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Show NOTHING COULD BE QUITE SO VICIOUS AS THIS Power of Taxation Placed In the Hands of Three Or Four Men Named By Governor. Together with a projosel ainciulmctit to life state constitution re-Utuig re-Utuig to uniform taxes and exemptions, anil a prohibition amendment regarding the regulation of ale. manufacture, tic and Msscsion of muxaatiug liquor, there is hcing advertised House Joint Resolution o , pnniding for an amendment to Sec. 4, Art. 13, of the Constitution Constitu-tion of the State of Utah, relating to the taxation of mines and mining imperii and the assessments of same. It reads as follows: P.c it enacted by the legislature of the slate of I'tah.. two-thirds of all the members elected to the two houcs concurring therein : Vi- 1 That it is proved to amend Sec. 4, Art. 13 of the Constitution Consti-tution of the State of Utah so that the ame will rend as follow s- Sec 4 All metalliferous mines or mining claims, both placer and rovk in place, .shall be assessed at five dollars cr acre, and in addition thereto at a value based ukii some multiple or ubmultiple of the net annual proceeds thereof. All other mines or mining claims and other valuable mineral deposits, including lands containing coal or hydro-carbons, shall be assessed nt their full value. All machinery used in mining and all property or surface improvements Uoit or appurtenant to mines r nining claims, and the value of any .surface use made of mining claim-, or mining procrty for other than mining purposes, shall he hmcs-ciI at full value. The state board of equalization shall asos and tax all propel ty herein enumerated, provided that the assessment of tiu d 'liars er acre and the assessment of the value of any u-e other than l"f muting purposes diall le made as provided by law. Sic 2' The Secretary of State is hereby directed to submit this pr H-cd amendment to the electors of the Mate at the neM general rkitmu m the manner prescribed by law. Sec 3 If adopted by the electors of the state, this amendment -hall take effect January 1st, 1"1". pprovcd March 12, 1"17. Ml of the almve amendments will he- voted tixm at the furthcoming furthcom-ing election, and it is more than jiossible that thoc who arc zealous that the prohibition amendment shall pass, will vote favorably on all three rather than rik their ballots. No more vicious a measure than the proposed amendment regarding mining taxation has ever been put to the voters of tins state, declare (ioodwin's Weekly, in n late issue. Should it Kss anil we seriously doubt if the thinking jicople of Utah will ermit it to it would make it Kssihlc for the state board of equalization equali-zation to put the majority of the metalliferous mines of the state out of htiiiie-s, for. besides assessing them at live Hollars k,t acre, it Is proposed pro-posed In addition thereto to tax them at a value based tqvoit some multi-He multi-He r submultiplc of the annual proceeds thereof, without stating tlcfi-mteK tlcfi-mteK Wii.it that multiple or subiimltiple may be. Ill the same token the proved measure would be equally vicious from flic standpoint of those who excct the mining companies to stand their full share of the laves of the Mate, for it Is within the range of fusibilities that through a governor favorably inclined, the state Intard I equalization could be made up of such members as might favor the mining interests to an undue extent. In other words, it gives unlimited powtr in regard to the taxation of mines mid mining companies, pro r con to a lioard conssitiug of four ineinlK'rs. apKintcd hy the governor, Jul not only jeopardizes tbe chief industry of the state, but places other tapacrs in a position where they might be forced to bear additional hurdens if an executive were elected who might see fit to name a lioanl. the members of which might sec their duty in such a light as to serve the r uiing companies, irrescctive of the rights of the (teoplc Referring again to the acts of that trujy remarkable !ody, the leg-lnture leg-lnture of 1017, we Ijave in mind the "corrupt practices act" under winch no candidates are allowed to contribute to any charitable organ-itation, organ-itation, ami which, under strict interpretation means, of course, that hc cannot contribute to the Red Cross. Reserving that part of the measure for future discussion, it means literally that the mining com-tomes com-tomes cannot sx.'iid n quarter to defend their cause or to place their side of Uic argument before the public, but in the meantime there is nothing which prohibits those on the other side of the argument granting that there is an argument from making their campaign in favor of the amendment at the state's excuse, for it was only within the past week that we noted where the members of the state Iward of education had appointed three prominent Utah educators to prcjwrc arguments in favor 'i the projoscd constitutional amendment, relating to taxation for educational edu-cational purines of Utah wines, the best argument to Ik; filed with the "teemed secretary of state, presumably for general dissemination "notig the weakmiuded, Xot being educated ourselves, and knowing little of the prominence l many Utah educators, except when sonic newspaper makes affidavit warding their talents, we are not prepaed to state whethe these gen-'lmen gen-'lmen are qualified to make an argument on any sttbjct, hut it is a safe !t that in this age of isms their hirsute adornment is longer than their '! , and that they will probably call for help from such shorthaircd wnin as usually advise regarding a jet fetich calculated to save the ,,r!l, but which in reality is usually carried to a point where some rut industry Is destroed. We supine that in submitting their argument- to the secretary of state that he is to be the sole judge of the "rih of them, and in casual contemplation of the members of the cont-' cont-' "Hie appointed to submit these arguments, taking also into considcra-''"ii considcra-''"ii the acumen and thorough preparedness of the state secretary reeling re-eling mining matters, we are under the impression that in the sight ' f tli'-e who have studied the subject, the argument will be "a thing of ' int and a joy forever." Hut we admonish the public to lw iatieut 'Hi reieiving these arguments at the state's expense, and take for a 'u i )nar Wilde's reference tp the Leadvillc pianoplayer who asked that '" " within hearing refrain from shooting because he was doing the best K v uhl More seriously speaking, when it is taken into consideration that ",l' nulling companies are now awiewied cm their ground, their net pro-i,v,l- .md improvements, and have an additional occupation tax, and '"4 (lie puroc of the proposed (intendment is to place the x.wcr of 'utt .ii hi three or four men, all of whom arc apxintcd by the gov-nicir, gov-nicir, rather than those who represent the jicople, there can be no ques-ii"n ques-ii"n regarding the viciousness of the aincndiiient or what was in the '"mils of those who proposed and passed it without argument. I lose IJinghaui, Park City, Eureka, the Cottoi.woods, the Milford ' '"trict and the various other camps, which are first among the legitimate legiti-mate industries, arc the very life blood of the state? Never. The con-rvation con-rvation of man jowcr at a crucial time like (life is too necessary to j'e any of it to cut the grass in city streets where busy traffic keeps it "wit at theptesent time. |