The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-12
WOULD EXPRESS NOTHING.

WOULD EXPRESS NOTHING.
We notice a suggestion that the Gal
weston plan for city government might
advantageously be submitted TO pop
ular vote at the coming city election;
but we do not share any optimistic
illusions with respect to advantages of
this sort For, as we pointed out the
other day in these columns, the people
do not take an interest in referendum
votes of this character. We showed on
Monday last that there have been a
number of proposals before the people
to amend tho constitution. In 1898
five such proposed amendments were
submitted to the people, The total vote
on these amendments was 22,00S, 1S,l07,
1879, l4,914, l4,6l7, out of total vote
as shown by the poll for Representative
in Congress at the same election, of 81
S07: the average vote on the constitu-
tional amendment being about one
fourth of the aggregate vote on Repre-"
sentative Last fall, again, two consti-
tutional amendments were submitted to
the people The total vote on one of
these was 2S,965, on the other 3l,9l6; at
the same time the vote on Congressman
was S4002, the vote averaging about
one third on the constitutional amend
mcnt propositions of that cast for Rep
resentative in Congress,
In this city the showing is even
worse. On the first Tuesday in January,
1904, the taxpayers of this city voted
on the proposal to issue $l,000,0O0 IN
water and sewer bonds. The vote on
the issue of the water bonds was 1908
In favor and 10i1 against, total vote
of $3.50. The vote on the sewer bonds
was 1868 for and $50 against, total
vote of 215S, Needless to say, vote
OF this kind In city like Salt Lake is
absurdly inadequate as general express
sion of opinion.
But it was even worse at the election
on the 20th of April just past, when the
question of issuing $250,000 in school
bonds was submitted by the board Of
educa ton. The total vote in favor of
these bonds was 377, and 262 against;
that is TO say, q total vote of $50. and
this on a money proposition involving
quarter of million of dollars.
1t is true that the vote on these bond
questions was confined to those persons
on the assessment roll and otherwise
qualified At the same time, no one
will claim that over one-tenth of the
total taxpayer vote of this city was
cast on the question of the issue Of these
school bonds
1t may be replied that vote of the
whole people on the Galveston idea
would develop in much large vote
than would a vote of the taxpayers
alone on q question Of issuing bonds;
which is probably true. At the same
time, 1t is practically certain from the
record that the masses of the people
would pay no attention whatever TO the
proposed referendum vote on the Gal
weston idea. Those who are in favor of
that idea would undoubtedly be active
and would work up a vote in its favor
that would by no means express the
real opinion of the whole people with
respect to it. And right here is the cen
tral objection to the referendum on
this or any other question. Those in
favor of the proposition submitted
would always be extremely anxious and
vigorous in urging 1t, They would get
out every possible vote in favor Of it,
no matter what the scheme might be;
whether ii was for the public advan-
tage or not. or whether for private adj
vantage exclusively. The referendum
would undoubtedly lend itself TO job
berry Of every kind, for the very reason
pointed out The friends OF the propo-
sition would see that every possible
vote in its favor was polled, while those
who might be disposed to oppose it
would probably be Indifferent and
would fail to express their views.
We conclude, therefore, that vote
on the Galveston idea, if referred to the
people, would merely he n vote by those
who favor 1T, and complete Indifference
to the whole question by the masses of
the people who would be neither
III favor OF it, nor earnestly against it.
And vote that would be only from
one-fourth to onc-tenth of the actual
vote cast could hardly be reckoncd as
an expression of popular opinion that
would be worthy Of any special atten-
ton.