The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-12

2
, petuated, that interview should brin,
= a thought or two.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
/ At the coming November election il
this State there will he submitted fou
amendments to the State Constitution
In the way that they are submitted tt
the people. nothing appears explaining
Just what the change proposed is We
} shall endeavor to supply that lack here
in.
The first amendment proposed is tc
section of article 49,, making q change
in the rule of State taxation. AS
the Constitution now reads, up tc
the limit of 5000 100000 assessed valua
ton, the rate of taxation is eight mills
of which FIVE mills is for State pur-
poses, and three mills for the public
schools. When the State valuation ex-
ceeds 5000, 100000, the tax rate shall not
exceed five mills to the dollar. When
the valuation reaches 100000 900. the
rate shall never exceed four mills on the
valuation.
In the proposed amendment the de,
crease Of rate to five mills when the
assessed valuation reaches 100000, 900
is eliminated, as is also the rate Of four
mills on the $500, 100000. In lieu of
these rates, as specified. the eight mill
rate is to continue up to valuation of
S400 100000, and when the valuation ex-
ceeds that the rate shall be five mills
on the dollar, Further: this amendment
proposes to cut the State tax proper
from five mills to four and onc.half
mills; the half mill taken therefrom be-
ing applied to high school purposes.
The reduction Of the State tax to FIVE
mills when the valuation reaches $780,
100000 and the reduction to four mills
on $300,000,000 being struck out, the
eight mill rate under this proposed
amendment will continue right along up
to 100000 900. valuation not even
mentioned in the Constitution. At pres
ent we have valuation less than $780,
100000, so that the taxation of the State
will be doubled (as compared with the
present Constitutional rate) whenever
the valuation reaches and exceeds $780,
100000 until the $400,o00,O00 mark is
reached; and i'm the meantime, the FIVE
mill rate of the 5000, 100000 valuation
would be increased TO eight mills.
This amendment applies half a mill of
the State taxation for high school pur-
poses, but the evident chief purpose of
the amendment is to allow of a tremen
dous increase IN the tax when the valua-
tion reaches $200,000.000 and above
This point, however. as has frequently
been pointed out in The Tribune, can be
reached quite as well by having n scale
of valuations which Will keep the as
sessment below the $200,000,000 mark
1t is far easier and iuster to the tax
payers to do this than to allow of such
an enormous increase in rate as is pro- |
posed by this amendment on valuations
above $200,000,000.
The next amendment proposed is to |
section l Of article IA Of the Constitu-
ton, relating to the limit on the State
debt as now fixed in the Constitution.
AS it stands, the debt shall never amount !
to more than 100000 in excess of the
amount of Territorial indebtedness as
sumed by the State.
AS proposed, the Constitution would
allow the State to become indebted for
necessary public expenditures, including
the erection of public buildings. and for
the payment of all Territorial indebted
ness assumed by the State, nm amount
equal to one and one-half per cent. of
the value Of the taxable property of
the State; that is, as we reckon it, the,
State debt could be instantly doubled
f this amendment carries
The third proposition is to amend sec.
ion of article 10 Of the Constitution,
rs to the public schools and incorpo-
ate high schools as part of the public
school system of the State, which the
trainers of the Constitution fatty re-
used to do. 1t also provides for the ap-
,ortionment of the State tax for the
Of the high schools in the
several cities and districts in the usual
way,
We think that this is a good amend.
nent, and that it should work out prop
r]y in practice. 1t was almost relic
f barbarism for the State Constitution
j Convention to refuse to include high
chools as part of the school system of {
he State.
The fourth amendment proposed is to
ection 4 of article IA of the Constitu-
ion, which fixes the limit of the indebt-
dncss of counties. cities, etc The
mendment does not propose any change
n the method of incurring the indebt-
dness; nor does it propose to raise the
INIT of Indebtedness in cities of the !
rst class, but it more strictly defines .
ne difference between cities of the sec.
nd class and cities of the third class {
nd towns. 1t restricts the additional !