The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-29
BOARD IS SITTING
WITHOUT QUORUM
Contention Is Therefore Beine
Made That Its Actions
Are Illegal.
MAY WORK A HARDSHIP
ON MANY POOR PEOPLE
Portion of the Time Only One
Commissioners Has Been in
Attendance.

How much Of the work of the county
board of equalization this year viii
hold waters
This is question that has been
asked quite freqenty within the last
few days, especially by poor widows
and orphans, and il must be confessed
that the evidently correct answer does
not bring any particular sense Of salts
faction. Attorneys declare that little
of it will stand. if attacked,
Practically all the work of the board.
it is confidently asserted, is illegal. for
this reason: Section 2514 of tho Com
piled laws Of Utah says the board of
county commissioners is the county
board of equalization, and must meet
the first Monday in June Of each year
10 examine the assessment books and
eQualiZe the assessment Of property in
the county. The board must continue
in session, from time 10 time, until all
the business is transacted. but not later
than the fourth Monday in June, ac-
cording TO the law,
To legally transact any business
there must be quorum, il is held, and
a majority constitutes a quorum. There
are three members of the board OF
county commissioners and a quorum,
therefore, is two members. At none
of the meetings of the board Of equali-
cation has more than two members of
the board Of county commissioners been
present, it is asserted. and most OF tho
sessions wcrc attended by only one com
missioner, Walter j. Burton, the new
member. .'
Mackay in Idaho.
John c. Mackay has been in Idaho
most of the time attending TO his sheep
business, and one day Mr.. Burton was
detained and James +. Clinton sat by
his lonesome, except for the county as \
SCISSOR and county auditor, of course,
and heard petitions for rebates OF re-
auctions. This, with two other days,
was the only time Mr.. Clinton was
present, according TO the records, but
Mr. Mackay holds the record for nom
attendance, being present only one day.
The rest Of the time, something like
SIX days, Mr.. Burton sat alone.
This lack of quorum II is believed
will, If attacked, invalidate every net
Of the equalization board performed at
a sitting at which only. one commits
sioner was present, and if so, Will work
peculiar hardship upon poor persons.
While il IS true that there have been
remarkably few complaints amounting
TO anything this year, 1T is also fact
that virtually all Of these complaints
have come from tho poorer class or
people, who can i'll afford to bear the
burden of heavy or exorbitant taxes.
In noteworthy contradistinction to
the inatteption and neglect Of the COM
missioners, the county auditor, Frank
Heginbotham, and the county assessor,
Amos Gabbott, have gwen careful at
tentlon to the complaints and petitions
of all for a reduction, and in many
instances, especially in those of poorer
folk, have eased the burden with a
downward rendjustnent. Now, il these
are 10 be invalidated by
the negligence and inattention to duty
of the county commissioners, hundreds
of poor persons will suffer q hardship
In some instances that will approach
Different Last Year.
In noticeable contrast was the at
titude of the commissioners at the sit
tings of the board of equalization last
year. Then the net proceeds Of mines
were under the county board of equali-
zation instead of the state equaliza-
ton board, Corporations with big In
terests and immense political power
We're affected. Most of the appeals
were from corporations, and Mr..
Mackay and Mr.. Clinton missed scarce
y meeting.
This year it was different. The cor
poratlons are assessed by the state :
board of equalization. The county.
board has nothing to do with them,
and neither Mr.. Mackay nor Mr.. Clin-
ton paid any attention, to speak of, to {
the equalization. Many poor persons
appealed to the board for readjust- NJ
ments Of their assessments, but ap-
oarently neither Mr.. Mackay nor Mr..
Clinton considered their appeals worthy
If attention
The last session of the board. under s
he law. was held Monday. and the
general attitude of the commissioners a
throughout the entire sitting is ex-
,mplified in their actions then. There
vas the usual last day rush, widows
md orphans being lined up from the \
inside office far out into the hall, but \
lone of the commissioners was present. \
eventually, late in the day, Mr.. Bur Il
on appeared, and then Mr.. Clinton <
vas telephoned for. His answer was y
characteristic of his general attitude.
Let 'em wait be replied. d
The widows and orphans in line, with q
thers WHO arrived later, waited, but
10 Mr.. Clinton came, and finally the z,
ppeals were heard and such adjust 4.
lents as We're considered just were &
lade, whether legally or illegally re-
lains to be seen