would have
been quite willing TO "leayc it to the
courts, which he says was urged in the
matter of the smelter bill but which he
declined to do In that case. We do not
credit him, therefore, with any sincerity
IN the reasons which he gives for the
veto of the smelter bill; but we agree
that it is just as well that it was ve-
toed, because il would not improve the
situation here. And no doubt any
smelling company which would locate
in Tooele or Weber or Utah or any
other county will make its arrange.
ments so as not to disturb the farmers
appreciably, or arrange for the cauita-
ubtNlug VI SUCH udma2e aC any
time that it occurs. There certainly
should, however, be some relief in this
county. and some just and equitable
method adopted whereby the continuous
annoyance and loss which the smelters
endure by the rapacity Of the church
combined group of farmers, could in
some degree be abated. The smeltcrs
might fairly be empowered TO arrange
this matter on some equitable basis, and
whenever n farmer finds the smoke and
fumes intolerable, he should sell out
at premium. or accept some stated
sum that is fair for a permanent set.
tlement of any damage that he may
claim
JEROME is RATIFIED.