Show TO ENLIGHTEN THE PEOPLE the tax payers league of cache county with headquarters at logan is already sending out literature as the opening gun of another fight on the mining industry of utah we all know the symptoms which are an almost exact parallel of the petty jealousy shown by one successful professional man for another they do not get him anywhere and merely serve to stultify his character and demean him in the estimation of the impartial observer last fall at the time the state board of equalization framed a pernicious statute and then openly spent state money in a questionable tio manner if not illegally in the attempt to secure its passage the mining review helped to subject the measure to a microscopic examination which resulted in its defeat by the heaviest vote ever recorded against a proposed amendment in the history of utah our readers are acquainted with the arguments both for and against the measure and it would be abe a useless repe to review them here however a league of farmers in the northern end of the state now sends out a circular calling upon the citizens to form an organization for the purpose of enlightening the people on the tax question it further states that the mining interests ap pealed to the prejudices of the people and thus defeated the amendment because ot oj the lack of an understanding of the apropo we had supposed brass to be an alloy alloys of copper and zinc but that is a iii mistake istak g it is a product of the farms of northern norther nj V s 5 h utah in the language of the streets those gr angers just hate themselves do they in their sublime conceit their overweening self esteem really think that the great mass of the voters of utah who registered their emphatic protest against the amendment last fall are not enlightened enough to understand the meaning of the proposed statute even after careful study do they honestly suppose that our citizens must come to them to have its provisions explained to a band of tillers of the soil who could not even find and one among their number with a knowledge of correct english for the circular which they prepared it would seem so we read the mines of utah if assessed according to their value as are the homes and small farms they would yield half as much revenue to the state as does now all property assessed in the state including the mines the sentence is copied verbatim they are laboring under a mistake the mining interests are not trying to escape a just share of taxation but no such excuse for a law as that framed last fall can be put over on any intelligent body of american citizens without a desperate fight it may ibe be done because it is admitted that the cow counties rule the state some of the legislation which they have forced upon our larger municipalities against the wishes of the citizens thereof fully attest that fact but before they serve notice on the balance imbalance of the country that its capital is not wanted in utah which is what such legislation amounts to they are going to know that they have at least met some opposition the newly elected governor of the state has been quoted as follows last year the mining interests here spent to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment I 1 am in a position to state that they would now gladly give to have it adopted in preference to the taxes which will be imposed upon them draw your own conclusions we can freely admit that we do not like the sinister aspect of a threat like that against the industry which is the very foundation of the prosperity of the state development logically proceeds from production and it can ibe be definitely retarded by detrimental legislation by an unwholesome and unwarranted clamor of graft charges and a multiplicity of foolish laws the mining review hopes with all others that a fair and equitable basis of taxation can ibe be worked out and that the entire vexatious question can be settled once and for all however taxation without representation sen tation never was popular in this country and we hope that the northern farmers will at least allow the mining interests a voice in the matter furthermore we wish to suggest that when this just and practicable system is finally worked out to a satisfactory sion the money collected in taxes f from rom the mines be apportioned to the counties to which it rightfully belongs to those in which the mines are located and that at least a part of it be spend to benefit the mining industry and interests |